A young woman from our parish travelled with the summer delegation to visit our sister community in El Salvador. Visiting with one of the Carmelite nuns at the site of Archbishop Oscar Romero’s assassination, this young woman asked, “Sister, has the Catholic Church ever apologized for our inaction during the most difficult times in El Salvador?”

After a silent shake of the nun’s head, the young woman stood tall and said, “Sister, on behalf of my church, I apologize.”

It was a powerful moment for the teens and adults present, and it continues to be a focus of my own prayer and reflection. The owning of faith is something to which I aspire. The fact that this young woman was willing to step forward and claim her place in our shared church, to acknowledge a need for reconciliation and restoration speaks volumes regarding her own faith journey.

Issues of Adolescent Catechesis

Two of the next three issues of the NACYML newsletter will address the topic of adolescent catechesis. As we look to models, best practices, current research, and new developments, we are faced with an opportunity to evaluate our own ministry contexts. Do I, as a youth ministry leader, also recognize my role as a religious educator? Do I work to collaborate and build formation opportunities with other catechetical ministry leaders? Do I acknowledge the need to become familiar and comfortable with catechetical documents? Am I intentional about catechizing the young people and families with whom I work?

In these issues we face difficult questions. We step into an arena that for some of us is outside our comfort zone. We are asked to ‘come to the table’ to meet and collaborate, to learn a new language. We are challenged to take seriously our call to be catechists and evangelists.

We welcome insights into the latest research in the field, we embrace the development of new conversations, and we are grateful for the sharing of the work of our partners in forming and catechizing the young church. Engaging in the conversation surrounding adolescent catechesis, we continue to promote the practice and profession of Catholic youth ministry leaders.