A Symposium in twelve points

While in Barcelona feverish preparations are under way for the European Symposium on the accompaniment of young people, in the last few months, the over 250 participants have been working on the big event scheduled for the end of this month (March 28 through 31) by means of an educational aid in twelve points. Some of its topics: 1) Jesus and the accompaniment; 2) Christian enthusiasm and the will of God; 3) Difference and relationship; 4) Identity and life; 5) Community and family; 6) Family and Church; 7) Hope and fullness of life; 8) Joy and life; 9) Young people and their vocabularies; 10) Accompanying and Holy Spirit; 11) Examination of conscience and testimony; 12) Evangelization and Christ.

The document is the result of extensive consultation. In September 2015, a committee made up of representatives of five pastoral areas (catechesis, school, university, youth, and vocations) met in Malta and drew up a document which was then discussed during the first half of 2016 in separate meetings with the national delegates of the five areas. As many as possible of their comments were then integrated in the final document, drawn up in Madrid by another small committee representing the five pastoral areas.

Please find the aid on the Symposium website (symposium2017.ccee.eu).

“Young people are crucial to the life of the Church and society! They have many gifts to share and that we should give value to: dedication, creativity, generosity, desire to get to know and welcome the other persons, or rather, a great desire to love and to be loved, to know the truth and adhere to it. They believe they can change the world, and it is right and good that they believe it…,” says Msgr. Duarte da Cunha, Secretary General of CCEE, who adds: “Accompanying young people thus becomes a beautiful mission that Jesus has entrusted to us. It means for the one who accompanies, to follow the light of God along with young people. The life of the persons who accompany them does not need to be perfect, but they must look at God and live the present moment with commitment. Thus, even when a young person is to go beyond an obstacle, the one who accompanies will be able to give him/her a direction, a new perspective that may also become an attractive proposal, in contrast to consumerism that is unable to fill the human heart. The action of loving young people leads to testify by words and deeds that it is worthwhile going ahead, what is good and what is bad, and what is true happiness. There is, in fact, no greater joy for an educator than seeing that the young person has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and that he/she becomes conscious of being able to freely give his/her life for others as well as to become in turn a true witness and guide for others.  This means that we must take care not only of young people but also of the families and the communities, in order to make them increasingly ready to help and enthused by this mission to show Christ and walk with Him. This is why, in Barcelona, ​​the program will include moments of prayer and the daily celebration of the Eucharist, during which we will pray for vocations (Wednesday 29) and for the family (Thursday 30).”

A vigil of prayer of the young people of Barcelona for the young people across all Europe

In the evening of Wednesday, March 29, at 7.45 pm at the Church of St. Anne (Plazoleta de Santa Ana, 29 – 08002 Barcelona), the young people of the diocesan youth ministry service will animate a prayer vigil. This vigil was conceived as an evening of prayer for the youth of Europe, with some testimonies interspersed with moments of worship and singing. At the end, the young animators from Barcelona will meet with participants in a moment of conviviality.

The speakers

During the Symposium, a number of speakers will take turns to share with the participants their reflections around the theme of the meeting.

The speakers, all of them top level, will represent bodies of the Vatican, bodies of CCEE, or bodies of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences in charge of the youth ministry. Of course, even young people themselves will give their contribution. Please find the speakers’ list on the Symposium website.

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Information for the Press

Journalists who are interested in covering the meeting may apply for accreditation before March 24 on this webpage: http://symposium2017.ccee.eu/media/

Warning: Access to the meeting room and the press room will be exclusively allowed to accredited journalists who will receive a special badge. Please pay attention to the requirements for participation on: http://symposium2017.ccee.eu/media/

A Press Conference to introduce the event will take place on March 24th at 11:30 am at the Seminario Conciliar (Carrer de la Diputació, 231 – 08007 Barcelona).

Our speakers: H. Ex. Msgr. Juan José Omella Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona; Msgr. Gil Tamayo, Secretary General of the Spanish Catholic Bishops’ Conference; and Fr. Michel Remery, Deputy Secretary General of the CCEE and organizer of the Symposium.

