KENYA: Young People Talk Together and Walk Together
I thank Pope Francis for the golden invitation he granted to young people to air their views on Facebook especially during the Pre-Synodal Meeting that was held in Rome, Italy from 19th to 24th, March 2018. The Holy Father met more than 300 young people from different continents in person in order to deliberate and come up with a document to be presented to the Synod of Bishops in October, 2018 on the theme “Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment.” Thousands of others joined on Facebook.
It started like a grain of wheat buried in the soil whereby no one believed it will come to light, but now it is evident that positive results are coming up from the pope’s dream towards young people. It is out of love for the future church that the Holy Father opted to take the risk of urging the Catholic Church to listen to the cry of young people. Personally, I was amazed how determined he is to make this dream come true.
Pope Francis said, “An institution that makes decisions without taking risks will remain like a little girl, it won’t grow. Without taking a risk, do you know what happens to a young person? He or she gets old. He or she retires at 20 years. A young person gets old, and the church gets old.’’ I believe everyone should focus their efforts on doing the same.
The fear to embrace change is what makes things stagnant. Young people have great ideas. But the problem comes in: Who is ready to listen to them? Who is ready to associate themselves with them? No one is ready to take the blame. It takes a lot of courage for one to accept this reality. That is why I concur with the Holy See that taking risks is the key to unravel this puzzle.
Young people are considered a threat especially when they speak of real issues that affect them or prevents them from climbing the next stair. I think this should change. Someone needs to give them a listening ear and guidance where necessary for the sake of the unknown future. If the society and the church can work collaboratively and try not to be too legalistic when it comes to matters that requires logic, things can take another shape. There is a Swahili proverb that should always be considered when we focus on those young people who have backslided in one way or the other: maji yakimwagika hayazoleki (If water pours down it cannot be collected to fill the container it was in). This is where young people need the church to come in and provide her healing and wisdom in order to help others overcome their fears.
I followed the Pre-Synodal Meeting in Rome keenly through social media from the beginning to the end and I can affirm that when young people are given a chance to speak their minds with assurance that their voices will be heard, they will open-up and raise issues of importance. Even though not everyone’s individual view was considered, the compilation committee produced an excellent document called “Final Document from the Pre-Synodal Meeting:”
http://www.synod2018.va/content/synod2018/en/news/final-document-from-the-pre-synodal-meeting.html
The document summarizes the views from answers to the Online Questionnaire, feedback from Facebook and a report on the meeting with the Pope. At first I was disappointed that the voices of young people from Kenya were not directly heard in Rome since our delegate was not present because his travelling documents got mixed up, but when I listened and read the views from young people either present in the meeting or those who shared their views through social media, I felt happy because we share common worries and problems, which if addressed, bring hope for a better church tomorrow.
The questions posted for us to answer on Facebook were divided into three sections under different hashtags, that is:
Part One — The challenges of young people and opportunities in the world today [#Who Am I, #Differences, #Future, #Digital World and #Interior Life].
Part Two — Faith and vocation, discernment and accompaniment [#Jesus, #Believe, #Called, #Choices and #Guide].
Part Three — The Catholic Church’s formation and pastoral activity [#Actively Involved, #Places, #Proposals, #Ways and Means and #Church].
The most striking question that many young people were interested in answering was about #Church: The church’s manner of acting. What should be the characteristics of a church that is enlightening, attractive and credible to younger generations, one that engenders respect and attractiveness?
It is evident that many young people are concerned about the well-being of the church and are hopeful to see a positive change in order for them to feel part of her advancement. We have different ways in which we celebrate the Eucharist. Young people of this generation especially where I come from needs a church that is vibrant and lively, a church that encourages dancing while singing to praise God because it gives them joy.
Generally, all the questions were well phrased covering everything that we could have wished to be addressed and making anyone who read them think and focus their attention on different perspectives. It was an engaging conversation which I was proud as a young person to have participated in.
I wish that the young people in Kenya will not shun away from raising their voices when necessary and to continue responding to the monthly questions posed on the Synod 2018 Facebook Page (#synod2018) and Twitter accounts until August, 2018. This would make them think more deeply on what they want, where they have failed, and what’s expected of them. We should always pray for our Bishops who are tasked with the responsibility of providing guidance to the church in order for them to come to a consensus which will be for the good of young people around the world during their synod in Rome in October, 2018.
There are so many obstacles that young people have to endure and sometimes force them to give up on the way for example, in youth ministry young people need accompaniment that is worthwhile and can be relied upon to provide mentorship and guidance, but what worries me most is that this is not always the case. The issue that brings friction in our mission is failure for young people to be transparent and accountable in their undertakings and if a priest for example encounters this in a specific team, it becomes hard for him to entrust another group with the freedom to do a particular task. It’s a wakeup call for young people to be honest with themselves first in order to create a conducive environment for themselves and others.
“Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment” is a well reflected theme that Pope Francis chose for us to focus on. Discernment is something worth to deliberate on because at the end of the day, every young person need to be associated with something or someone. This enables them to come up with realistic goals and helps them to have a focused life. It has also been made clear that vocation is a way/purpose/mission in life for all young people and not only for those young people who perceive a call to priesthood or religious life.
We in Kenya hope that young people develop the culture of praying together because it helps them bond in a special way. I highly recommend that young people join Youth Small Christian Communities (YSCCs), these are basically Small Faith Sharing Groups. (http://www.smallchristiancommunities.org). Through such platforms they are able to have Bible sharing focusing on the coming Sunday’s Gospel and relating it to their day to day activities. These small communities also create a conducive environment where they can share common topics which pose challenges to them and seek their fellow peer support. If young people are denied a chance to interact in the church, they will find pleasure elsewhere.
Sharing my personal experience since I joined a Youth Small Christian Community (YSCC) on the campus of Kenyatta University has made me feel at home away from home. Through the YSCCs college students have learned to be one another’s keeper and also developed the spirit of self-denial in order to extend their hands to share the little they have with the needy in society. For example, during the just concluded 2018 Lenten period we agreed to have “phone fasting” in order to save some cash meant for internet bundles and calls. We used the money for gifts for a Children’s Home that turned out to be very successful.
My message to the young people is never give up, be optimistic, pray always and everything will be fine. Don’t focus on big movements, but progress at each and every level.
Collins Ongoma is a Third Year Student at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. He is member of the National and Nairobi Metropolitan Youth Council, Youth Treasurer of the Catholic Diocese of Ngong, Youth Chairperson of Loitoktok Deanery, Chairperson of St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, Sultan Hamud Parish Youth Council, and Coordinator of St. Dominic Youth SCC at Christ the King Catholic Church at Kenyatta University in Nairobi.
By Collins Ongoma
