Young people are important to the Church of today and tomorrow. Their faith, creativity, dynamism and vitality are a wave of hope that can change the world. The Canadian Bishops’ Conference addressed a pastoral letter on October 12, the anniversary of Blessed Carlo Agutis. The purpose of the document, explains a statement, is to “encourage young Catholics to live their faith in an extraordinary way, encouraging them to strive for holiness and assuring them of the constant support and accompaniment of their bishops on their personal journey of faith”.
“The spirit of the risen Christ is in you, wanting to guide you in all your actions”, the text begins. The pastoral letter can be used for personal reflection, as well as in group settings, such as parochial or diocesan/eparchial youth groups, schools, families, ecclesial movements and associations and faith communities. Coordinators, youth group leaders, teachers and those who accompany young people in faith. To encourage readers and deepen discussion of the material, there are reflection questions after each section.
The pastoral letter can be downloaded, printed, shared digitally and distributed through Catholic networks, and can be downloaded and shared online with a presentation video introducing the different themes of the text.