Having got passed the simple stuff like why don't they employ youth workers like evangelical parishes do it was suggested that I step back and ask a slightly different question - What does youth ministry look like from a catholic perspective?
As a result I have visited Walsingham, which yes I found a bit wacky from my low church perspective, but I met some godly people who are grappling with questions about how we encounter Jesus. I had an amazing couple of hours with Bishop Lindsay Urwin who is well known for his thinking around spirituality and young people, and Stephen Gallagher who is the Shrine Youth Missioner, responsible for the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage, and used to be a Youth Officer in Chichester Diocese, so a colleague and friend.
I learned that within the catholic context the mass (or eucharist) is the central act of worship, though I knew that. However, it was the description that within that service it was all about encountering the person of Jesus, feeding on Him, growing more like Him.
I was back to this issue of encountering Jesus and realised (am I just thick) that the boxes we create to put different bits of the church into are somehow breaking away. Yes, Walsingham will always be wacky to me, but within all that goes on there is a desire that everyone has a real, life changing encounter with the risen Christ.
So where does that get us? Well I'm not sure, I'm still on the journey. We still have to face the question that we are inside our churches and most people are outside them, so in someway the encounters will not be within the walls of our buildings but as we engage with people outside.
What is exciting is that I also found a real heart for mission as a core element of what church is all about. The walls are falling away as we focus on encountering Jesus.
Next week I am continuing my journey as I talk to more of my brothers and sisters in the catholic end of the Church, I am confident I shall find Jesus there and be warmed by this amazing journey I am on.
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