Eucharistic adoration – a staple of youth retreats and activities – is pulling young Catholics away from their electronic devices and into quiet reflection. Kimberly Belcher, a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, studied students at three US Catholic campuses who regularly engage in Eucharistic adoration. She found the absence of connection Read more
The youth ministry is an important feature of the Church and the real meaning of “synodality” is well understood by young people, Pope Francis says. Young people have lessons they could teach the Church about synodality, Pope Francis says. “They have asked us in a thousand ways to walk alongside them — not behind them Read more
“Young people don’t feel particularly welcome” in many church communities, says Isabella McCafferty. She said young people are looking for an encounter with each other, with the church and with the sacraments, in ways that are relevant for them. It requires a willingness to “interlink with each other more and hold each other up.” McCafferty Read more
In the central rotunda of Keating Hall on the campus of Fordham University, there is a unique statue that is often overlooked by the the busy students and faculty who walk by on the way to class. The statue depicts Jesus at 18, the average age of an incoming college student. According to Aloysius Hogan, Read more
Pope Francis says service, not party affiliation, makes a politician Catholic. This involves dedication to promoting the common good, particularly through listening to and empowering people who are often overlooked. The pope was speaking to a group of young Latin American leaders attending a course on politics and the social teaching of the church. The Read more
Bishop Charles Drennan of the Palmerston North Diocese in New Zealand says “We are a communion of people. There is no hierarchy of age in the Church, yet so much of our formal written expression and documentation of who we are is produced by older men (cf. Joel 2:28). “Even the recent final document of Read more
A contingent of 21 New Zealanders will attend the international celebration for 2019 World Youth Day (WYD2019) in Panama. The event in January next year will be attended by thousands from around the world. Bishop of Palmerston North, Charles Drennan, who will be accompanying the New Zealand pilgrimage to Panama, commented “it’s my first World Read more
Nathanaël Lamataki, a New Caledonia University student (4th-year Law) from Païta parish, is the official representative of the CEPAC Youth at the Bishops Synod. He is pictured above in St Peter’s Square, on the opening day, with a diocesan priest of New Caledonia, Fr Jean-Paul Pouillet, who is having a 3-week break in France. “A great honour Read more
In a open letter ahead of the Youth Synod, 107 hundred young Scots say it would be a mistake to downplay orthodoxy. The letter, signed by 107 Catholics aged between 18 and 35, was addressed to Scottish Archbishop Leo Cushley. Cushley is one of the bishops attending the synod on young people which began this Read more
This week, Bishop Steve Lowe, Bishop of Hamilton, will leave for Rome to attend the 2018 Synod of Bishops which this year is focused on young people. Pope Francis announced the theme of the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops: “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment” on 6 October 2016. This Read more