Eucharia Tohtin Shiynyuy
Youth Chaplains and Advisers of in the Diocese of Kumbo came together recently for their 2006 Ordinary Meeting, at the John Paul II Youth Centre. During their deliberations they amended and ratified the proposals made by the diocesan youth council on the celebration of the World Day of Youth at diocesan level, and planned the upcoming deanery youth camps throughout the diocese.
The diocesan youth chaplain, Fr. Daniel Ache Amuhngwa, highlighted the importance of the ministry in the life of the local Church and explained the various levels at which the youth ministry should be enabled to operate, naming Small Christian Community (SCC) or quarters to put it simply, the mission, the Parish, the Deanery and Diocese as the main levels.
Many of the participants realised that the SCC was at the centre of the ministry and it ensures that young people receive training and serve at SCC level, building them up for the other levels at the top. A young person who operates at higher levels without a proper base cannot not properly render services at the SCC where s/he is based, being more like a member of parliament without a constituency.
The various organs for the training of young people include Youth Formation Centre with its various departments including the Federation of Catholic Youth (FCY) Office, the Parish Youth Offices, and the Mission Youth Services. The FCY office and the Parish Youth office should offer field formation to the youths.
In this light, various agents especially the Parish sub-Commission for Youth Apostolate and the Youth Associations at the first level, the Parish Youth Chaplain, the Diocesan Youth Formation Team, the Diocesan Youth Chaplain and the Diocesan Commission for Youth Apostolate were highlighted.
The delegates also identified the Non-Catholic Youths as a target population. Fr. Ache gave the composition of the commission and the qualities that every agent of youth ministry should posses. These included attentiveness, knowing the lives, families, preoccupations and motivations of the youths, being discreet, available, receptive, willing to share, and above all striving to be like Christ.
Mr. Elvis Banyuy Paul spoke about the Young Christian Student (YCS). With the theme: Making a Fortune, the program has five meetings comprising the Social and Gospel Enquiries, and steps on how to See and Judge the various situations brought out by the enquiries before the students chose an action to carry out.
He also looked at the role that the various school subjects play in the society, the importance of the subjects and the commissions that the subject can best serve in the students' Christian life.