Between July 10 and 14, the Canção Nova Community in Cachoeira Paulista (SP – Brazil) held the PHN Camp (Por Hoje Não! – For Today No!). With an intense schedule, the largest Catholic youth gathering in the country attracted an audience of over 187 thousand people over five days. Participants came from various regions of Brazil and other countries to enjoy an open and free program.
The theme of the 26th edition of the Camp was “Either Saints or Nothing” an expression used by the founder of the Canção Nova Community, Father Jonas Abib (in memoriam), which represents an invitation to seek holiness. “In the midst of the challenges each young person faces, the answer lies in ‘For Today No!’ It is to fight, one day at a time” explains Pitter Di Laura, a Canção Nova missionary responsible for the event.
The event featured the presence of various Catholic personalities, such as Father Marcelo Rossi, Father Paulo Ricardo, Tiago Marcon, Sister Maria Raquel, Brother Gilson, and Luzia Santiago, offering a rich program that included moments of prayer, preaching, Holy Mass, as well as parallel activities and shows with the participation of various artists.
Por Hoje Não! – For Today No!
“Por Hoje Não!“ (PHN) is a method of seeking holiness propagated by Father Jonas Abib even before the creation of the PHN acronym. Since the founding of Canção Nova, Father Jonas has encouraged young people to adhere radically to the Gospel with the expression “Either saints or nothing!” seeking to help modern man fight against sin and seek conversion and holiness.
Inspired by the work of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Father Jonas realized that the fight against sin could follow a method similar to the fight against alcoholism: facing one day at a time. Thus, the “For Today No!” method was born, focused on the daily decision not to sin.
The success of this approach was so remarkable that in 1998 the first PHN Camp took place, bringing together young people from all over Brazil with the firm declaration: “For today I will not sin anymore!” Since then, the camp has been held annually.
About Canção Nova Community
In 1975, Pope Paul VI, in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, highlighted the urgency of evangelization. In response, fr. Antônio Affonso de Miranda, bishop of the Diocese of Lorena (SP – Brazil), entrusted Father Jonas Abib with the mission of evangelizing young people. In 1976, Father Jonas began the “Catechumenates,” catechetical meetings for young people. In 1977, on the feast of Christ the King, he challenged the young people to dedicate a year to evangelization: “Who wants to give a year of their life to God to live in community and do what I do with you?” Twelve young people accepted the challenge, and on February 2, 1978, the Canção Nova Community was born.
The document also emphasized the importance of the media in evangelization. Inspired by this directive, Canção Nova uses mass media to spread the Word of God, reaching millions of people. On October 12, 2008, the Canção Nova Community was recognized by the Holy See as a Private International Association of the Faithful, attesting to its authenticity and communion with the Catholic Church.
Currently, Canção Nova is present in several states in Brazil and in other countries, with the mission of evangelizing in a preferential but not exclusive way through social communication media. It works in education, health, arts, culture, and social promotion, contributing to the transformation of human beings and social structures, forming “new men for the New World” and preparing the way for the glorious coming of the Lord.
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Foto: Daniel Xavier / Bruno Marques / Arquivo Canção Nova
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Foto: Daniel Xavier / Bruno Marques / Arquivo Canção Nova
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Foto: Daniel Xavier / Bruno Marques / Arquivo Canção Nova
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Foto: Daniel Xavier / Bruno Marques / Arquivo Canção Nova
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Foto: Daniel Xavier / Bruno Marques / Arquivo Canção Nova
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Foto: Daniel Xavier / Bruno Marques / Arquivo Canção Nova
