The Dicastery meets with church assistants of the Polish Catholic Youth Association – KSM

Thirty-three priests, diocesan assistants of the Polish Catholic Youth Association (Katolickiego Stowarzyszenia Młodzieży - KSM), one of the largest and oldest youth associations in Poland, visited our Dicastery during the priestly retreat they were enjoying in Rome before the start of the new liturgical year.

During the brief meeting, the priests who accompany the youth on a daily basis shared their experience, emphasizing how both the leading role of the youth and the synodal style are the elements that have characterized their association from the beginning. This is manifested both through the structures of the association, in which the main players are the young people while the priests play the role of assistants, as well as through formation, in which the proposals prepared by the youth for their peers play an important role.

The Dicastery at the service of local churches to promote youth leadership worldwide

The group was welcomed to the Dicastery by the Secretary, Dr. Gleison De Paula Souza, who conveyed the greetings of the Prefect, Card. Kevin Farrell. He then confirmed to the presbyters that one of the the mandates of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life as expressed by the Holy Father is that of placing itself "at the service of Episcopal Conferences, of youth movements and associations", and with regard to the youth he specifically expressed "the Church's special concern for young people, promoting their leading role amidst the world's challenges”.

As pointed out by Msgr. Grzegorz Suchodolski, head of youth ministry for the Polish Bishops' Conference, who accompanied the group, “the members of the association, which has its roots in Catholic Action, not only follow a personal formation, deepening the awareness of their baptismal vocation, but they are also the ones whom parishes rely upon very often and constitute the youthful face of the Church”.

Catholic Youth Association - KSM: its history

The Catholic Youth Association - KSM was founded in 1919, a few months after Poland regained independence. Today, the organization operates under a decree of the Polish Bishops' Conference and has nearly 5,000 members and collaborators in Polish dioceses.