By Fr. Soroj Mullick, SDB-
As Jesus took the initiative to animate the disciples on the way to Emmaus, so too the Church leaders and youth animators resolved to take the initiative to encounter and witness Jesus in the life of the young.
To this end, the CBCI Youth Council stated: “We understand the confused and inconsistent situation of youth and we will strive to accompany them, to rise above the divisive tendencies based on caste and language and help them to develop a culture of tolerance and cooperation. We will endeavour to achieve holistic and integral growth of youth and inspire them to be achievers, by reaching out, to empower, correct, appreciate and spare more time for them. We attend to their problems individually through dialogue. Being compassionate to them, we shall suffer with them by changing ourselves and set an example for them to follow.”
The Youth Council collectively resolved to implement the following strategic plan and vision for 2015-2017 in collaboration with CRI and Education Commissions: promote Career Advancement Program (CAP) in order to empower the youth with clear vision and mission; foster political leaders, people in the judiciary, civil servants, professionals, entrepreneurs, scientific farmers and allied services and mould the character. It also planned a Yuvagram with skill based training programs and promote youth action along with Volunteerism.
Youth Ministry (YM) is a process through which the youth are first welcomed to the community, meeting them where they are; challenge them and form them through Psychology, group dynamics, Word of God, teachings of the Church; and commission them for the Kingdom. This is an integrated approach, active and sensitive to gender, culture, interest, education, etc. YM is a coordinated effort through dialogue and collaboration of various youth specific ministries in the Church (education, art, media, catechesis, social service, vocation, social concern, etc.).
A secular youth approach with a broader outlook to YM will look out for the professionals, the artists, the talented ones and those in focused leadership, will care for the wider catholic youth in the wider society than just those who come to ‘us’. Therefore, integrated approach is the holistic path for contemporary YM. Understanding of the ‘unified and holistic nature’ of the youth apostolate in a plurality of works, services and activities, is crucial at this juncture, in order to overcome a compartmentalised YM still frequently present.
What is required is a more systematic relationship of the various CBCI commissions along with that of the YM. An important strategy in this effort has been the promotion of regional groups with their delegates with regular meetings for assessment, study and planning. This has made it possible to guide the youth pastoral action of the individual dioceses along the lines set out in the national level planning. This has not been a success in all cases.
The role of animation of the diocesan youth delegate and his team has been understood and appreciated better, for example, in the choice of the delegate, in the continuity of his service, in the assessment of its work to make it more active and effective. In some dioceses the position of the youth delegate needs to be strengthened further.
There exists certain creative openness to the new youth frontiers, above all to the new and old forms of poverty, skill-training, vocational career oriented approaches and working conditions (non-formal education for drop-outs, job oriented and income-generating activities etc.), to the world of youth groups and to the new forms of expression (music, media, theatre, travel etc.). On the other hand, except a few individual groups, the area of youth spirituality is quite often neglected. There is difficulty in coordinating the more traditional and organised presences such as the schools, parishes, with the new youth presences (e.g. migrant youth), Church-dropouts and unorganized youth activities.
There lacks a renewed sensitivity to a more educative and evangelising quality to the youth pastoral project, by means of a re-think of a uniform policy in order to adapt it to the new challenges. Practical plans and procedures have not been drawn up still in order to make the youth apostolate more missionary, which is, witnessing and proclaiming the Gospel.
“The Synod singled out young people in particular as those for whom [the Church] should provide greater opportunity for fellowship and communion […] by means of organized youth apostolates and youth clubs” (EA 25). Contemporary YM needs to focus on some urgent issues: migration, media culture, vocation/professions and careers, social concern & service, public presence and secular leadership, education, politics, management, technology, research, healthcare with Christian mindset. The Church has to watch and take note of the youth cultures and have a plan of interaction on this “reading the signs of the times” (Lk 16:1). “The Christian formation of young people in Asia should recognize that they are not only the object of the Church’s pastoral care but also ‘agents and co-workers in the Church’s mission in her various apostolic works of love and service” (EA 47).
To be continued…
Fr. Soroj Mullick, SDB is a Salesian priest from the Kolkata Province. He has a Licentiate in Catechetics and a Doctorate (Christian Education) from UPS, Italy. He has number of years of teaching experience in college and in the formation of future priests. Besides, he has written number of research papers and articles, and has 25 years of Ministry in India and abroad as Educator, Formator, Retreat Preacher, Editor and engaged in School, Parish Catechetical & Youth Ministry. He is now an assistant priest in Bandel Basilica, rendering pastoral and catechetical ministry to the parishioners and to the pilgrims. He can be contacted at [email protected].