Bishop: 'The whole Irish Church needs to grow - not just young adults'

L-R: organiser Gerard Hanley, Bishop Fintan Gavin, Miriam Goulding, Fr Stephen Wang

Source: Irish Catholic Media Office

More than 160 young adults from across Ireland gathered on Saturday for the inaugural 'Intentional Young Adult Ministry' in Clongowes Wood College, Clane Co Kildare. Hosted by the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference, the event comprised participant-led activities, reflections and a special Mass.

In his address after welcoming those present, Bishop Fintan Gavin said: "Intentional Outreach is our first critical focus. Jesus' command to Peter to cast his nets into deeper waters is our inspiration.

"Each young person needs to be befriended, trust built up, invited into an encounter with Christ and followed up afterwards.

"We are called to go beyond our traditional boundaries and meet young adults where they are - both physically and spiritually. We are called to go to new shores and to connect with people one on one.

"We need to find ways of presenting Christ as a person alive, that gives us our joy and our hope, as good news in a culture where so often Christ, faith and the Church are presented as a burden rather than something that gives life and meaning in a challenging and difficult world. Growth must also be intentional. Growth enables young adults to mature in their faith, empowering them to become active participants in the Church's mission. Remember that!

"Peter had to grow before he became a 'Fisher of men.'

"The whole Irish Church needs to grow - not just Young Adults. We need a rigorous intellectual formation that challenges us and provides formation in Catholic tradition which is broad and deep, and not frozen in any one historical expression. If we are intentional about our growth, we will find that we build disciples for our time.

"But what is this growth for? It is to prepare us for service within what Pope Francis calls 'God's holy faithful people.' Our relationship with Christ, our growing as intentional disciples is so that we are the Mission of the Church to a hurting and broken world for the rest of our lives, bringing hope and healing - bring Christ.

"We need young adults as protagonists who are formed for the very mission of animating our local parishes - bringing their commitment, talent, and love of Christ to the local community where they choose to settle down and build their careers and families.

"As we reflect together on Intentional Youth Ministry we must remember that it is into this time each of us was born and through our baptism called to respond to this time. God has a plan for our time when young people have never been more in need of hearing the hope filled message of Jesus Christ.

"WE must remember - the most important protagonist in all our endeavours today is the Holy Spirit. If we listen together to the Holy Spirit, we trust that out of today we will see what the next step forward should be.

"Today, we might well be starting a new chapter in young adult ministry in Ireland. Our Irish poet, Patrick Kavanagh reminds us that 'To be dead is to stop believing in the masterpieces we will begin tomorrow.'

"Christ is alive! And He wants us to be alive. Like Peter - it will mean having the nerve to do things in a new and different way. Let us trust the Holy Spirit is guiding us and prompting us to put out into the deep to commit ourselves as a Church to intentionally drawing many more young adults into a life-changing relationship with Christ."

Father Stephen Wang said: "I am hugely excited to be involved in the 'Intentional Young Adult Ministry' event organised by the Irish Bishops and that brings together young people from all over the island of Ireland this weekend. There seems to be a great deal of energy and enthusiasm in the Irish Church at the moment, and a desire to discover new ways of connecting with young people today. I pray that the meeting will be a catalyst for renewal in the Church, and will allow the Holy Spirit to speak to the hearts of all those who will be present."