The journalists who wish to participate on-site and receive a press kit, are kindly invited to specify this request when applying for accreditation or send an email to: media@ccee.eu

The press conference will be re-transmitted live streaming on the following website: symposium2017.ccee.eu

The Youth Choir and Orchestra – “Jordan” & “Paradiso2017”

The Youth Choir and Orchestra – “Jordan”

Young people nowadays want to be part of something important. They need the involvement into big social and at the same time spiritual events. One of many initiative prepared for young people in our diocese is the Choir and Orchestra Jordan. The band was created in 2015 and the idea was to gather people from the diocese to build a community in which they could together discover the beauty of sacred music. Firstly, it is important to look for young people who have passion and do care about music standard. Secondly, nothing could be better than observing young people involved in liturgical life of church. Liturgical music is very often underestimated but it is still very beautiful and young people want to spread it. What’s more, the priest plays an important role in this community. The priest should accompany young people and help them.

The conductor leads the choir and orchestra but the priest takes care of it – he is present during the rehearsals and pray with them, he meets with the leaders and explain them the liturgy, he organizes common services and prayers. Last but not least, it is crucial to build relationships with the members of the choir and orchestra and be open for new people who want to join. That’s why we organize common trips and events – to build the community and to create a space where young people feel good and develop at the same time.

World Youth Day Spirit Community – “Paradiso2017”

During the World Youth Day we could observed joy following from the meeting with other young Christians. Inspired with the World Youth Day, we’ve decided to organize a similar meeting in our diocese. End of June we are going to celebrate “Paradiso2017”. We invite young people from our diocese to come to Gostyń for five days and to make a big feast. Every day is connected with one of the Saints or Blessed. The main theme of the meeting is the kerygma.

We invited different bishops to lead the conferences for us. The dialogue with the bishops is for young people very important so there will also be an opportunity to ask questions. During the day young people will take part in different kind of workshops. There is a variety of possibilities to choose. The main goal is to develop young people’s passions. At the end of the day we will celebrate a Holy Mass with our bishops and with the liturgical arrangement by our Choir and Orchestra Jordan. Each day will end with a concert. It is the first week of summer holiday so we plan to combine the time for pleasure and the time for prayer. Young people can come to “Paradiso2017” with their priests or catechists or even alone – everyone is invited.

We are preparing a campsite and arranging a place for meals. We want to create a kind of Young People’s Town – the place where they will rest, meet new people, integrate, pray and develop.

In Barcelona Best Practices to accompany young people

After registrations to the European Symposium on the accompaniment of young people, to be held in Barcelona from the 28th to the 31st of March, have been closed, the Council of European Catholic Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) – the European bishops’ body that is organizing the meeting in collaboration with the Spanish Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Archdiocese of Barcelona – launches the Fair of Best Practices, scheduled for Thursday, March 29.
In these days, the CCEE is collecting several initiatives that affect different areas of pastoral care (catechism, vocational follow-up, youth ministry …) and have been well received among young people.
“With this Fair of Best Practices we want to show the dynamism and creativity of the Church in Europe,” says Fr. Michel Remery, Deputy Secretary General of CCEE and organizer of the Symposium, who adds: “These are often initiatives that are launched and promoted by young people themselves. This is a clear sign that young people are not only users of these services, they are rather the main protagonists of their own pastoral care, if properly accompanied. In Barcelona, participants will have the opportunity to find a source of inspiration in the initiatives that will be introduced and to take home new ideas. In addition, as we observed that Europe is full of modern and attractive proposals that challenge today’s youth, we want the Symposium to become an occasion to confirm and renew with enthusiasm and courage the commitment of the many people who will be there to accompany young people.”
Among the many initiatives that participants will be informed about in Barcelona in the context of the Fair of Best Practices, we would like to mention the following ones. “Valerie und der Priester” (Valerie and the priest), the activity followed monthly on Facebook by more than 1.3 million people about a young German journalist who has been accompanying and observing the life of a young priest for one year. From Malta, “Prayer spaces school,” which helps children and young people to explore the issues of life, spirituality, and faith in a dynamic and interactive context. From France, “L’appel” (The call), that promotes a dialogue with young people on the importance of finding one’s vocation in life, through moments of reflection and discussion addressed to groups of students and young people, animated by adult members of the youth ministry and vocation ministry.
(Please find these best practices and many more, along with many other pieces of information, on the website: symposium2017.ccee.eu).
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Information for the Press
Journalists who are interested in covering the meeting may apply for accreditation before March 24 on this webpage: http://symposium2017.ccee.eu/media/
Warning: Access to the meeting room and the press room will be exclusively allowed to accredited journalists who will receive a special badge. Please pay attention to the requirements for participation on: http://symposium2017.ccee.eu/media/
A Press Conference to introduce the event will take place on March 24th at 11:30 am at the Seminario Conciliar (Carrer de la Diputació, 231 – 08007 Barcelona).
Our speakers: H. Ex. Msgr. Juan José Omella Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona; Msgr. Gil Tamayo, Secretary General of the Spanish Catholic Bishops’ Conference; and Fr. Michel Remery, Deputy Secretary General of the CCEE and organizer of the Symposium.
The journalists who wish to participate on-site and receive a press kit, are kindly invited to specify this request when applying for accreditation or send an email to: media@ccee.eu
The press conference will be re-transmitted live streaming on the following website: symposium2017.ccee.eu

