By Fr. Soroj Mullick, SDB –
The qualities of youth can be improved through faith formation which is centred on discipleship, connection (relationship), and growth through gift of self. Youth likes to take up challenges with social commitment. They stand by truth and justice in general (Good news of salvation for all) through involvement in service and leadership. Likewise, faith education of youth towards connectedness with family, peer groups, school, organizations, would draw them to responsible participation in the liturgical, pastoral, and ministerial life of the parish.
This way, the faith formation program for youth fosters the total personal and spiritual growth of youth with developed values, life skills and commitments. The Church, therefore, enables young people to develop personal relationship with Jesus through acceptance, love, guidance, training, discipline and security, walking by their side. Youth with abhorrence towards ‘institutional’ Church, would find a ‘home’ through a close relationship with Christ and his ‘body’ (People of God) the Church. In Him the young people will find fulfillment with a whole new outlook on life.
For them life becomes a gift and a responsibility. Like Jesus, for every youth the mission is “to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives and sight to the blind, to set the downtrodden free, and to proclaim the Lord’s years of favour” (Lk 4: 18). Through service, sharing and solidarity towards “men [and women] of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted in any way,” (GS 39) they taste togetherness and festivity, and participate in the building of the kingdom of peace, justice and harmony. Such faith formation enables them to find meaning and their commitment to service, and in the process, discover a sense of vocation in their own lives.
This paper has tried to analyse Youth Catechesis in the Indian context and showed how it functions at the national, diocesan and parish levels. We still need to ask: Is there youth catechesis through the Youth Ministry that helps to find meaning, enables to commit one to service and discover one’s vocation in life? As it has been confirmed that there is a distancing of YM from faith education of the young Catholics, due to the lack of understanding of the goals, scope, contents and sequence of Youth Catechesis itself, we have offered certain orientations for a better Youth Catechesis through a Comprehensive YM. It is complementary.
The Catholic Church in India has to have evangelization as its focus while catechising the youth, with a missionary zeal through a concrete Youth Pastoral Plan. We have placed before a model for a structural plan in context with specific and relevant tasks of Catechesis. We need an inculturated youth catechesis with a focus on the three dimensional spiritual growth through a catechetical youth language that is easily understood by the young and through innovative, flexible and issue-based catechetical inputs. The study here is not exhaustive. It needs further reflection for an ideal youth catechesis.
Following the above findings and observations, we place some questions for further reflections and sharing, which will be useful for working towards an effective youth catechesis:
- How are the terms “evangelization”, “catechesis” and “Youth Ministry” (YM) used in your parish?
- What other terms are used in in place of youth catechesis?
- What activities or strategies are carried out in the practice of youth catechesis?
- Is youth catechesis, as presented in the General Directory for Catechesis (GDC), a part of a “comprehensive YM”?
- What implications do the visions of the Youth Pastoral Plan (YPP) have for youth catechesis in your parish/school?
- Do youth experience the Church as a community marked by charity and love towards the young?
- Do youth have the opportunity for relationships with family and community members who witness a Christian way of life?
- Have they heard the Gospel proclaimed in a manner adapted to their socio-cultural and religious situations and experienced initial conversion?
- Is the Church utilizing all of its pastoral ministries in its work with youth? What is going on in families with youth?
- Are we working to enhance partnerships with parents in developing the faith life of the youth?
- To what extent is the whole community taking responsibility for youth catechesis? Do people have opportunities for meaningful involvement in parish life and for the development of intergenerational relationships?
- To what extent is adult catechesis the axis around which youth catechesis revolves?
How does the GDC’s identification of six tasks of catechesis relate to the understanding and practices of catechesis in parishes/schools? - Does the emphasis on witness and adult relationships in the GDC and National Youth Pastoral Plan (NYPP) have implications for the way youth catechesis is carried out in the parishes? What is going on with adult faith formation in parish, and what are its implications for youth catechesis?
- Do the parish’s/school catechetical efforts, reflect the diversity of the youth situation? To what extent does pastoral planning for youth rely on an analysis of the social, economic, cultural, and religious dimensions of the lives of youth in parishes/schools?
- What are some methods and strategies for carrying out the necessary analysis and evaluation on youth catechesis?
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].