National Faith Development Team convenes its first meeting with leaders in Youth Ministry

27 Mar 2015

A gathering for leaders working in the area of teen and young adult ministry was held today in Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth.

Over sixty leaders representing Catholic Schools’ Trusts, Retreat Centres, schools, University chaplaincy, parishes and Dioceses up and down the country met to discuss how they might work more effectively together to share Gospel joy with young people in the Church.

Bishop Brendán Leahy, Co-Chair of the National Faith Development Team, who led the conversation today, praised the dedication and hard work of those gathered.  Bishop Leahy emphasised that there was a need not just for “personal conversion to the life of communion but also ministerial conversion in the way we do things.  Working together in a planned and coordinated way can no longer be an optional extra but needs to be at heart of our work and our planning.”

Kate Liffey, Coordinator of the National Faith Development Team, expressed her delight in the event.   “This is the first of what we in the National Faith Development Team, hope will be many such conversations.  The energy, interest and commitment of the group gathered today was really heartening and speaks volumes about the desire of those gathered to reach out in ever more effective, compassionate and real ways to young people”.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

  • The National Faith Development Team was established in 2014 by the Irish Episcopal Conference to encourage a nationally agreed approach to evangelisation in dioceses throughout Ireland.  (See Share the Good News, National Directory for Catechesis in Ireland, paragraph 144).

For media contact: Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678