St. Roch Student Pastoral Care Centre & University Chaplaincy „PLUS”

St. Roch Student Pastoral Care Centre ( Archdiocese of Poznan)

St. Roch Student Ministry acts at St. Roch Parish in Poznan. It is located close to the campus of Poznan University of Technology. Many young people who join the Ministry are students at this University. At the Ministry there are several groups which meet regularly at a Holy Mass and group meetings during the week:
Catholic Youth Association is a group of students who want to have solid foundation of faith and evangelize others showing that faith in Jesus Christ can guide us at work and universities, in the media or public space.
Diakonia of Prayer gathers students who want to deepen their relationship with God through prayer, reading the Bible, by spiritual formation and in relationship with another person.
Ciupa is a group in which students help disabled people in everyday activities. They pray and spend time together. Ciupa is a unique group in which the disabled can experience love and students can really learn to serve others.
Most is a post-academic group for people who already graduated but still want to develop their faith in a community.
Once a month a Holy Mass in English is celebrated together with a Bible meeting for international students.
Holy Masses on Sunday evenings, vigils, early morning masses celebrated in Advent, retreats and many other events taking place at the Ministry are beautified by singing of the student schola.
Every Sunday evening is a unique time at the Ministry. Students can adore the Host, meet Jesus Christ in confession and in the Eucharist during a special Holy Mass at 8:00 pm.
St. Roch Student Ministry is a community of good, interesting and enthusiastic people who are aware that the presence of Jesus Christ in their lives is what they really need and what they long for.

Centro di pastorale universitaria „PLUS” (Archdiocese of Poznań)

La pastorale degli studenti accademici di nome „PLUS” svolge la sua attivitá presso il convento dei Frati minori ( Francescani) in Poznań. Al detto gruppo appartengono piú di 100 persone. Lunedì é il giorno sportivo: giocchiamo pallavollo; martedì facciamo un incontro formativo; mercoledì è una giornata delle prove del gruppo teatrale: domenica invece, prima della Messa accademica fa le prove la scola.

Worldwide study on students attending Catholic universities

The worldwide study on “Youth cultures in catholic universities” conducted by the Federation in 2013 covered over 17,000 students in 55 universities from 35 countries in the world and revealed, among others, that students perceive the university as a course provider allowing them to prepare mainly for their professional lives. A consequence of this so-narrow image of a Catholic university is that the influence of Catholic ideals as well as the university campus minister on students is incredibly tiny.

