KENYA: Former AMECEA Social Communications Coordinator urges youth to Participate in Pre-synodal youth meeting via Facebook
Rev. Fr. Joseph Healey, MM Former AMECEA Social Communications Department Coordinator
Young people from AMECEA Region have been challenged to take advantage of the social media especially Facebook to join Pope Francis in a Pre-Synodal Youth Meeting scheduled to happen in Rome in March 2018.
Rev. Fr. Joseph Healey, MM, a Maryknoll Missionary who is currently celebrating 50 years in Kenya said that Pope Francis is calling 300 young people together in March, the week before Palm Sunday for a meeting just for them.
“He wants to listen to young people and for those of you here in Ngong Diocese and indeed the rest of the AMECEA Region, you can participate through the social media. Just as the small group of young people meeting with the Pope in Rome, you can through Facebook simultaneously join the same talks,” the pioneer Coordinator of AMECEA Social Communications Department said while addressing young people gathered at St. Joseph the Worker Pro-Cathedral of Ngong Diocese, Kenya during the launch of diocesan year of the Youth.
“So for example if the youth in Rome are talking with the Pope about how can the Bible deepen your faith life, you can participate simultaneously on Facebook. Another topic they are going to talk about which we are all concerned about is employment, getting jobs; well you can add your voice on the social media through Facebook right there as everyone in Rome is talking about the same topic.”
Referring to the preparatory document for the forthcoming October World Synod of the youth titled: Young People, Faith and Vocation Discernment, Fr. Healey who currently teaches a course on Small Christian Communities at Tangaza, one of the Constituent Colleges of Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) said that Pope Francis is suggesting worldwide that the age of the youth be between 16 and 29.
Fr. Healey further challenged the young people in the region to respond to the call by Pope Francis to be missionary disciples.
“Young people are called to be disciples of Jesus Christ and they are called to be sent as missionaries, as apostles, as evangelizers, in other words Missionary Disciples and Pope Francis is saying to you go to the peripheries and to the marginalized, visit your fellow young people who no longer go to church, who are drifting in their faith, who have doubts. Go to them, visit them, accompany them, inspire them be Missionary Disciples.”
An ardent champion of Small Christian Communities in AMECEA Region Fr. Joe Healey said that he has been trying to listen to the young people concerning their minimal participation in Small Christian Community activities and the response he got from across the board is that young people find adults Small Christian Communities rather dull and boring.
“We want our own Small Christian Communities where we can talk about issues and concerns that are specific to us as young people; they said to me, and that is the reason why we have started Youth Small Christian Communities (YSCC), Fr. Joe Healey explained.
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By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News
