ACCOMPANY THE YOUTH TO EMPOWER THROUGH MISSIONARY

ACTIVITY

Introduction

In today’s modern times the church has a key role to play in influencing people. Over the years it
has played an important part in guiding people to God, influencing people to change from their
negative behavior, to make people more holy etc. It has played an important role in guiding
youngster through Youcat and Docat. The church is becoming more and more open to empower
the youth. It has especially to do lot in the mission stations. The church continues to spread
through its missions. Hence, in order to make rapid progress the church has to empower the
youth in the missions. The youth in the missions are mostly disoriented and accustomed to living
a shallow life. The youth are without proper job and income and so they get involved in drinking,
gambling, smoking and other such vices. Therefore the church has a special task not only to get
back the youngster to right track but also to accompany them to empower. In this paper I will
bring out the role church has to play through its mission to empower the youth.

1 The Church Mission and Youth

The church by its very nature is missionary and everyone in the church becomes a missionary of
carrying the good news to all people. The missions not only refer to far and different places but
all throughout the world wherever church is present it is called to do the missionary activity. The
missions of the church represent the humble beginning of the church. The mission stations are
usually located in the interior villages. The mission nourishes and develops the local faith of the
believers. There are various missions of the church spread far and wide. The priest and religious
who work in these missions are called missionaries. Missionaries live a very sacrificing and
committed life. They give their best to the community, they organize various activities in order
to nourish and increase the faith of the faithful. Youth form the main part of the church in the
missions. It is youth who take initiative to propose and conduct various activities in the local
church. Youth are active in conducting liturgy, choir, festive celebration, social outreach
program etc. youth are involved in the church yet they are not happy in their life. They have
various problems like relationships, addiction to drinks, lack of job, educational failures etc. At
times the youth are seen in the church only when there are functions and celebrations. Rest of the
time they do not like to attend the church services. They feel that they do not require them or it
does not profit them in any way. At times they also feel that have other important commitments.
Some of the youth in the missions or villages prefer going to city for work. Then, they seldom
come home. They get influenced by the city lifestyle that they also begin to acquire bad habits
especially of drinking and smoking and at last when some adversity or crises come in their life
they come back to church or God. Therefore it is very much needed that the church missions and
missionaries play a very decisive role to accompany the youth to empower. To guide and lead
the youth to live a meaningful and creative life for themselves as well as for the society.
2 Opportunities to Empower the Youth in the Missions

Youth is one of the important stages in people’s life wherein they are in search of their identity
and place in the society. If at this stage youth are guided properly they can transform the society
and bring new life to the existing society. Youth are a huge source of energy. Which if properly
channelized it can yield long term results. Through our missions we have a great opportunity to
make difference in young people’s lives. The missionaries must make use of all the possible
methods to empower the youth. Because, that is the mission of the church to guide people. The
church, the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Mt 5:13-14) is even more urgently called
upon to save and renew every creature, so that all things might be restored in Christ, and so that
in him men might form one family and one people of God.i Here are some of the ways churches
or our missions can make life meaningful for youngster.

2.1 Empowering through Preaching of the Gospel

The main task of the church is to preach the gospel as Jesus tells go to the whole world and
proclaim the good news to the whole creation (Mk16:15). Through its preaching the church can
empower the youth. The preaching in the missions must focus on the youth. Care must be taken
to prepare the message so that it touches the young minds and hearts. The message of love, truth,
justice and equality must be stressed as we live in a society where there are various cultures,
religions and ethnic groups. The preaching of good news must guide the youth to boost their
confidence in values and morals of life. Today many of the youth find themselves being swept
away along by the tide of fast growing consumerists and materialistic culture promoted through
the media. They are caught up in the race for quick money and success in a world little
concerned with values and morality. The values of forgiveness, repentance, trust and acceptance
must be properly articulated so as to make life meaningful for the young. The young must be
taught to value their life and make best of it. The preaching must be regular and properly
designed to attract more and more people towards Christ and to make them bear much fruit.

