Background
Currently Catholic Church Reform International (CCRI) is sponsoring an online young adult program now being joined by Call to Action (CTA) and Maryknoll Young Adults all supporting the formation of Small Communities of young adult Catholic leaders. These are young people 18–30+ years of age from different countries who have a passion to develop spiritually, provide one another mutual support, and organize social justice and/or climate-related projects for their communities. In our program, we refer to them as “Young Seekers.” These are young people seeking to be “People for Others.”
These young adults painfully realize that the institutional Church often ignores them and does not support their apostolic activities, often dismissing this age cohort because they are unable to be significant financial contributors. As noticeably evident, such treatment drives many young people from the Church. Yet these young seekers are intelligent, articulate, and have the courage to demand “a place at the table.”
Our first group comprising up to twenty young adults meet every other week through Zoom representing Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Pakistan, and the US. They have been able occasionally to join our global meetings where the older folks are thrilled to see them participating with us. Recently, they held a successful online retreat. They are finding far more support through these online gatherings than they do in most of their parishes. Now with these gatherings ready to expand with CCRI, CTA, and Maryknoll Young Adults all coming together, many more from the US will be joining this program. But for this to happen successfully, it will require additional financial support.
Alloys Nyakundi from Kenya is the organizer, trainer, and facilitator of this operation. Alloys is a young man who has a Masters in Pastoral Theology from Loyola University of New Orleans. He was also in the first group of young adult leaders mentored by Call to Action. Alloys is mentored now by Fr. Joe Healey, a Maryknoll priest who has helped develop about 180,000 Small Christian Communities (SCCs) in Eastern Africa. With so few priests in Africa, these communities are discovering a beautiful, alternative way of meeting some basic needs of the people there.
Pope Francis calling the Church community to be a Synodal Church
From 2021 through 2024, the Church is in process of conducting Synods called by Pope Francis. What does this mean? Synodality (literally “traveling the road together”) is simply another word for perhaps the oldest tradition in the Church, that of the entire community coming together to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit. Much to the surprise of the laity and objection of many bishops, our pope, following the tradition of the early Church, is inviting the laity to join in the Synodal process previously restricted only to bishops. For us in today’s Church, this means that the People of God are being called into “a unity of purpose and mutual listening between people and pastors.” For those who are unaware of this happening in the worldwide Church right now, just one of the many outcomes of what the Spirit is saying through the voices of the people is that Small Christian Communities (SCCs) are seen as a significant part of the future of the Church and requests are being made that they be recognized as part of the official structure of the Church: Vatican Curia/dioceses/parishes/SCCs. At the end of the first phase of the Synod, the US synthesis of the Diocesan reports said: “People noted that the Church seems to prioritize doctrine over people, rules and regulations over lived reality. People want the Church to be a home for the wounded and broken, not an institution for the perfect. They want the Church to meet people where they are, wherever they are, and walk with them rather than judging them; to build real relationships through care and authenticity, not superiority.” Clearly, what CCRI, CTA, and Maryknoll are doing responds beautifully to this outcry striving to create this kind of welcoming community among young people who are not only the “present” of the Church but, even more importantly, its “future.” Our Young Seekers Small Christian Communities are modeled after the many existing SCCs thriving throughout the world. These online Small Christian Communities have further developed in part due to the pandemic when most Churches were closed during this period.
Unique challenge for those who reside in the Global South
The Global South is a term generally used to identify countries in the regions of Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania where most of humanity resides. These countries are characterized by low-income, dense population, poor infrastructure, and often political or cultural marginalization. Members joining us from the “Global South” have very limited access to the Internet. These members, many of whom are college-educated, are having difficulty finding decent employment and can’t afford to go to an Internet café. CCRI provides about $20 per person when they attend one of our bi-weekly ninety-minute gatherings. We maintain good records of expenses and receive reports after each meeting. On the other hand, Young Seekers from the Global North – the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, Israel, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand – have Internet access, do not have to pay for it, and most can afford any minimal costs involved.
Request for Financial Support
Considering the hope that the People of God are feeling as a result of Pope Francis’s Synodal process, we believe that what CCRI, CTA, and Maryknoll are doing responds beautifully to the signs and calls of our times. We need outside financial assistance to expand our work and serve this growing need.
Here are the basic costs to continue this program into this next year:
· $50,000 to support at least 5 additional groups of 20 for one year, for a total of 100 new Young
Seekers from the Global South
· $10,000 for technical support for website, communications, and administration
· $20,000 to support marketing and promotion of our Young Seekers program
· $10,000 to support a few young adults to attend World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, August 1–6
· $20,000 for compensation of personnel
o Principal organizer, “Director”, Alloys Nyakundi – $12,500.
o Co-Director, Ashik Khobar – $7,500.
$110,000 – Total being requested
To contribute to this program, click here.
We appreciate your consideration of contributing in any amount to our program and look forward to your response.