The young on the threshold || Annual School of Youth Animators

The young on the threshold – preparation to the sacrament of Confirmation

The aim of the program is not to transfer knowledge but to lead a young man to the decision of faith, which is personal encounter with Jesus as a living Person. The other goal is to arouse the need of community of growth in the Church. Candidates to Confirmation should be guided in a way they would like to enter the religious community of peers and become its animators, ready to share the experience of faith.

Annual School of Youth Animators

Its aim is to form future leaders and animators ready to work with the youth. Classes take place once a month throughout the academic year and specialists of different areas are invited to guide them e.g. the biblical foundations, the spiritual life, the principles of social communication and evangelization. Meetings are held in an interactive way to prepare young leaders for the young efficiently.

“Ciupa” Community – Youth Group for the Care for Persons with Disabilities

Ciupa is a community where we take care of disabled people. Ciupa can be described by a lot of different words: love, integration, celebration, prayer. Thanks to taking care about each other we shape our hearts.

We meet every Thursday on evening Holy Mass in a Chapel. After the Mass we go to our room where we spend time together. During our meeting we talk about our problems, drink tea and eat some sweets. In December we bake gingerbread, during the Lent we prepare Way of the Cross, sometimes we have a party or we play some games. At 21.00 we mentally connect with Czestochowa and sing Jasna Góra appeal.

In our meetings participate about 40 people. Volunteers are mainly students , but not always. We have also people who finished study and they work now, in our community sometimes appear people under 18 years old. Though we are in different age, have different mental efficiency and body of some of us sometimes can not do easy things we find common ground.

Every year we collect money to go to the camp. Thanks to good people who help us we spend about week during the holidays in a place next to Poznan. On those camps we pray together, play games, swim in a lake and do many beautiful things. It is very important time for our community.

One of the most important thing in our community are bonds. We meet in our homes, call each other, become friends. Thanks to love which we receive from disabled people we learn how to love.

Tweeting with GOD

Tweeting with GOD started in 2014 in dialogue with young people living in a modern, secularised society, searching for answers to their many questions. The project intends to stimulate honest conversation about the Catholic faith, with the aim of accompanying young people and helping them to discover its beauties and to become an engaged member of Church and society. This is not done by simply communicating the teachings of the Church, but by entering into a dialogue and searching for answers together.

The youthful aspirations of the project can be recognised in the multimedia approach it takes. A printed book is linked to online material through a smartphone application. Online video is also an important tool. An international team of young people maintains social media accounts in various languages.

The project was started by young people in the Netherlands, and quickly gained interest from very distinct countries. So far, the project has been translated into over 10 languages, among which Korean. Many more translations of the book and the multimedia material are in preparation. The project is always developed in collaboration with local young people and the local Bishops’ Conference.

We believe the reason for the great interest in the project is precisely its youthful spirit, the brief answers and openness to dialogue, and the way it prepares Christians to live in dialogue with an ever more secularised society.

Download the flyer (EN PDF 3MB)

Course Cana of Galilee

This is a weekend catechesis for engaged couples. It is addressed to those who want to enter their marriage in the conscious way at the Roman Catholic Church. Participants take part in lectures as well as interactive classes and learn about true love or how sexual differences between a woman and a man can affect the relationship. But above all, they realize that inviting Jesus for their wedding and family life is worth doing.

The accompaniment of the young at the core of the forthcoming CCEE Symposium in Barcelona

Press Release nr. 01/17
St. Gallen, February 28, 2017

For Immediate Release

About 200 participants, including bishops and persons in charge of the pastoral care for youth, school, university, vocations, and catechesis of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences in Europe will meet on March, 28-31, 2017, in Barcelona, Spain, to discuss and share on the issue of the accompaniment of young people.

The Symposium, entitled He walked by their side (Lk 24:15) – Accompanying young people to freely respond to Christ’s call, is promoted by the Council of European Catholic Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) in collaboration with the Spanish Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Archdiocese of Barcelona. The meeting, which will also be attended by representatives of lay associations and ecclesial movements, will be an opportunity to reflect together on the way we can accompany the youth, in their unity as complete persons and in their journey of faith.

