The Catholic App

The Catholic App (www.thecatholicapp.com) is an innovative mobile app being developed for all Catholics in the world and it will soon be deployed in the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh in Scotland, to start with. These are its intended benefits to dioceses:
•Revitalise religious activity of the diocese by improving engagement and access to the sacramental life and by enabling more Catholics and others to find and attend Holy Mass and Confession, in particular for the mobile generation and the 18-55 age group. Consequently, also improve the financial vitality of the diocese.
• Inform, inspire and evangelise using a respectful, modern, mobile way, and break through the digital noise.
• Connect and make the diocese visible to the global smartphone generation – in particular to the local residents but also to visitors, neighbouring territories and tourists from around the world.
• Enable instant, personal, direct diocese news communication to all users without relying on e-mails or social media.
• Get valuable statistics about when and where Holy Mass and Confession are needed most across the diocese.
• Get new features and benefits based on the start of the art and best practices from across the whole world and dioceses representing millions of Catholics.

This innovation is developed by Musemantik in partnership with the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh in Scotland

Catholic Youth Ministry Federation (CYMFed) – Flame

The Catholic Youth Ministry Federation of England and Wales is made up of the principle officers of Diocesan Youth Service, Movements and Organizations and Religious Orders.
One of the events we organize is a bi-annual gathering of young people at Wembley arena. This year we had some 10,000 young people which makes Flame the largest Catholic Event in the UK.

Catholic Youth Ministry Federation  |  BC England and Wales

“Let’s step forward together”

Project ”Lets step forward together”  realized by the Youth center “John Paul II” in cooperation with Serbian Orthodox Church and Islamic community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The main goal is to introduce young Orthodox, Catholics and Muslims to each other, to get familiar with customs in different faith traditions and then to overcome prejudices and stigmas in order to recognize reconciliation. From 2013 to 2016 project gathered young Orthodox and Catholics and from 2016 in project are also present youngsters from Islamic community.

This project gathered 15 students with different ethnic and religion backgrounds that are educated to work with other young people in BiH, and realized for them different activities. To achieve the main goal through project is organize workshops where students from team introduce to youngsters different religious customs in parishes and schools. Also there are visits to religious objects, lectures about reconciliation and peace, interfaith meetings for youth, summer camps, study trips, volunteer actions and sport meetings.

In last three years at project activities were participating about 2000 youngsters from all Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Nabiskupijski centar za pastoral mladih “Ivan Pavao II”  |  BC Bosnia-Herzegovina

Sicomoro

Il Sicomoro è una esperienza di pastorale vocazionale avviata nella diocesi di Como e in altre diocesi della Lombardia volta a riproporre in forma innovativa la formula poco praticata del Seminario Minore. La proposta offre ai giovani desiderosi di approfondire la propria ricerca vocazionale uno spazio allo stesso tempo raccolto e familiare, religiosamente ben caratterizzato ma non avulso dalla realtà della vita quotidiana. Così è nata l’esperienza del Sicomoro: una comunità semiresidenziale di vita Cristiana e fraternal nella quale I ragazzi di un determinate territorio vivono per una settimana al mese accompagnati nel loro cammino di fede e di crescita vocazionale da una équipe formata da un prete e una coppia di sposi.

Croatia Youth Ministry

The tasks of the Office of the CCB for Youth Ministry are to inform and coordinate the Committee for Youth Ministry, inform and, in cooperation with the Committee, submit proposals to the Croatian Conference of Bishops, cooperate with all the bodies and institutions of the CCB, cooperate with similar institutions in other countries, create archives and a database on all the activities for the young, inform the public (especially young people) about all events and activities, encourage the networking and coordination of young people, and encourage and propose new ideas and forms of youth ministry.

The projects of the Office for Youth Ministry of the Croatian Conference of Bishops are as follows: Easter Festival, Finals of the Croatian Indoor Football Leagues of the Church among the Croats, Young People for Young People, National Encounters, World Youth Day and the Taizé ecumenical meetings.

