By Fr Soroj Mullick, SDB –
Now the time has come to improve the quality of the youth pastoral activity. Such quality is a necessary condition for making an impact and also for improving the quantity as well. Therefore, youth movement (YM) needs to concentrate on these areas: not being content with ‘keeping the youth amused’ or keeping administrative or management control of the activities; concentrating on the objective of developing human maturity, and of education to the faith, leading young people to a personal encounter with Jesus; educating to a sense of life as a vocation and to a life of generous commitment towards peace and harmony; developing the educational and religious dimension with personal conviction; involving with more co-responsibility and better preparation all those carrying out the apostolate with enthusiasm and dynamism: the parish communities, lay collaborators, youth leaders, etc.
The first priority of the Church in India is faith formation with special attention to youth.[1] With the challenges of cultural and religious pluralism a qualified Youth Pastoral Plan would work towards a Vision: maturation of faith in the young until to the point of being “testimony” on the universal love of Christ, according to the Gospel values and with a radical root in one’s own culture, through an inter-religious dialogue in peace and harmony. Its objectives would be: to mature in the faith and the human promotion of the young people through peaceful living, based on inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue through an inculturized YM; to be conscious and to engage themselves with the conviction that they are called to build the future of the human society.
Catechesis is one of many dimensions of youth ministry, which together form the basis of an integrated approach to youth. As it is mentioned earlier, it is concerned with the whole person and with the fostering of faith in all three dimensions -trusting (heart), knowing and believing (mind), and doing (will) (NCD 137). Both NYPP and the GDC provide invaluable guidance for the Church’s holistic YM, including the renewal of catechesis by discerning the direction for the future. The full benefit of these documents, however, depends on dialogue between pastoral leaders.
Understanding of the ‘unified and holistic nature’ of the youth apostolate in a plurality of works, services and activities, is crucial. What is required is a more systematic relationship of the various CBCI commissions along with that of the youth. An important strategy in this effort has been the faith promotion of youth at 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. There exists certain creative openness to the new youth frontiers, above all to the new and old forms of faith education approaches through youth groups and new forms of expression (music, media, theatre, travel etc). What is needed is to create a movement towards youth spirituality and coordinate the organised catechesis in schools, parishes, and within new youth presences and activities.
[1] Cf. CCBI, Pastoral Plan for the Church in India, nn. 25, 29.
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].