Sister Marina Ntsandi dj, on mission in Karna, Cameroon, shares with us the atmosphere of the 2024 Zonal Youth Days (JZJ). The event took place in the parish of St André de Karna-Mbe in the Vina zone of the diocese of N’Gaoundéré.
Mobilisation and welcome
Every two years, the youth chaplaincy organises these ‘Zonal Youth Days’ (JZJ) on a rotating basis, to enable the whole parish to welcome and experience the atmosphere of youth. At the last event, held in the parish of St Joseph in Bamyanga in 2021, the ZYD cross was handed over to the parish of St André in Karna-Mbe. With this in mind, the Daughters of Jesus community in Karna, with the help of the postulants and the whole Christian community of Karna, mobilised to welcome more than 160 young people from various parishes in the Zone. The Sisters and postulants provided help with the liturgy and cooking as well as accommodation throughout the JZJ. What a joy to have such a large and diverse group of young people around us!
The event began on Friday the 5th of April and ended on Sunday the 7th, the Sunday dedicated to Divine Mercy. The weekend was filled with a variety of activities: prayer, listening, sharing, teaching, activities, walking, etc.
Spiritual and human teaching
On the first day, the young people listened to two initial teachings:
– One on the theme: ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’ (St Lk 18, 13), led by the Episcopal Vicar of the Vina zone, Abbé Alain Youssoufa,
– followed by a second on ‘The importance of Education for Life and Love in the lives of young people’, given by a lay teacher at the Collège St François de Sales in N’Gaoundéré.
The second day was a day of prayerful walking. After a twelve-kilometre walk accompanied by songs and prayers, the young people went to Mbé (a sector of the parish) for two teachings:
– One on the theme: ‘You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world’ presented by Abbé Stéphane, spiritual father, and propaedeutic bursar,
– the other on ‘The use of New Information and Communication Technologies’ presented by the coordinator of Justice and Peace.
Return transport was provided by armed forces lorries to enable the young people to arrive for lunch.
These days were enhanced by cultural evenings featuring songs, dances, theatre, and choirs
The highlight: a day of celebrating and joy
This happy atmosphere came to an end on Sunday the 7th of April, the Sunday dedicated to Divine Mercy. At 10am, the youth chaplain, Abbé Mario, presided over the closing Mass of the 2024 edition of the JZJ in Karna. During this Mass, parchments were presented to the most represented parishes. The parish of Karna-Mbe turned out to be the one with the most young people present, around a hundred, but as it will not be able to host two successive editions, the JZJ cross was given over to the parish of St Pierre de Gadamabanga, which will host the next JZJ in 2028.
This time spent with young people, and above all by putting ourselves at their service, has energised and challenged us. So, we can say with Pope Francis:
« Lord, help us to look to
the past with gratitude,
the present with passion,
and the future with hope »
Sr Marina Ntsandi, dj
Karna, Cameroon
0 Comments