This week’s column by John Allen of the NCR has a very encouraging presentation of his experience of the dynamism of youth at the recently concluding Relgious Education Conference which was attended 12,000 youth and 20,000 catechists.Among the things one is impressed by:
Youth: Some aging veterans of the church scene are Congress regulars, but there’s also a high-octane Youth Day, which this year featured keynote presentations from Jesuit Fr. J-Glenn Murray from Cleveland and Fr. Tony Ricard from New Orleans — both African-American priests, speaking to Anglos, Hispanics and Asians as well as other African-Americans, reflecting the diversity of the American Catholic experience. Beyond that, in each session of the regular Congress one sees a mix of young and old faces, with much of the youth wing being composed of 20- and 30-something laity who are teaching in Catholic schools, working in Catholic parishes or otherwise serving the church. The result is a kind of youthful energy, a “buzz,” that’s unlike many other gatherings of “professional” Catholics.
