534 - June 2013
May 5th, 2013 - May 31st, 2013

EUROPE

An international community of Oblates is in charge of international ministry and youth ministry. Fr. Wojciech KOWALEWSKI and Fr. Saverio ZAMPA tell about this second aspect: youth.

"Youth Service" This is the name of the service entrusted to the Oblates. It is our task to receive each year more than 100,000 young people. It’s a mission of welcoming and listening. Some of these young people are already engaged in the life of the Church; others are seeking, or are simply non-believers. Often these young people surprise us: they are at least looking for meaning and hope. The challenge we face is to welcome them as they are, and to show our trust.

For service: All young people share the same project: service. The natural generosity of youth presses them to serve others, and in particular ¬ to serve the sick and the disabled.

A Church of old folks? Young people have from the start an unappealing idea of the Church. They have noticed that at home, the churches are empty and that participation in Church movements and services is declining. Their first impression here can also be negative: the water at the grotto and the pools, the rosary recited monotonously and without life, the devotional gesture of touching the rocks of the grotto: all this may seem unintelligible and confusing. But then there is Bernadette...

In the footsteps of Bernadette: For many of our young people, shrines are the only places where they attend church. How do we help them discover the message of Lourdes? We invite them to follow in the footsteps of Bernadette, the paths she walked in Lourdes, but also her spiritual journey. And we notice that they easily see themselves in her questions, her desires, her searching, and her discoveries.

Volunteers: During spring break and in July-August, we invite young people who will be, for a fortnight, our helpers in animating the Youth Village: in service to their peers. These are the “volunteers.” At the end of their stay, they leave changed. They all discover that their generosity has enabled them to receive more than they have given.

Individual encounters: At Lourdes, when we meet individually with some of the youth, we see beautiful things, even if sometimes they are born from the ashes of despair and pain. They are true miracles. Some youth then make important decisions: marriage, religious life, priesthood...

Celebrations for Youth: The preparation and animation of focused celebrations are an important part of our mission. The young people have the right to celebrate Christ the Lord with their own values ??and their own culture. Among the most important celebrations are international youth Masses, Masses for children, prayer vigils, Reconciliation services, liturgies of water, of the Stations of the Cross, of light, of reconciliation, of symbols...

And afterwards? Relationships among the youth often extend beyond their volunteer time. As for us, we are happy to see people return home with rediscovered hope and a flame of rekindled love. (Audacieux pour l’Évangile, April 2013)

An eco-group made of up of members of three parishes in the Inchicore area of Dublin received an award in recognition of their work in raising environmental awareness in their local area. The Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) group was founded in 2008 and consists of 12 people made up of members of the laity, Sisters of Mercy and priests from three Oblate parishes – Mary Immaculate and St Michael’s in Inchicore and Our Lady of the Wayside in Bluebell. Sr. Agnes Coll says the group was set up “to work for justice, peace and the good of creation”, not just to preserve the planet for the sake of the human race but because it is a “creation of God given to us and we need to treat it with care”.

The group has worked hard to raise awareness of the interconnectedness of life through various projects that run throughout the year. For example a ‘knitting circle’ is held each year during Lent where participants knit hats, scarves and rugs etc. for Oxfam. Before Christmas each year ‘Alternative Shopping’ days are held to raise awareness of the needs of the developing world and products are sourced from Madagascar, Central America and the Philippines. “We sell the goods on that day but it is more about raising awareness than about selling,” Sr. Agnes says. “Someone speaks at Masses and explains what it is about and encourages people to look away from the commercial side when buying gifts and to think about helping people in the developing world.”

Each year during Fair Trade Fortnight the parish sells a range of Fair Trade products and the local parish primary school has become involved in creating awareness of how our actions can affect producers in developing countries. The group also hosts workshops and talks with guest speakers, and has arranged a 10-week gardening course to encourage people to grow their own vegetables, which proved a big hit with local children in the parish school who also have a garden.

Last autumn, JPIC had their annual ‘Creation Time’ celebration with a special Mass in Mary Immaculate church in Inchicore. Each year, Creation Time runs from September 1 to the Feast of St Francis of Assisi on October 4 (St Francis is the patron saint of nature lovers and ecologists). The Creation Time programme is organised by an ecumenical body called The Churches Together in Britain & Ireland. This year’s theme was ‘Sustainable Energy in Creation - Time for Prayer & Action’, and people were encouraged to examine the use of energy in their lives and in all God’s creation. At the start of Mass, a range of gifts was brought to the altar to represent different elements of creation: potatoes to represent crop harvests, flowers from the community garden, Fair Trade products and some of the goods handmade in Madagascar that the parishes sold at Christmas.

Sr. Catherine Brennan, SSL, chairperson of Eco-Congregation Ireland spoke at Mass and presented members of JPIC with an award in recognition of their work. (Oblate Connections, May 2013)