Where do we start?
Part of my job is to actually visit Augustinian parishes who want to start some form of youth ministry. So I’m in Queensland attending a meeting of 10 young and not so young people from the parish in where they would like to start some form of youth ministry. But still unsure where they want to end up.
First I wanted to hear where they thought they were as a parish and it was encouraging to hear that they were a welcoming community where there was a sense of fellowship as well as approachable priests. And to hear that there is a want for change, renewal and improvement. I think its the core to actually getting things going. People wanting something. People willing to sacrifice a Sunday evening to talk about change. But it shouldn’t stop there. It needs to be people willing to create this change. To act on what’s been discussed.
Furthermore, it was finding out where to start. Everyone knew what they wanted but to how to actually go about it or where to start was a bit difficult. One young person mentioned that some young people find themselves leaving church because they feel that the job is to enormous that they can find it a chore. There is a sense of truth in that. I mean, you wouldn’t want to throw someone into the deep end of a job and expect them to perform. It needs to start with baby steps. Nurturing the growth of people in the community.
I suggested that everything begins with the mass. It is the only place where members of the community have a chance to reach out to those people. So the question is now, what is peoples experience of the mass? Is the mass valued through our actions? Are they welcomed? Are they invited to participate? I would refer you to my earlier blogs regarding the mass in terms of perfecting what is already there. It was this that I suggested to the group which seemed to have struck a chord. Being able to start small and then grow. Being able to begin with the simplest of task and then step by step, becoming more organised, and more creative. In a sense, its knowing what the mass is about that allows us express our own faith through the different ministries available. I was at the Matt Maher workshop the day before and the word ‘Intent’ came up as we discussed this topic. Intent on how and what we are doing, intent on being a community, intent on Christ.
With this in mind, baby steps and God’s grace, we can bring a community together to be in a fully active, conscious and participative parish.
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