Guyanese Youths at Caribbean Catholic Youth Assembly

The AECYA 2012 is probably the most trending topic these days on the lips of most Caribbean Catholic Youths. The acronym means Antilles Episcopal Conference Youth Assembly. Guyanese would have heard a lot of the Antilles Episcopal conference (AEC) last April as the eyes of the Caribbean were on Guyana as we hosted the Bishops of the Caribbean that are part of the conference.  Now those eyes will be turn to St. Lucia as they host over one thousand young people for the IV AECYA, from July 19-30, 2012.

Guyana like other territories has been preparing its young people for the assembly. The Guyana contingent includes 25 youths; 6 from the Cathedral, 5 St. Pius X, 3 Our Lady of the Mount (Meadow Bank), 2 Our lady of Fatima, 2 Sacred Heart; and one each from Holy Spirit, Holy Rosary, St. Teresa’s, St. Jerome (Supply), Lethem, our Diocesan Youth Coordinator Ms. Tracy Williams and Br. Stefan Garcia SJ. Added to the list is His Lordship Bishop Francis Alleyne OSB himself who will be accompanying the Contingent.

Each country has been task with showcasing its culture through food and a stage performance of some kind. Our stage performance includes; folksongs and dancing which is being choreographed by Ms. Vivian Daniels of the National Dance School, with a specific focus on Domestic Violence, a campaign which our Diocese has embarked on. Those participating have been preparing spiritually as well through a method of Prayer called Lectio Divina, which uses scripture to facilitate prayer. Guyana’s pilgrims have been meeting every Thursday at Bishop’s House to pray, Learn about our faith and history, and to Share ideas and plans for the assembly.

In order to assure Guyana’s attendance at the IV AECYA the contingent has continuously been raising funds, since the cost of the airfare per person is GY$109,000 and registration per person is GY$45,000. Take-away lunches, hot dog and ice-cream sales, bake sales among many other efforts have been the undertakings of the participants on pilgrimage to the AECYA, to finance the travel expenses. The contingent has even sensitised the Guyanese society of the event via a radio interview and other media to garner support and sponsorship.

The Theme for this year’s AECYA is “Your Word is a Lamp for my Steps and a Light for my Path” (Psalm 119 (118):105. The Sub-theme is: The Word of God Shaping the Lives of our Youth. The AECYA seeks to help Catholic youth and young adults re-affirm their Catholic identity, build friendships and experience the wider church in the region. The first Youth assembly was held in Curacao in 1999 then Trinidad in 2003, and the last was Jamaica in 2009.