by Clyde Ericson H. Nolasco
Inspired by the words of St. Louie de Monfort “the young Davids with the crook of the cross in the right hand and the sling of the Holy Rosary in the left,” the Marian Youth Movement is a Catholic movement that serves as the youth's dynamic response in searching for peace while being nourished morally and spiritually by the Word of God.
The Blessed Virgin Mary is the group’s exemplary model in achieving peace within, for the family, for the country and for the whole world. The group caters to young people aged 12 - 24 years old who willingly accept the Gospel of Christ in their lives. The members of MYM come from the public high schools within the Ecclesiastical Province of Manila (Dioceses of Novaliches, Malolos, Cubao, Caloocan, Parañaque, Pasig and Manila).
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
In 1985, the late Archbishop of Manila Jaime L. Cardinal Sin launched the Marian Youth Movement (MYM). The group is a response to the call of the Archbishop of Manila for young people and the teachers in the public schools to spread genuine Marian devotion, respond to the call for spiritual rebirth, and adapt to the Department of Education’s objectives of uplifting the moral values in the public school sector. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) declared a National Marian Year to celebrate Mary’s 2000th Birth Anniversary. Many Filipinos turned to our beloved as the country also experienced national problems.
VISION-MISSION
“A renewed Christ-centered Community of Disciples rooted in genuine Marian spirituality for the transformation of school youth.”
With the reformulated vision-mission, MYM embarks in new forms of evangelization in building an ideal “fraternal, praying and apostolic Christian communities in the public schools.” The members are expected to be effective witnesses of the Gospel of Jesus, be promoters of life and virtues exemplified by Mary, and be committed to sustainable growth through constant involvement in renewal formation programs. MYM form youth leaders into fraternal, praying & apostolic Christian communities capable of igniting a spiritual rebirth on their fellow youth by leading them to Christ through the attributes and virtues of Mary.
ACTIVITIES
MYM organizes scholastic/sectoral/general assemblies, sportsfest, youth camps, pilgrimages, rosary rallies, prayer vigils, recollections, retreats, in-service training, congresses, concerts, film showing, family visits, and leadership seminar, etc. For the spiritual nourishment of the members, the group provides experiences of prayer and reflections on God’s Word and the lives of saints for spiritual readings. MYM members embrace Gospel values, Marian virtues, acts of piety like praying the Rosary and Angelus and receiving the sacrament of the Eucharist and the sacrament of Reconciliation.
The MYM is under the guidance of Msgr. Claro Matt Garcia serving as their Director and Promoter.
To know more about the group, you may check their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mymmainofficial.