News & Events

Youth & Campus Ministry

KAYA 23

Date: 12 Jan – 9 Feb 2015 (one-month stay-in)
Venue: St Lukas Catholic Centre, Kota Padawan
Fee: Free of Charge
Closing Date for Registration: 22 Dec 2014

What is KAYA?

It is a month-long stay-in program to prepare youths to be Christ’s faithful disciple and evangelizer. Participants are usually school leavers, unemployed and those who are waiting for their exam results.

KAYA was initiated in 1991 by Fr. John Ha (now Archbishop of Kuching) when he called together a group of young priests to start a two-months live-in formation for youth.

Participants come from the all the parishes in the Archdiocese of Kuching although a majority of them have been youths from the rural parishes. Participation is free as this is a gift from the Archdiocese to the young. The “payment” asked is to be given in the form of commitment to Christ and to Christian discipleship.

Vision:

  • Each youth is called to be a Disciple of Christ: “Go out to the whole world, proclaim the Gospel to all nations” (Mk 16:15)
  • Each has the dignity as a Child of God; “God created man in the image of Himself, male and female he created them” (Gn 1:27)
  • Acceptance, Affection, Affirmation; “This is my Son, the Beloved, my favour rests on him” (Mt 3:17)

Mission:

KAYA prepares youth to be Christ’s disciple and evangelizer in the schools, colleges, university campuses, cities and villages, as well as Homes and places where they will live and work. It is a discipleship formation programme is based on the Seminary Formation; it focuses on faith and character formation, community living, and spiritual renewal. It incorporates these elements:

  • Living as a community of faith
  • Human formation
  • Spiritual Formation
  • Academic and Intellectual Formation
  • Weekend Pastoral Outreach

KAYA program gives formation for and involves youths of various “levels”:

  1. KAYA first-time participants
  2. Facilitators comprising graudates from previous KAYA programmes
  3. Recollections: Invitations are extended for KAYA ‘graduates’ to come to serve
  4. Retreat for those who are coming to serve aimed at spiritual preparation, bonding, etc
  5. Seminarians on first time Pastoral Immersion are placed in KAYA