2. 2 Empowering Youth through Youth Ministry

Primary aim of the youth ministry must be the empowerment. It must emphasis the fullness of
life of each and every individual involved in the ministry. Almost all the parishes/churches have
the youth ministry. It must be more stressed in the mission so as to make life in the mission and
society a better one. The youth today are facing various issues. Many young people are victims
of insecurity, sexual abuse, oppression and violence; many are slaves of alcoholism, gambling
and drugs. Besides they are often susceptible to exploitation and unscrupulous politicians and
extremists. While coping with all these forces affecting them, youth are faced with disturbing
questions of faith and morals and desire to transcend ritualistic formalism and seek personal
commitment. Many youth feel alienated from the church or at least reserve in her regard towards
church. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the church to empower them. Youth ministries in the
mission or church must face these problems. Priest and people involved in the youth ministry
must try to find the talents of the youth and help them to overcome their fears and weaknesses.
Each person is unique and so individual attention must be given to persons through counseling or
other appropriate means. Conducting various programs and organizing youth festivals are not
enough to empower the youth. The missions have to put a lot of efforts in making the youth
realize their full potential. It needs to give them the experience of God in their life from where
they will become new persons of hope, faith love and charity.

2.3 Empowering the Youth to Choose Vocation

The missions should also plant the seeds of vocation to priestly and religious life in the minds of
youth. Youth should be guided to hear the call of God in their life which has power to transform
and renew life. The missionaries in a place should constantly give emphasis to the call of Jesus.
The harvest is plentiful but the laboures are few. Therefore asks the Lord to send out more
labourers in his vineyard (Mt9:37). When young people choose to follow the call they become
great help for the local church. This not only increases the faith of the people but also helps to
make the gospel more concrete to others. Young boys and girls must be empowered from the
beginning to listen to Gods call. The schools and colleges in the mission have a special task in
guiding the youth to God. They need to provide a quality education which will bring the best in
them. They need to have a holistic formation to bring about all round development. Education
system should have a synthesis of intellectual formation, moral discipline and commitment in
life. Only then we can have young leaders with strong principles.

2.4 Empowering through Building Self-help Groups.

The missionary activity should also empower the youth by helping them to build strong self-
help groups that will provide them source of income and employment. The newly opened
missions can undertake such ventures in order to guide and build up the skills in the rural youth.
The rural youth are mostly unemployed and are more disposed to bad habits. Therefore in order
to give them new orientations church in the missions should take up such activities. Youth
should be taught to start their own enterprise through small training programmers and
workshops. There should be constant interactions and communication in order to overcome
failures. Then only the preaching of the word of God will become alive to the people and their
faith will grow. At times the rural youth becomes very frustrated and want to give up and go
back to their old lifestyle. But the missionaries need to keep the process of empowerment alive
through their words of encouragement and support.

3 Role of the Missionaries in Empowering the Youth

The missionaries sent to the missions must be examples of living an empowered life. The priest,
sisters and brothers present in the missions must be well equipped and integrated persons. They
must live a life worthy of their calling. As preachers of the gospel and people living a life of
sanctity the missionary must be prepared for such an important task by a special spiritual
formation. He must be prompted to take initiative, constant in carrying out an undertaking,
persevering in difficulties, patient and strong of heart in bearing loneliness, exhaustion and
fruitless labour. He must approach men with an open mind and heart, he must willingly accept
the duties entrusted to him: and generously accommodate himself to the different customs and
the changing circumstances of other peoples. In harmony and mutual love he will cooperate with
his brethren and with all who dedicate themselves to this work, so that together with the faithful
and imitating the apostolic community, they might be of one heart and soul (Acts2:42;4:32).ii In
order to empower the youth the missionaries need to be very open to the culture and lifestyle of
the people. They should not force their way of life but need to incarnate themselves as good
humans. They should learn their language so that they can speak it easily and correctly and so be
able to enter more easily into the minds and hearts of the young people. In today’s modern world
missionaries should also be experts in the use of technical instruments and social communication
whose importance is greatly appreciate everywhere. The missionaries must be well aware of the
use of mass media to reach out to larger sections of youth. Even those youth who belong to other
faith can be empowered through a meaningful use of mass media.

