The Coming General Chapter
From September 19 to 21 the youthful heart, soul and spirit of Central Mexico?s youth-ministry efforts were gathered at the Marist Brothers? establishment called Instituto Queretano San Javier.
The young adults and adolescents, all together totaling around 130, are responsible for directing youth groups in schools at secondary and university-entrance levels. The participants held intensive sessions on the realities of life and work in each of the participating schools.
They discussed the role of being helpers and guides for young people along two paths. One path has been pointed out at ?Youth Ministry in the Americas,? the continental meeting held recently in Lima, Peru. The other path is the one which is being revealed as the fruit of the meeting?s invitation: ?Go where the young people are.?
One of the most important elements of the meeting was the explanation of the XXI General Chapter. We found out how the Chapter is being prepared and the way in which it will take place in September 2009. Better yet was giving the microphone to young people and allowing them to express how they feel by way of giving input to the Chapter.
We also spent time working in groups set up according to class-years in order to think and plan for the various school levels (secondary or pre-university) that have just started.
The days gave us time to share, to learn, to play, to sing and, of course, to pre-sent, within the context of the final celebration, our planned activities. At the celebration, a tree was adorned with symbols to represent our dreams, and to remind us of the pathways which Champagnat and the Brothers have followed over the years. The symbols and the thoughts which the symbols provoked inspired us and brought us together in prayer. We felt connected with so many others in the world as we reflected upon the processes leading up to the General Chapter and of our coming contacts with the young people with whom we will deal as we move forward in the work of Youth Ministry in the Central Mexico Province.