Catholic Church of the
Sacred Heart, Edinburgh
A.M.D.G.
Message from Youth Representatives to the Parish ‘In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever’ The response for today’s psalm for the 28th Sunday of the year sums up exactly the wish we have for the young people of this parish. From early infancy, through childhood and the ups and downs of adolescence and into the challenging years of early adulthood, we could hope for nothing better than that our young people anchor themselves in God and in the life of the Church. We know that in this way they will gain the deep satisfaction of finding and following their lives’ true purpose, as well as the joy which awaits people who accept God’s love for them.
When the parish first elected us in 1999 to represent young people on the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC), we were daunted by the challenge. The Sacred Heart Church had not had a PPC before, and no-one had ever tackled this task. How were we to go about it?
We took stock of all that already existed in the parish to support young people. We thought about: We could see that our Church already had a rich and beautiful tradition of supporting its youth, and we were humbled to consider the service which dedicated volunteers have given over the years, and continue to give. How were we to follow or add to this?
Our first task was to discuss in depth what we felt our approach should be. We summed this up in our ‘Mission Statement’ which was displayed in the Church and can be found on the parish website. Although it is now over three years old, it still describes the way we work and the outcome of what we hope to achieve. We recognised that young people are an important section of the Church, representing not only the future, but also a vital and energising part of the present. We saw our main task as being to encourage the full integration of young people into the life of the parish so that each person regards the worldwide Church and particularly the Sacred Heart parish as a spiritual family of which they are valued individuals.
One way we tried to meet this aim was to attend PPC meetings and take part in general debate, but particularly representing the ‘youth’ perspective in every item discussed. We found that by doing this, and also by liaising with the Archdiocesan youth service, we were in the right place at the right time to take on a number of challenges, and we have attempted to meet these over the years of our office. With generous donations of time, talent and equipment from many people, we have arranged: We are also looking to integrate more young adults into the groups who provide practical help for the needy, and we are considering the possibility of running a retreat.
We are very aware that there is a sizeable contingent of the parish for whom there is currently very little arranged. These people are in their late teens / early twenties, some local some visitors, some single some married, and many attend Mass on Sunday evenings. We know that the demands of work, study and other commitments leave very little spare time, but we hope you will always remember the invitation extended to you by the parish to take part in all parish activities and to enrich them by your presence. And please tell us, is there anything you find lacking in the parish? Do you wish to be in contact with other like-minded Christians? What spiritual and/or social events would you like to see within the parish?
The Church also wants to know what you think. Father Dave Stewart, who used to work within this parish, is currently undertaking a survey on behalf of the Jesuit Provincial into the needs for youth ministry. We will be happy to pass on any feedback to him
Please contact us at SacredHeartYouthReps@hotmail.com or via the parish office. We want to hear what you think and we promise to reply to every message. We would also love to hear from anyone who would be willing to offer some help!
When we read in today’s psalm ‘My head you have anointed with oil’, we are reminded that our lives are not a series of random co-incidences, but that each of us has been chosen by God to be in this place at this time. We all have so much to give, but we can also gain much support from belonging to the community. As youth reps on the PPC, we extend the invitation to all young people to take their full place in the life of this parish.
Anya Hamilton & Kate Crichton P.S. Can we take this opportunity to repeat a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has helped us get started. We are thinking of: We couldn’t have done anything without you!
Email our Youth Reps at SacredHeartYouthReps@hotmail.com |
Message to the Parish - Oct 2002 2001 Project - Children of Chernobyl
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