700 from 30 countries in a three-day conference

From April 13 to 15, the Jesuit university hosted the “International Conference on Youth Ministry”. Among the objectives was to “accompany” on the “path of maturation in faith and mission in modern society.” The importance of planning and customizing: for an Indian priest it is “effective” when it becomes a response “to local needs.”

Manila () – An experience that helped me “understand and learn” the importance of youth ministry in the Church, making “wise” decisions about life, guidance, accompaniment and discernment, specifically human and Christian , as in the case of marriage or the consecrated life. The words of Maria Lea Lee, one of the hundreds of young people who participated, sum up the importance of the three-day conference that was held in the Philippines and concluded today. “I have understood the value of the uniqueness of life, of determining my place and my role within the community and working for the desired results,” she said.

The International Conference on Youth Ministry was held April 13-15 at the University of Manila in Quezon City, one of the most prestigious Jesuit-run universities in the Philippines. The event, promoted and organized by the Loyola School of Theology and the Don Bosco School of Theology, brought together more than 700 participants from 30 countries around the world, from Asia to Europe. The attendees were able to deepen, reflect and analyze the relationship between the Church and young people, the value of pastoral care and the ways in which the laity and the ecclesiastical hierarchy can better serve them. In fact, one of the messages that characterized the event was that of “accompanying young people on their path of maturing in faith and mission in modern society.”

Father Henry C. Eusebio Jr, a Jesuit, explained that the entire program was intended to “encourage, guide and support” the young people, to “accompany them on their journeys of faith” and in the different “contexts of life.” The priest, president of the conference and of the Loyola Faculty of Theology itself, recalls that, like parents, the Church “commits to accompany them towards maturity in the faith and the fulfillment of their mission” with “compassion, commitment and care. Young people, he continued, “are called to serve with their time, talents and treasures” for the “common good” at every stage and in every choice they make, from marriage to consecrated life, as priests or nuns, as secular or religious.

Jayeel Serrano Cornelio, dean of the University of Manila, described the conference as an opportunity to “dialogue” with those who care about the world of youth. The ministry dedicated to them, he warned, is an “effort in the key of evangelization” to “guide them towards the fullness of life in Jesus and so that they can be dynamic protagonists” in their lives and in their environment. For this reason, the “three days of study” focused on the vision, principles and practices of the Church, with plenary conferences and 20 working groups on various themes and issues in the world of youth.

Experts and professionals from the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, the United States, France, Croatia and Italy, among others, were present who, through cultural events and initiatives, showed the richness and diversity of the Churches and peoples of Asia, the Pacific and beyond.

In his speech on the theme “Youth animation: planning and models for youth ministry”, Fr. Jerome Vallabaraj, from the Don Bosco Theological Center in Chennai (India), stressed that this ministry must be “personalized” to meet the needs and vision of different groups. And “planning” is “a duty and a commitment.” “Youth ministry – he added – becomes fruitful and effective when it responds to local needs, is guided by concrete convictions and promoted by people”.

Father Anthony G. de Guzman, also from the Don Bosco Theological Seminary, concluded by emphasizing that one of the elements of youth ministry is catechesis. This instills in them a mentality centered on a faith consistent with the Gospel, so that they can “feel, think and behave like Christ”. For this reason, youth catechesis must begin by teaching young people to learn from Jesus, the omnipresent source of inspiration and ideal teacher.”