Following our initial visit to St Patrick’s back in spring 2018 looking to encourage interest in setting up a Group, our National Chaplain - Mgr. John Marsland - went back late last year to follow up with the parish. The meeting was to share a bit more about what the YCW principles and ethos are.
It was really encouraging to see about 20 young people attend to hear more about the Movement. Fr John spoke to the young people and adult companions about the fundamentals of the YCW, Cardijn’s 3 Truths: the Truth of Faith, Reality and Method - as Cardijn described them: “The three truths that light up and explain the problem of working youth in the world today”.
It is through the contradiction between the truths of Faith and Reality that we can truly understand and appreciate the need for the SEE-JUDGE-ACT method. This gives the young people an opportunity to discuss their own realities and examine how this all fits into their local communities and the wider world, but then inspires them to act upon this with authentic Christian action.
The meeting was therefore an opportunity to listen to what the young peoples’ realities were, what concerns they had and how they looked towards the future. Issues around violence on the streets were discussed, especially considering the high profile knife crime stories across the country. More generally, the concerns around climate change and the environment were talked about.
In closing the meeting, Fr John also took the young people through the YCW prayer, helping them to understand each aspect of it and why we encourage each member to recite it every day.
Fr John said: “The enthusiasm of the young people was really inspiring. They were very open about the challenges they face and the concerns they have about life. I hope to visit again soon to keep this enthusiasm going and see them develop into another strong group within our Movement.”
