YOUTH MATTERS: Thank You Parents!

By Sam Clear, Director of the Office of Youth Evangelisation

I’ve always been fascinated by Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.”

In our image. It’s plural. We, humankind, are made in the image of the Trinity. I love that. We are made to be family, for family, constantly calling others into that family.

In late April we hosted the Life to the Full Conference at Camp Clayton near Ulverstone and we had a wonderful time.

So many of the youth participating commented on how much the conference helped them. There was something else that struck me though; just how much the handful of parent volunteers gave to all the youth there and to the camp site workers.

They served tirelessly and managed to still allow the youth space to be themselves and enjoy each other’s company.

We had hired an audio-visual specialist to set up the microphones, mixing desk and lighting, and his constant interaction with the parent volunteers who shared a passion for music, plus listening to the talks by the Sisters of Life, left a deep impression on him. He isn’t Catholic, but at the end of the conference he was smiling and grateful for what he’d experienced, or more so, who he’d met.

And then there were the camp site staff, who also had words of thanks for the parent volunteers for their efficiency, sincerity, and trustworthiness in carrying out requests or seeing to the needs of the staff.

I left the conference contemplating the gift of our immediate families and how they shape us to extend that gift of family to everyone we meet.

I’m not a parent, so I’m somewhat confronted by the depth of service parenting demands and also allows for. It’s also inspiring.

In the latter chapters of the Book of Revelation the Church is referred to as the Bride of the Lamb and so as we celebrate both Mother’s Day and May being the month of Our Lady, there is a challenge to not only celebrate our mothers, but to imitate more deeply that call to nurture those we meet – to invite them into our journey of growth.

St Monica, pray for us.

Photo: Jazz Chalouhi