Life Teen

Life teen is a methodology of catechesis for teenagers in parishes that comes from USA, based in sessions of 4 parts (Life nights). 5 years ago arrived to Spain and now is in more than 30 spanish parishes and in different European parishes. Life Teen offers a methodology, trainings and a lot of resources. Their charisma is the inculturation in the teenage culture to lead teens close to Christ, and they really do it very well. All the Spanish parishes that are using it are really excited with the results and the changes they are experienced.

Jordi Massegú is the responsible for Spain, and during 11-12 march the European Life teen conference has been done in the Seminar in Barcelona with 200 participants. We think it’s a good and powerful tool to know and. USA is not Europe, but their teenagers are not so different than ours. And if in something the Catholic American Church is good is working on youth.

Missão País (Mission Country)

In recent years, a number of university student movements have emerged which, while independent, are monitored by Catholic movements and organized into Catholic Student Groups (NEC: Núcleos de Estudantes Católicos) within the universities themselves. This phenomenon is most visible in the city of Lisbon, which in 5 years between 2011 and 2016 saw the increase of groups from 5 to 16. It was a way that Catholic university students themselves found to keep alive their Christian identity in academic space. From this they promote various actions, formal or informal, such as prayer times, Eucharistic celebrations, tertulias, social intervention actions, pilgrimages, among others.

These university movements come from an initiative that has involved hundreds of university students: the Missão País. This action comes from the initiative of the Apostolic movement of Schoenstatt and proposes to university students, at national level, missionary actions within the country. They began in 2003 with only 1 mission consisting of 20 young university missionaries, and in 2015 there are already 1,800 missionaries organized in 35 missions carried out at the national level. Since 2003, 154 missions have been carried out. These actions are, above all, the formation of Christian identity. Volunteer action is one of its aspects, but these missions go far beyond volunteering, they appear as an opportunity to educate young university students, future leaders of society, to Christian principles and their intervention in society.

National Vocations Framework

This is a national strategy approved by the episcopal conference to promote a culture of vocation throughout the country. This strategy is being carried out through a number of projects. One such project is entitled Called Beyond with training and resources for a parish that wants to celebrate a local vocations week.

Alpha Course Youth

Alpha course is a first announce methodology for teenagers and students that comes from the Anglican Church and now is in over the world. 5 years ago we discovered it and during this years we have used with the students in the university and in the high school, with lots of fruits in the team and in the youth. We could present our experience in 2 schools where the students and the Alpha course with university students in the night.

The strength of the community and the Catholic Sports Competition

The strength of the community in the construction of the kingdom

In Poznan we find the strength to build a community around the altar. The church has long figured out that attend Mass on Sunday is the most important. Therefore, we do not invent new forms, but together we pray and gather in the church, and there are born initiatives and ideas. We want everyone in the community was responsible for something. One for reading, one for the service, another for candles and incense. The others can help create a charity and care for the sick and elderly. Everyone does something and why we feel the joy of being useful.

Today at the Mass comes from 500 to 1,000 people. People know each other, communicate to each other with joy the sign of peace, therefore, the Mass is true.

That’s what we hear we are trying to realize that the Church was not closed, but in order to experience in everyday life, on the street. We feel joy that what we hear and what we pray for becomes reality.

Polish Catholic Youth Association

Spartakiada Zimowa is a name of nationwide polish competitions organised by Catholic Youth Association. Every year a different slogan is chosen, in 2016 year it was a quotation of saint Pierre George Frassati: „to live – not to vegetate”. It was not only about promoting healthy role of sports. Organizers also wanted to convince youth, that other activities, work, charity are really valuable activities as well.

Every year competitions are free of charge and participants can choose one or more from several category: skiing, snowboarding or „ride on just anything”, and in the last one both individuals and groups can participate – in this category creativity (not time) matters. 2016’s winners built an egg-vehicle, as an metaphor of life. During competitions there are also some games and quizes for spectactors.

Everything happens thanks to God and volunteers. A lot of helping hands from Catholic Youth Association take part in this modern evangelism connected with sport. Weather also seems to be on our side – few days before competitions there were six degrees Celsius, in a day before competitions the snow had fallen.