Last month, Pope Francis had an inspirational message for the laity, "Dare to dream!". I am energised by his words because they reminded me why I left everything to follow Christ.

Five years ago, I asked myself, "How can I help ensure that the next generation of Catholics find the Church in a stronger, more dynamic and vibrant state than it is in now?"

I was shocked by what my generation had inherited. I was in my late 20s, and throughout those first three decades of my life, it seemed like I had grown up in a Church blighted by one crisis and scandal after another.

Also, with each passing year, I had seen the number of Mass attendees dwindle, while the majority of my friends no longer practicing the faith. I was usually the youngest adult attending Mass on Sunday, and, looking at the average age around me, I wondered what I could do.

After much prayer and reflection, I quit my comfortable job in technology consulting, along with all its benefits, to work for the Catholic Church in London as a fundraiser. Fundraising seemed like a good fit for me, as I was already comfortable with topics such as money, finance and budgets.

I also had a deep affinity for how young Jesus was when he started his mission. He left his work as a carpenter to carry out the mission of spreading the Good News.

Since then, there have been days when I have struggled with my new career as a fundraiser. It is hard to operate within a branch of the Church (money-gathering) which has frequently been riddled with greediness, mismanagement and bad press. I, however, do not regret my decision for one moment.

During my time as a Catholic fundraiser, I have learned what it takes to follow a vocation as a layman within the Church, and I am ecstatic to have left my career to take the narrow path. On this road, I have been successful at raising funds for dioceses, parishes, charities, individuals and religious orders, helping them grow in zeal and prominence. Continue reading

• Brice Sokolowski is a Catholic Fundraiser, Development Officer, and Trainer.

They are part of a group of seven heading to Lyon to take part in Dare to Dream, the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Marist Family.

Jen Martinez, Sam Mao and Matt Grevatt will be making a presentation.

They belong to Logos, an Auckland based Marist youth development project. So they are familiar with making presentations in a New Zealand context. But this is the first time they will present in an international setting.

"We're told that our English will be translated by an App!" Jen said by phone the evening before departing.

She is uncertain how many of the 400 attendees understand English but expects there will be a number who won't. "I hope the App understands Kiwi".

The Logos team will be leading the workshop on chapters three and four of Pope Francis' Amoris Laetitia "The Joy of Love".

The presentation seeks to explore the "vocation of the family", and "love in marriage". Their starting point is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

Dare to Dream marks the 200th anniversary of the time when young Marists signed a pledge at Fourvière to found the Society of Mary.

The gathering, a joint initiative of the four religious branches of the Marist Family, takes place in the Marist School of Sainte Marie Lyon - La Solitude.

Fr Alejandro Muñoz SM of the ‘Dare to Dream' organising committee said the meeting is to encourage young people to dare to dream, like the group of young Marists did 200 years ago when they signed a pledge at Fourvière to found the Society of Mary.

Muñoz says the Dare to Dream programme aims to:

• Promote the coordination and integration of young Marists
• Celebrate of the bicentenary of the Pledge of Fourvière
• Prepare for the bicentenary of the founding of the Institute of the Marist Brothers on 2 January 2017.

The Marist Family consists of five branches: of the Marist Brothers (FMS), The Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary (SMSM), The Marist Fathers and Brothers (SM), the Marist Sisters (SM) the Marist Lay Movement. It played an important part in the first evangelisation of the Pacific Islands, including New Zealand.

Source

• sm.org.nz
• Image: sm.org.nz