The NSW Ecumenical Council is working with member Churches to facilitate a group of young people (20-35 years) to attend the forthcoming Taize international gathering in Manila in the Philippines.  This will take place between 3-7 February 2010 (with the option of a pre-meeting stay with Christian communities in Luzon beforehand) and it offers a wonderful opportunity for young people of all backgrounds to share in one of the major youth experiences in our region in the next year...

Here is some information from the Taize Community - please contact Cathleen or Kathy (details on this page) for more information about the Australian group arrangements!
and check out the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=110630992400#

Taizé and the Philippines
Brothers of the Community have been visiting the Philippines since the 1970s. Every year, young people from different parts of the Philippines are invited to come and participate in the international youth meetings in Taizé for a three-month period. In this way they can share with young people from all over the world their own experience of life and faith as they live it in the Church in the Philippines. There has already been an international youth meeting in Manila in 1991, as part of the “Pilgrimage of trust” organized by Taizé. 15,000 young people, mostly from the Philippines and Asia, but also from other continents, attended this meeting.
Pilgrimage of trust in the Philippines
The meeting in Manila in February 2010 will be a new stage in the “Pilgrimage of trust on earth”, begun by Taizé’s founder, the late Brother Roger. This will be the fifth meeting of its kind in Asia, following meetings organized by Taizé in Chennai (Madras), India, in 1985 and 1988, Manila, Philippines in 1991, and Kolkata, India in 2006.
The pilgrimage has as a general theme “inner life and human solidarity”. The aim of the meeting is to support young people in their search for God and in their desire to commit themselves in the Church and society. Trust, peace, and reconciliation will be central themes of the upcoming meeting.

Practical information

Dates: Arrival between 24, 25 or 26 January 2010; welcome and first prayer 3 February; departure 7 February 2010.

Place: Central venue in Metro Manila (details will be announced later)

Participants: from 20 to 35 years. It is important to speak English.

General Theme: “Inner life and human solidarity”
Program: Morning prayers in parishes and local institutions followed by a morning program; midday prayer in a central place in Manila followed by reflection groups and workshops; evening prayer.
Accommodation: In foster families, parishes, and religious communities.
Meals: Simple meals will be served - breakfast in the accommodation place, lunch and supper at the central venue
Contribution to costs: to be made in Euros or US Dollars at the welcome area in Manila. What you give covers meals, accommodation and other expenses of the meeting; it will also support other young people with fewer means who wish to take part. Suggested contribution for participants from Europa, North America and the Pacific: probably around 70 € or 90 USD (1 € = 1,2773 USD) will be confirmed.

A pre-meeting stay in the Philippines:
If you wish, during the week before the meeting it will be possible to discover the life of a local community in Luzon, the Northern island of the Philippines, and be welcomed by young people there. Those who come for the pre-meeting program will be asked to make an additional contribution to costs.