Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Sydney (Agenzia Fides) - Bishop James Wingle has come from Canada to take part in a campaign to promote World Youth Day 2008 to be held in Sydney. Bishop Wingle is Bishop of Saint Catholics diocese a suffragan of Toronto archdiocese which hosted WYD in 2002. He will take part in Activ8, Get Involved giving a series of talks in parishes and schools beginning with an assembly of 650 Catholic secondary school pupils. Bishop Wingle will also launch a new “Get with the Spirit” DVD.
The aim of “Activ8”, is to activate attention and participation among Catholic youth already familiar with WYD and to foster attention among those who have never heard of it, are distant from the faith and not interested in religion.
The campaign is being launched just as results of a survey about spirituality and young people in Australia have been released. The two year study “The Spirit of Generation Y: Young People, Spirituality and Society” was led by professor Ruth Webber of the Australian Catholic University with Redemptorist Father Michael Mason of the Australian Catholic University, Andrew Singleton of Monash University and Philip Hughes of the Christian Research Association. The complete report will be issued in 2007.
The survey carried out among a cross section of young people aged 13 to 29 revealed a spreading culture of consumerism, materialism, religious indifference, individualism and little interest for traditional religious practices. The study says 48% of the young people said they believed in God (20% said they did not and 32% said they were not sure). A sense of individualism and personal freedom prevails over a sense of solidarity and idea of a community.
The study identifies three main spiritual trends in generation Y: Christians, 44% (but only 19% of the Y generation takes part in a church service at least once a month); eclectics 17% who believe in one or two elements of New Age; humanists 31% who reject the very idea of God; furthermore 48% of the young people interviewed declared they had a religious identification, 52% said it had none.
Commenting the report the Australian Catholic Church said it would intensify youth pastoral care to offer as many young Australians the opportunity to experience the joy and promise of the World Youth Day event. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 24/10/2006 righe 31 parole 312)
