From youth ministry to social justice promotion

Rowena Orejana — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 00:00:20 +0000

With his passion for the outdoors, newly-appointed social justice animator for the Hamilton diocese Alex Bailey is looking forward to working in the area of environmental care.
“We are all called to take personal responsibility for the earth,” Mr Bailey said.

Citing Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, Mr Bailey explained the issue of the environment is not exclusive of other social issues.

“In New Zealand, there are many social issues that appear separate from the environment such as affordable and decent housing, the euthanasia debate, poverty, and the care of refugees and migrants,” he said.

“Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ promotes an integral ecology where care for the earth and care for the poor are inseparably linked,“ he added.

As social justice animator, Mr Bailey defined the mission of the office as “promoting Catholic social teaching to all people of goodwill”, in parishes, schools, among youth groups, chaplaincies, and the wider community.

“[The mission is] a beating heart of mercy for the vulnerable,” he said.

The former head of the Hamilton youth ministry, Mr Bailey said he brings with him the contacts he has made, particularly with young adults.

He said he learned a lot of things from his youth ministry.

“I have learnt that Christ is King. When trying to implement new initiatives, events, and programmes there will be many setbacks. However, victory is always through Jesus,” he said.

In promoting Catholic social teaching, he said his office is establishing two volunteer issue committees: the Committee for Care for our Common Home, and the Committee for Care of Refugees and Migrants.

Other committees will be established later, he said.

He said they will also establish local committees in the diocese’s collegial areas and parishes. “Local committees will work to remedy local social issues,” he explained.

Mr Bailey said his love for the outdoors was instilled in him by his parents.

“Dad taught me to freshwater fish in the Waihou River. I’m now a mad fly fisherman and take advantage of every opportunity to get outside, experience nature in the fresh water of New Zealand, and catch trout! I’m currently dreaming of catching a kingfish on the fly!” he said.

It is this same love that he is hoping to instil in his two-year-old daughter, Felicity.

“I want to pass on a healthy environment, one which she can also enjoy and experience nature in all its beauty and grandeur, and maybe catch a fish, too,” he said.

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Youth ministry in Wellington receives a shake-up

Michael Otto — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 04:01:15 +0000

by CALLUM TOWNSEND
WELLINGTON — Youth ministry in the Wellington archdiocese has received a shake-up, with a renewed focus on mentoring and training to be implemented from early next year.
A review document looking at resourcing across the archdiocese concluded funds ought to be channelled more towards supporting those already working with young people.
The project manager of a transitional team charged with enacting the review’s recommendations, Daniel Siave, said the review had consulted with all stakeholders involved in youth ministry in order to find the best way to allocate resources.
“I’m not denying that there [was] enough work there, but was the distribution fair for everyone is one of the questions the review was looking at,” he said.
The review proposed changes, not to the aims of youth ministry, but to the method of its delivery.
“The goals of Catholic ministry with young people are documented . . . We do not need to spend the time coming up with a new destination, but we do need to review our strategies,” the report said.
It identified the 11-30 age bracket as the area of youth ministry, which equates to just under 23,000 people across the archdiocese.
Mr Siave said a new-look team recommended by the review would be reduced to two and a half full-time positions with a greater emphasis on mentoring those involved in youth ministry across the archdiocese.
The team was due to start early in 2013, with a focus “much more on training and supporting those who are doing that ministry”.
A mentoring role would alleviate some of the difficulties associated with ministering personally to a group whose subsets ranged from school children to married couples with children of their own, Mr Siave said.
One key initiative suggested by the review was an internship programme aimed at involving young people in the running of youth ministry in each parish.
Previously the structure of the youth and young adult ministry was heavily centred on Wellington’s tertiary institutions.
Five full-time positions were shared between six to seven people, based at Victoria University’s tertiary chaplaincy or the archdiocese’s Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office.
“It was very centralised, when you think about the fact that the diocese covers from Kaikoura to Levin.”
Engaging communities was a key focus of the new youth ministry, and successful programmes such as the Young Catholic Leaders would continue through 2012 and into 2013, Mr Siave said.
“Community has been one of the things we’ve pushed a lot, I think community goes hand-in-hand with Christianity.”
The new team would continue to consult with stakeholders about how the review was being implemented, he said.

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