A Wealth of Experience

On June 19^th, the Annual meeting of the Dicastery with the general moderators of the lay associations, the ecclesial movements and of the new communities was held in the Palazzo San Calisto. During this meeting, the nearly 50 ecclesial groups convened reflected on the theme of the next Synod of Bishops: “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.”

The representatives of the different movements, associations and communities were invited to shortly present the apostolic initiatives intended for the young, or undertaken by young people themselves, in the two areas of the proclamation of faith and vocations, and successfully implemented within their own ecclesial groups. The aim, therefore, was not to present theoretical projects or ideas for the future, but what has already been accomplished, or is being done, and has proven to be effective in the field of youth ministry.

In recent decades, the ecclesial movements have indeed been very present and active in the world of the young, which represents a real field of experimentation, innovation and missionary creativity for the proclamation of faith and vocational proposals addressed to young people. This wealth of experiences is a spiritual good that must be shared with the whole Church and that, now on the eve of the Synod meeting, may be of interest to many. We are, therefore, publishing the reports sent to us by participants of the meeting, together with the interventions of Cardinal Farrell and Father Alexandre Awi Mello, who introduced their work.

We want to give voice to ecclesial movements and enrich the synodal reflection, in the certainty that the charisms inspired by the Holy Spirit, which are at the origin of the ecclesial movements and their apostolic works, are fruitful and can renew the vigor of the whole Church.