Recently I attended the Voice + Vision Conference hosted by the National Dialogue and Franciscan University. It was a conference for those who wanted to participate in the larger conversation circulating Pope Francis’ post-synod document Christus Vivit. When I learned about the conference, I got excited, because it was an opportunity to keep the momentum from last October’s Synod rolling. The reason I attended was that I wanted to be a part of the dialogue, and I was excited about what the organizers promised on the registration page:
As opposed to a conference where you hear a lot of talks, Voice + Vision is primarily focused on panel discussions and group conversations that intentionally lead to specific proposals. We want to give voice to what is happening in the United States in youth and young adult ministries and propose a vision on how we can move forward.
At most conferences, we do hear a lot of talks that inspire and get the mind flowing, but there isn’t a chance to break open and look further into the takeaways. Having that promised was something that intrigued me, I walked into the conference believing new strategies and initiatives would emerge. That’s what I hoped for, but what I walked away with was much different.
We had the opportunity to hear from Cardinal Cupich, Bishop Cepeda, and Bishop Caggiano. All of them spoke about their experiences with the synod, V Encuentro and Christus Vivit. While not much was new, it was refreshing to listen to their passion for the next generation. They spoke about a desire to listen, rediscover our youthfulness, and to pursue the messiness that comes with this type of ministry.
While there was a lot of passion, I also realized the disconnect between leadership and what I like to call in the trench youth ministers. Many of the suggestions they proposed were ones that I feel most youth ministers already do like listening to young people. At first, I was frustrated but later realized that there is a consistent dialogue we can all unite around and use to start asking questions like:
In other words, we should have a clearer understanding of what we need to do and why we need to do it; the challenge is discovering the HOW.
There were talent and experts represented on the panels at the conference. Leaders at the national level and people involved in specific niche ministries were all represented. In my mind, there was one group of people that were missing, and it was the local church youth minister. There were a few pastors and former youth ministers who shared one or two anecdotes, but there was a lack of stories regarding parish youth ministry.
We have to listen to young people and the men and women who are currently walking with them in local church ministry if we want to make significant changes. John Rinaldo, my cohost on the Church Podcast, mentioned how he’s learning more from youth ministers from Facebook Groups like Catholic Youth Ministry Discussion. It’s given him an insight into some of the needs in the trench youth workers need. (To listen to the episode click HERE)
If the dialogue around youth and young adult ministry deepens, we need to include people who are in the front lines in addition to leadership.
The conference promised to be more than just talking and unfortunately, there was a lot of talking from the stage. Did this happen because of poor planning or over-ambitious goals? I’m going to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and say starting a conversation we’ve not had before is difficult. The more fruitful discussions happened around meals. It was during that time when the attendees could process the information and share best practices.
If we’re going to create change in the church, we need to keep talking and avoid silos. Silos happen because of pride and fear, and the way you get through them is through intentional community. Those communities can be found locally, at conferences, or through social media platforms. The conversations should not only be around what you can do for me but what can I do for you.
While I might have mixed feelings about the Voice + Vision Conference. I’m grateful that Franciscan University and the National Dialogue initiated the conversation, even if it didn’t meet my expectations. I’m encouraged that there will be more, and I hope that we can continue to listen to leadership on top of the youth. It’s also essential to include the voices of those men and women already living out Christus Vivit in the local parish setting. Lastly, we need to talk about what’s working, celebrate it, and continue to do what God has called us to do.
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