4 Society of Pilar Accompanying the Youth to Empower in the Missions of Jharkhand

The society of Pilar took up the mission in Agharma, in Jharkhand in the year 1977. It is the
society’s first venture in the state of Jharkhand. Fr. Pius sfx was the first missionary in this place.
Under his leadership the mission flourished and blossomed. He built up a good relationship with
the people including the people of other faiths like Muslims and Sarnas. He took trouble to learn
the tribal language Sadri and interact with the people. He interacted with the local youth to guide
and empower them in their own situations. He encouraged the youth to go forward in their life no
matter what hardships came on the way. He started a project of poultry and farming which made
the mission self-sufficient and provided employment to the local people. He also worked hard to
empower the youth through education and training courses. He started the high school for the
local children to educate and empower them. Though everyone around had doubts whether the
school would succeed in educating the tribal children. But his faith and encouragement brought
about positive results. The school started under a tree with no infrastructure and other facilities
but it survived and is making difference today in the lives of the people. Today there are around
three hundred plus students studying and benefiting from the school. Feeling the need to do
something for the youth the mission also started ‘youth Centre ‘wherein the youth were given lot
of training programs especially in agricultural field. Today the Agharma mission has grown and
continues to empower the young minds through education, church activities and other social
activities.

5 Practical Implications to Youth Empowerment

Youth must be guided to make God as the Centre of their lives. They must be helped to
recognize Gods presence in their daily life. Pope Benedict XVI tackling this issue during his
address to youth in 2008 said, “If God is irrelevant to public life, then society will be shaped in a
godless image. When God is eclipsed, our ability to recognize the natural order, purpose, and the
“good” begins to wane. What was ostensibly promoted as human ingenuity soon manifests itself
as folly, greed and self-exploitation.”iii Therefore we need to guide youth to God. Youth must be
trained to be at the service of the community. They must be taught to have a broader vision
rather than their own ambition. Vision is formed from deeper spiritual convictions, confirmed by
the daily encounters with life’s realities and with aim of service to the society. Youth must be
guided to eradicate the social evils of poverty, domestic violence, and unjust treatment to women
or girl child. Youth must work to build a just and peaceful society where all can live in joy and
harmony. The youth must be led to the path of discipline and hard works while the greed for
shortcuts and unfair means try to waylay them.iv Youth must be encouraged to be the person that
he or she wants to become.

Conclusion

Youth are a potential force with their own aspirations, goals and visions, but they need to be
supported, encouraged and empowered by their parents, teachers and missionaries to bloom into
mature and responsible adults.v A.P. Abdul Kalam the former president of India said “every
youth wants to be ‘unique’ but the world is working day and night to make him or her like
everybody else. To be unique they have to fight the honest battle and never stop till they arrive at
the Unique I.”vi Therefore it is the duty of the missionaries in their respective places to assist our
young people to attain this uniqueness, which in turn will help our society and the church to
march on the way to progress and change.

i
Second Vatican Council, Decree on the church’s missionary activity, ed. Austin Flannery, Vatican Council II
(Bombay: St. Paul Publication, 1975), 715.
ii
Ibid., 739.
iii
Benidict XVI “Address, WYD 2008, Sydney, 17 July 2008.
iv
Sneha Meno, “youth and the concept of Independence 2018 ” Fr. Agnel’s Call, August 2018, 16.
v
Rev Dr. Hilario Fernandes, sfx, “youth: what do they seek?” Euntes Docete, 2010-11
vi
Cf. A.P. abdul kalam, “Evolution of a better world”, Lecture, 4 th D.D. Kosamba Festival Of Ideas, Goa, 2011,
Feb.6, 2011-oheraldo, feb.7, 2011,p.2.