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If we are truly the body of Christ with many parts, we have an obligation to include young people because the church community…is incomplete without them.
The young people around us are a gift of the church, not just as the keepers of our beliefs and traditions, but also our calling to live the values of the gospels. Yet reaching the hearts and minds of these people and keeping them engaged and involved is not always easy. This book will ultimately challenge every Catholic community to welcome young people and to work with them so that they will shape the community and claim it as their own, for the present and for the future.
The invitation to actively participate is the greatest gift that we can offer young people, together with a healthy understanding of what a human being is and a care for that human being, a healthy place where they encounter Jesus Christ.
In this new book by Christian Fini, a priest of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate based in Melbourne, we are told that the challenge of every parish community is to find ways to engage young people and to give them a community of which they can be a part. It examines and guides anyone charged with drawing and keeping young people involved in our great Catholic communities, education system and parishes. It includes topics such as developing a vision and planning for youth ministry as a part of living out our faith. This new book guides anyone through the process of setting up a ministry to work with young people, including useful ideas and tips to encourage involvement and to get the parish or school council on side, to useful information on how to actively involve young people in the eucharist, retreats or shared experiences and ultimately give them a sense of their own mission in the world.
Complete with hints, activities and other great suggestions, as well as links to good resources and online material, this book is ideal for anyone working with young people, whether in a school, parish or other community outreach program which just starting out or well established.
“Empowering Young People offers a theological foundation, a framework and many practical ideas for Catholic youth ministry. There simply aren’t other books that do this for the Australian context. Every idea and suggestion for building and enhancing youth ministry has been tried and tested, and they are simply and clearly presented. Every leader in Catholic youth ministry in this country should have a copy of Empowering Young People in their library.”
Fr Chris Ryan MGL