In addition to the greetings of Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster (Vice-President of CCEE), and Msgr. Juan José Omella Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, ​​as well as the contributions of Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa (President of CCEE), and Msgr. Marek Jedraszewski, Archbishop of Krakow, President of the CCEE Commission for Catechesis, School, and University, the participants will have the opportunity to listen to the reflections and testimonies of several national directors and young people.

A journey in three stages

In Barcelona, ​​the work will include a path in three stages that, starting with young people, will continue with a reflection on the challenges of accompaniment in the light of the current European socio-cultural context, and will conclude on the figure of those who accompany young people, their education, their needs… These three stages will be later explored through a sharing of “best practices” among the participants and a presentation-visit to the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, as an example of the proclamation of the Gospel and a way of accompanying people through art and architecture.

The Symposium will also include several moments of prayer and the daily celebration of the Eucharist.

The main objective of the Meeting is to recognize the crucial role of accompanying young people and propose a reflection to the European Church. The CCEE will make national delegates from various specialized pastoral areas of the entire European continent (catechesis, school, university, and vocations) work together on a single subject: the accompaniment of young people to respond freely to Christ’s call by taking as an example the pattern of “He walked by their side” (Lk 24:15) proposed by Jesus in the episode of his encounter with the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35).

In preparation for the 2018 Synod

After the preparatory document “Young People, Faith, and Vocation Discernment” and while waiting for the distribution of the questionnaire of the Synod of Bishops (Holy See) addressed to young people from all around the world, this European Symposium is a significant step in the journey that will lead the Church to celebrate in October 2018 a Synod on the theme of youth and vocations.

The outcome of Barcelona will be taken directly to the Synod and will serve as a basis for reflection in the next Plenary Assembly of the CCEE (Minsk, September 28 – October 1, 2017) that will be focused on the issue of young people. In fact, the CCEE wants to offer to the Synod Fathers its own specific contribution.

Precisely in view of the Synod of 2018, during the Meeting, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, will animate a moment of sharing with the pastoral agents.

A process of preparation and guidelines for reflection in 12 points

The Symposium was prepared by means of a process that began in September 2015 in Malta, even before the summoning of the Synod, a sign of the extent to which the focus on young people is central to the Church in Europe. Since March 2016, this focus has been developing through several meetings: Meeting of the National Delegates for Catechesis (Rabat, Malta, March 1-4, 2016), Meeting of the National Delegates for the Pastoral Care of University and Youth (Szeged, Hungary, April 27-29, 2016), Meeting of the National Directors for Vocations (Brussels, Belgium, May 10-11, 2016), and Meeting of a Working Group of Schools Ministry (Paris, France, May 16, 2016). For further information : www.ccee.eu

Based on the results of these meetings some guidelines for reflection in 12 points were drawn up (please find them in the Symposium website) with the aim of promoting a Pan-European interdisciplinary reflection in preparation for the Symposium.

Please find more information (program, guidelines, best practices, etc.) in the website of the Symposium (http://symposium2017.ccee.eu/).

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Info for the Press

The Symposium will take place at the Seminario Conciliar, Carrer de la Diputació, 231 – 08007 Barcelona.

1. Access to the meeting and the press room

The meeting is open to journalists except for the working groups.

Caution: only journalists accredited before March 23 (in the case of foreign journalists) or before March 27 (in the case of national and local Spanish journalists) will be given access to the meeting room and the press room, and will take advantage of the various services that will be prepared for them.

The form for the accreditation is available in the media section of the website (http://symposium2017.ccee.eu/media/)

The press room will be endowed with its own Wi-Fi network available for accredited journalists.

2. Food and board – Transportation

Journalists shall pay for their own food and board, as well as for their transportation to and from the venue of the Symposium.

3. Visit to the Sagrada Família

For the visit to the Sagrada Família, you will need an additional accreditation issued by the Basilica of the Sagrada Família. The procedures for accreditation will be provided as soon as possible.

The interviews with bishops and cardinals, or to officials of the CCEE, will have to be agreed upon with the Press Office of the Symposium.