WelCom August 2024
Around 300 delegates from bishops’ conferences and international movements from 110 countries met in Rome, from 23 to 25 May, to take part in the 2024 International Youth Ministry Congress. Organised by the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, the event marked five years since Pope Francis published his document to young people, Christus vivit: Christ is alive. Two youth ministry delegates from each country were invited to the event and to explore and discuss, ‘Synodal youth ministry: new leadership styles and strategies’. Among them were Jessica Jackman of Christchurch and Nick Wilson of Palmerston North. Nick, chair of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Council for Young People, shares his observations from Rome.
The New Zealand bishops asked me to attend the International Youth Congress. It was incredible to be invited to serve our national Church and go to Rome.
We were hosted at the Il Carmelo Catholic Conference Centre, close to the Vatican City. I stayed at Rosmini House at the invitation of Fr Robin Kurian ic, former priest at St Mary’s Parish in Palmerston North.
The conference included examining learnings from the World Youth Day (WYD) 2023, in Lisbon, to prepare for WYD 2027 in Seoul, Korea. We also discussed challenges young people face as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and current war zones; as well as young people and synodality.
We were fortunate to have Sr Nathalie Berquart XMCJ, Under Secretary of the General Secretariat of the of the Synod, speak to us about the synodal way and how it is impacting not just young Church, but the whole Church.
We discussed youth leadership in the synodal process and how young people engage in the mission of the Church and bringing Jesus to life. We worked specifically on how we achieve formation and spiritual accompaniment of young leaders in a synodal way with reference to Pope Francis’ Christus vivit. Accompaniment is a main theme in his document.
Fr Franco Galdino, Coordinator of the Youth Office of the Dicastery, gave a keynote address about the role of technology in youth ministry. He provided practical and viable ways of changing the style of youth ministry. He said the digital world is itself a ‘land of mission’, a place where one can become closer with young people who inhabit the ‘land’, many of whom are far from the Church and any kind of faith.
As well listening to the speakers and taking part in group discussions we celebrated Mass every day. Each day began at 7am and went late into the night. The multiple languages used throughout were interpreted via a special apparatus.
A highlight for us was a private audience with Pope Francis with just over 300 people in the Sala Clementina. Seated in a wheelchair and flanked by the Swiss Guard and his entourage, the Pope, 84, was excited to meet us.
He reminded us to take care not to neglect the journey of young people in daily life, in ordinariness; accompaniment in spiritual discernment – synodal, personal, and oriented towards truth. And he recalled the importance of listening to young people, ‘real listening, which does not remain half-hearted, or just superficial’.
After the conference, I met with our New Zealand Marist seminarians in Rome, and took a day to visit Assisi. It was important to go there because that is where Carlo Acutis is. He was recently announced as the Church’s first millennial saint and was just 16 when he died.
I recommend going to Rome, to visit St Peter’s Basilica and other famous historical aspects of the Church there. The Pope has called a Jubilee Year for 2025, which will happen predominantly in Rome. More information will be coming soon, including about the Jubilee of Youth, 28 July–3 August 2025. So, let’s be excited to be young Church together.
