St Patrick's Thornaby YCW Group Attends Social Action Day

On Saturday 16th November, three of our YCW leaders visited Middlesbrough Cathedral with their Chaplain Alison Fisk for a social action day.

The day started at 11am with an inspiration talk by Sister Lynda Dearlove MBE from the charity Women at the Well, an organisation dedicated to supporting women whose lives have been affected by or are at risk of being affected by prostitution.

They also listened to personal stories of those who have been helped to overcome the challenges of poverty in its many forms. There were also stalls with information about various groups involved in all kinds of social outreach for us to look at.  

At the end of the day, there was a liturgy celebrated by Bishop Terence Drainy.  

The young leaders reflected on what they had heard during the day and were moved by the many testimonies presented. They now plan to work through the SEE-JUDGE-ACT Method on some of what has been raised and are even more determined to help those in need.

National Training and Development Worker, Marc Besford, visited the Group recently and said: “The young leaders here have shown a commitment to working for the common good and exploring what their part in promoting this will be. I’m sure that when I next visit there will be even more good work to hear about.”

New Group Established In Horwich

We are pleased to announce that a new YCW Group has been set up in St Mary’s, Horwich. The Group’s Adult Companion will be Fr Richard Howard, who has been working with the National Team to set up a Group since attending training at the YCW HQ earlier this year.

Marc Besford, National Training and Development Worker, came along to the first meeting to help lead the session and explain how a YCW Group runs, the various ways in which young people can take on the leadership of the movement and ultimately, how the Groups can help strengthen the link between their reality and the Gospels.

It was also an opportunity for the group to look more deeply at the fundamentals of the movement. Marc spoke about 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.

Marc said: "It was great to see another new group being formed in our local area. The young people who came along were really enthusiastic and keen to learn more about the YCW. I look forward to hearing more about what they have planned."

John Battle Inspires YCW Adult Companions

An essential part of the YCW Movement is the support and guidance our Adult Companions and Chaplains give to the young people we work with. Therefore, providing training to both new and existing Companions is hugely important.

The latest training day had a range of activities and updates on our campaigns, resources for groups, a presentation about the new YCW leadership programme and opportunities for the sharing of best practice.

We were also pleased to be joined by a young leader from the Ramsbottom IMPACT! Group who took the adult companions through a presentation about what they have been doing in their Group. This was a good chance to explain from example how the support of an adult companion can make a huge difference to the work of the Movement.

Our guest speaker for the day was John Battle, who spoke about the need for our mission to reach out into the community. John explained how Pope Francis’ call for us to be missionary disciples fits in with vision of the YCW as being an active and positive influence in the world around us. By training up a new generation of young leaders we will be shaping the future of our communities and beyond, so it is essential that we are equipped for that.

Marc Besford, National President of the YCW, said: “I want to thank John for his inspiring words to us all. The group of adult companions left the day with a renewed sense of purpose and mission, which will be of a great benefit to the movement but also the communities within which we serve.”

Finally, National Chaplain of the YCW, Fr John Marsland, led a training session on the Three Truths - the Truth of Faith, Reality and Method. Cardijn described them as such: “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. Therefore, this is an essential aspect for the adult companions to be trained in.

Fr John said: “The work of our adult companions cannot be underestimated. They are highly dedicated to the movement and the young leaders within it. We hope to put on further training in the new year, so please keep an eye out for details and share it with anyone who may be interested.”

New Advent Resource Available

We are now in the season of Advent, which is also the start of the new church year.

Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. In this season, we recall two central elements of our faith: when God becomes man in the birth of Jesus and the final coming of the Lord in glory. The key themes of the Advent season are watchful waiting, preparation, and justice.

We have updated our Advent resource for this year’s reading cycle - so please download it and use it in your groups over the coming weeks to help prepare for Christmas. Click here to download a copy.

New IMPACT Group Set Up In Failsworth, Oldham

Recently, the National Chaplain for the YCW, Mgr. John Marsland, visited the Parish of the Nativity in Failsworth, Oldham to launch a new group for the young people there.

The origin of the Group was in an after school homework club that was well attended but the Parish felt it could be doing even more in the formation of the young people. The YCW had been reaching out across the Diocese as part of our development plan and were invited to come in to talk through what the Movement could offer.

Out of this came the new IMPACT Group and the first meeting. At the meeting Fr John gave an outline of the YCW Method and how the various enquiries can help develop leadership amongst the young people. Following the explanation, the Group were able to work through some of this and decided that they would explore the issue of the environment.

Fr John said: “It was great to see so many young people keen to grow as leaders and their Parish support them to do so. I am looking forward to coming back soon to see how the Group is progressing and how their enquiry into the environment is progressing.”