As the Synod progressed, it became clear that youth ministry needs a vocational slant, and that the pastoral care of vocations should be offered to all young people. It was emphasized that pastoral programmes should range from infancy to adulthood, to help the young find their place in the Christian community. It was also noted that numerous parish groups, movements and youth associations already offer effective programmes of accompaniment and formation for the young in the life of faith. World Youth Day – the fruit of a prophetic insight of Saint John Paul II, who continues to inspire young people in the third millennium – and national and diocesan meetings, play an important part in the lives of many young people, since they offer a living experience of faith and communion that can help them meet life’s great challenges and responsibly take their place in society and in the Church. These gatherings can feed into and enrich the ordinary pastoral accompaniment provided by individual communities, where the Gospel has to be shared and translated into life decisions.
TheoFonsAt the sources of the faith