Franciscan Youth in India Pledge to be Instruments of Peace

“We, the Franciscan youth pledge that we shall be instruments of peace in our families, parishes and the society”- so took the oath more than 300 youth coming from across different states of India on the occasion of the Franciscan Youth Meet (FRAYME) 2020 which was held from 31 January to 2 February 2020 at St. Sebastian’s Parish in Chennai, India. This is a new initiative of The Secretariat for Evangelization and Mission OFM India to promote the Franciscan values and motivate active participation in parish life among the youth members of the Franciscan Parishes in India. The event began with a procession of the Franciscan San Damiano Cross followed by a devout veneration.  On 1 February, the youth assembled in the Church for ‘Praise and Worship’, followed by various talks about the role of youth in the church today. The participants also marched three kilometres with lighted candles and placards calling for peace and singing the hymns of being instruments of peace in different languages. The sight of more than three hundred FRAYME youth along with many others gave the onlookers an opportunity to ask and know about St. Francis and the need for peace. Celebrating Consecrated Life on 2 February, Fr. Vincent Chinnadurai, the Episcopal Vicar for Religious in the Archdiocese of Chennai expressed happiness for FRAYME 2020. Fr. Simon OFM, host pastor, remembering the joy, energetic presence and spirited atmosphere of the 3-day FRAYME 2020, thanked everyone who made the event possible. [gallery type="rectangular" link="file" ids="25856,25858,25859,25860,25861,25862,25863,25864,25865"]