It is the place Cebuano youths can call their own.
This was how Msgr. Arthur Navales, chairman of the Commission on Youth, said of the youth center near the Metropolitan Cebu Cathedral.
“It’s the home of the young people. Their sanctuary,” said Navales during the inauguration of the two-story youth center last Saturday.
Navales said the center would be a venue for the young people in rekindkling or maintaining their Catholic faith.
He cited the importance of guiding the youth, especially with prevailing social concerns that affect them and lead to their deterioration and involvement on crimes and drugs.
“The young people are searching for happiness, so they settle for substitutes,” he said.
He attributed the crimes involving youth and the family to lack of spiritual guidance because the parents lack time to spend with them.
“The Christian values have been distorted, somehow it starts with the family,” Navales said. He said these issues should be addressed by the church.
With the youth center, young people can come and go while participating on activities like group studies, Bible studies, recollection and prayers.
“We will inject the consciousness of God in their hearts and minds,” he said.
Navales said the two-story building would serve as the venue for spiritual nourishment, which the young people need in their daily life.
The building, located along the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, beside the Cathedral museum, costs P3.7 million and would be the center of youth formation activity of the Archdiocese.
The amount to complete the project was gathered through the effort of active members of the Commission on Youth, who organized various fund-raising activities from collecting bottles and coins.
“With this project, I’ve learned to walk patiently from the scraps that fall on the master’s table,” he said on his speech.
The blessing was led by Bishop Julieto Cortes, who represented Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma who is currently in Rome.
Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal also attended the inauguration.
In his speech, Vidal reminded the youth that the project is proof of a dream that can be completed.
“Seek possibilities that are farfetched. This reality today is proof that the youth has the uncanny ability to realize their dream,” Vidal said.
He described the youth center as “the building built with the tears and sweat of young people.”
The first floor of the building provides a wide space for the study center and an altar where Masses will be held.
The second floor provides a lounge and two rooms, which will house students and serve as the facility of educational modules that the archdiocese will facilitate.
Navales said they would provide training for tourism and HRM students in the area.
The area is also located near the university belt, so it is more accessible to the students.
Navales clarified that the youth center will be open for everyone, including other people from different religions. Candeze R. Mongaya, Reporter