austraLasia #626
Pope nominates parish youth
centres as priority for Church
Source - ZENIT
Rome: 4th
Sept --Parish youth centres, or "oratories" as St. John Bosco called them, are
the workshop of an active faith, a "place of education" and a "school of
service" to others, according to Pope John Paul II.
The Holy Father was
speaking on Saturday when he received 400 pilgrims from Varese, Italy, at Castel
Gandolfo. The pilgrims were celebrating the centenary of St. Victor´s youth
oratory and of the Robur et Fides sports association.
He said the oratory
is the most appropriate place for the pastoral care of youth. Along with the
family, such a pastoral centre "constitutes a priority for the Church," he
said.
The centre is an environment where children and youths can
reinforce "the values received in the family," the Pope said. "Sports
activities, offered by the parishes, contribute" to this objective. If well
planned, they help "young people to be generous and mutually supportive," he
said.
The Holy Father expressed the hope that the cultural and sport
services offered by parishes "be distinguished by a generous opening to
solidarity."
It is precisely in service, inspired by prayer, that one
finds "the privileged way" for the birth and growth of authentic ecclesial
vocations "marked by dedication to the service of others," John Paul II
stressed.
