Youth Ministry with a Marist Flavor
From March 25 to 29, the International Committee on Youth Ministry met for the second time. The committee has been set up in order to prepare a guideline document for the Institute on youth ministry. The committee?s first meeting was held at Rome from July 26 – 31, 2007. Each committee member then made a commitment to writing one chapter of the document, the chapter to be written in the committee member?s native language.
The document?s chapters and their respective authors are as follows : Introduction and Purpose of the Document : Brother Rommell Ocasiones (Philippines) ; Contemporary Youth : Brother Raúl Goitea (Argentina) ; Ministry Activities and Systematic Youth Ministry: Brother Ramon Rúbies (Spain) ; Youth Ministry with a Marist Flavor : Brother Ifeanyi Mbaegbu (Nigeria) ; Pedagogical Methods with Examples: Fabiano Incerti (Brazil) ; Our Vision and What We Aim at: Brother Michael Schmalzl (Germany) ; A Life-Giving Structure at the Service of Youth: Paul Salmon (Australia). The committee is assisted by three Brothers of the General Administration: Brother Emili Turú (General Councilor in charge of the Mission Commission), Brother Juan Miguel Anaya (Procurator General and secretary of the Mission Commission), and Brother Ernesto Sánchez Barba, director of the Vocations Bureau).
The principal work of the second meeting was : to dialogue about what each committee member had written, to review and unify the criteria according to which a consensus could be reached about the specific contents of each chapter and about an overall outline for the whole of the document. Each writer committed himself to write a new version of the chapter which had been entrusted to him, paying close attention to the accepted outline and the critiques offered on the first draft.
The work has not been easy. There exists a diversity of past, personal experiences, of vocabulary, of theological and pastoral realities according to situations in various parts of the globe. The prevailing sentiment at the end of the meeting was one of satisfaction. This was the case especially because of the good spirit that prevailed during the work, the ability to reach agreement, and the emotional rapport which the participants have with the document on which they are working.
The next committee meeting is planned for December 9 to 13, 2008.