15.08.2013
New Ministry Hopes to Engage Young Adults in Conversations About Faith
A new ministry aimed at engaging the freshly–dubbed ‘new influencers’ gets underway in Dublin and Glendalough in September. Headed up by former 3Rock Youth director, Greg Fromholz, the Diocesan Ministry to Young People is aimed at 18 to 35 year olds. These people may be university students, young professionals or unemployed. They are considered by some to be the generation that is the most spiritually vacant, the most self–centred and the most likely to emigrate. However, the age group also represents the most creative, energetic, giving and hopeful of those wishing to see a new Ireland, spiritually and culturally.
The new ministry aims to reintroduce the conversation between the Church and young people. “I believe the overwhelming majority of young adults are not apathetic about faith, they’re indifferent, they have a spirituality, but are unsure how the church plays a part in it,” Greg explains.
Greg hopes that, working alongside parishes, the ministry can go to where young adults gather and have conversations about faith. “From these conversations we’d like to walk alongside people and help develop their faith. Taking that hope found and reaching out to those around them.” he says.
One of the new ministry’s first ventures takes place at this year’s Electric Picnic festival in Stradbally, County Laois (August 30 to September 1). Greg, Pamela Rooney of the Methodist Church and Scott Evans of Holy Trinity Rathmines, are creating a Sacred Space in the Body&Soul area of the festival. Body&Soul comprises a myriad of creative enterprises including tarot readers and shaman and they have been given a space for a tent. This is the first time there will be such a space on offer at Electric Picnic which is celebrating its 10th year of music, art, fine food and the unexpected.
Apart from tea and coffee and a place to sit, the Sacred Space tent will house a ‘Wall of Lament’ – a large board on which participants will be encouraged to write prayers, questions and doubts. The intention is to welcome honest doubt, struggles and questions about faith whether about the existence of God, the history of Christianity, Christians or Christendom, or the struggles that each of us wrestle with.
There will also be an ‘Altar to an Unknown God’ on which participants can leave items that represent things they came to the Picnic with but wish they could go home without. The aim of the altar is to give people the opportunity to reflect on where their lives are heading and what they want the future to hold for themselves. It will also provide an opportunity to ask for divine assistance in moving past whatever is holding them back.
Another aspect of the Sacred Space will be the Shiva Confessional which is a new take on the old idea of the confessional based more on the Jewish practice of sitting Shiva. There will be two private seats, one occupied by the festival goer, the other by a member of the team. The participant can then talk, sit, vent, pray, cry or whatever is most relevant knowing that there is someone in their presence silently loving them, praying for them and not judging them.
“This is all about encouraging conversation about faith, honest doubt and honest faith,” Greg explains. “This is a unique way for the ministry to start but we wanted to start the way we desire to go on to go on – by going to gatherings and having conversations about a hope found in faith,” he adds.