Inviting youth to belong, believe and become

Where do you belong? What do you believe? Who do you want to become?

These are the questions that will guide the Archdiocese as it seeks to realise its vision for youth and young adults: that all would come to know they have been created out of love, for a life of love, by a God of love.

To realise the aspirations that lie beneath these questions, the Archdiocese will invite young people to Belong to the Church (2020), Believe in Christ (2021) and Become a Disciple (2022) over the next three years.

This will include a focus on each of the three great truths of Christianity that Pope Francis shares in Christus Vivit:

• God Loves
• Christ Saves
• He is Alive and I am Alive

Youth Minister Christopher Gilroy says that at the heart of this vision is “a calling to give young people a vision of faith relevant to our time, in 2020”. “We want to help young people clearly see that they belong to the Church, that are loved beyond measure and Christ has great plans for each of them,” Christopher said.

But how? The next three years will include a focus on identifying key ‘entry points’ such as our Catholic primary and secondary schools and Univer­sity chaplaincies, and supporting discipleship pathways for our young people to enter into the life and mission of the broader Church, including our parishes, movements and communities.

Practically, this means deepening the Junior and Youth Ministry across our Catholic school and parish communities and exploring avenues for the development of young adult ministry.

This will draw on more Youth Ministers, with more than 25 to be employed across the Arch­diocese in 2020, across these communities. Finally, a greater focus on leadership formation will be explored, to continue to form those at forefront of the faith in our Archdiocese.

Speaking on this new genera­tion of leaders, including Youth Ministers coming from within our Archdiocese, Chiara Catan­zariti said that she is “so excited to join with them this coming year to proclaim the Gospel by our lives, calling those around us to know they belong to the Church!”

Huw Warmenhoven is Archdiocesan Youth Minister Coordinator. huw.warmenhoven@cg.org.au