Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
AP
Catholic community Awali (Agenzia Fides) - Grace Omit is one of the many young people who took part in the National Youth Day at the Cathedral of Awali on Friday December 8, 2023, where some of the participants also spoke about their experiences at the World Youth Day, held in Lisbon from 1 to 6 August 2023 (see Fides, 25/7/2023).
"God is always first in my life. And because I love God, I love serving the community, helping and serving others, especially the less fortunate," said a young participant in an interview with Fides. "I trust God in all phases of my life. And I always trust him. With every decision I made, I understood that it was God's will. I seek His guidance and am happy to live by faith. If we always put God first, He will bless us more than we deserve.”
Born and raised in Inabanga, Bohol, Philippines, Grace came to Bahrain in 2018, where she is a Senior International administrator and training provider coordinator. She has been working with the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) for 8 years. "I grew up in a simple, ordinary and peaceful family," she says. "We never had any problems practicing our religion. My mother was always a devoted servant of Christ. She taught us to love God, to pray and to serve Him and the community. We grew up watching her involvement with the Legion of Mary. From her we learned the virtues of the Mother of Jesus as our role model of a woman, wife and mother. My parents taught us to pray and always put God at the center of our lives wherever life takes us."
"In the Philippines, I was president of the Student Catholic Action, which advocates evangelizing yourself before evangelizing others,” she continues. “The spiritual formation I received has shaped my character, my vision and my perspective on life. After graduating, I enrolled in the training course of Singles for Christ (SFC), a ministry that supports single men and women who find themselves at a crossroads, choosing between a vocation to marriage, ordination, or a religious vocation."
"The Catholic community here in Barhain is helping me to know more and more about what I really want and what my calling is. I grew up watching my mother serve in church and in the community. And wherever I go, I will always have the passion to serve God, even in the simplest ways. In Bahrain, I belong to a small group of the Filipino community, the SFC, the Legion of Mary, the Himnos Choir, the English and Filipino Lecturers. I find Joy and peace in everything I do, and I have found it above all by living my life with God."
Grace affirmed her family's total devotion to the Lord even when her late father was diagnosed with a terminal illness. "God blessed us and accompanied us through the most difficult times. Our Father knows what is best for us. His ways are not our ways. We are never alone. God is too wise to be wrong. So if you don't understand "If you don't see his plan, trust in his heart. And I live my faith by trusting in his heart."
Grace is a graduate of BIT International College. She holds a master's degree in international business management from the Swiss Business School in Switzerland and is now studying a master's degree at the Ascensia Business School in Paris with a focus on oil and gas management.
Although Bahrain is a predominantly Islamic country, all religions can be practiced freely there. Immigrants from India, the Philippines and Pakistan live here, and around 80,000 people find a welcome refuge in the Catholic Church. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 19/12/2023)
