Rome (Italy). On 18 and 25 January 2025, the Youth Ministry Area of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians held an online formation meeting for newly appointed provincial coordinators. The meeting took place in two language sessions – English and Italian – with 17 FMA participating in the first session and 16 in the second.
The objectives of the formation were: to share the principles of pastoral animation of the FMA and to discuss the challenges and the role of the Provincial Coordinator of Youth Ministry for the six-year period 2022-2027.
In the first part of the meeting, it was asked to read some numbers from chapter 7 of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit ‘from which to identify 2 or 3 essential points to be considered in the animation of YM at the provincial level. The document offered guidelines for a synodal and contextual pastoral approach, to be adapted to the realities of today’s young people. Participants shared their insights and experiences, enriching the discussion with different perspectives found in the document.
In the second part, the Coordinators presented the animation of each YM’s own Province. In this perspective, Sister Runita Borja, General Councilor for Youth Ministry, spoke of YM within the broader educativel mission of the FMA Institute and on the path of the Church. In addition, Sister Runita deepened the nature and characteristics of YM in the Institute, emphasizing the spirit of coordination for communion and the role of each in this shared mission, offering practical guidelines for the animation of YM, both at the provincial and local levels, for a synodal YM.
In an atmosphere of dialogue, the new coordinators also shared their challenges in animation including:
- the difficulty of having a unified program due to differences in academic calendars of different Countries that make up the Province;
- lack of support from the Province leadership, which sometimes prevents the possibility to properly animate and guide the educative mission for the communities;
- the lack of understanding of different ways of doing pastoral work, in order to adapt it to current demands and situations, according to the needs of the context;
- the challenge of helping young people to encounter Christ in non-Christian contexts and to help them feel loved, saved, and forgiven;
- difficulty in prioritizing quality time with and listening to young people rather than focusing on work-related needs;
- the challenge of involving and motivating young people in educative and pastoral activities, due to the influence of social media and technology;
- the difficulty in addressing the changing needs and expectations of young people, especially with limited resources and time constraints;
- the difficulty in obtaining and collecting the required information due to heavy workload, multiple responsibilities, and lack of cooperation from local communities.
At the end of each meeting, Sister Runita addressed to all the participants words of gratitude for their contribution to their YM animation in the respective Provinces and assured them of the continuous support and accompaniment of the YM Sector.
