Today, the Most Rev. Raymond Poisson, President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), has issued a Pastoral Letter to Young People. The Letter is dated 12 October 2022 to honour the anniversary of the death of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the first beatified millennial.
This Pastoral Letter responds to the CCCB’s virtual conversations with over 200 young people from across Canada, aged 12-25 during the fall of 2020. The Pastoral Letter was drafted by the Office for Evangelization and Catechesis and the Office for Family and Life, at the request of the Executive Committee. It received input from youth ministry specialists, the Episcopal Commission for Evangelization and Catechesis, the Episcopal Commission for Doctrine, and the Standing Committee for Family and Life. The Permanent Council approved the Pastoral Letter at its June 2022 meeting, following some revisions, and agreed that it be issued in the name of the CCCB.
It is now available on the CCCB website, along with a video and other resources designed to help dioceses/eparchies and parishes introduce the Pastoral Letter to their faithful.
A media release announcing the Pastoral Letter will follow later today. Furthermore, an official launch with the young people who contributed to its development will be held later this fall.
Pastoral Letter to Young People
“Christ is alive! He is our hope, and in a wonderful way he brings youth to our world, and everything he touches becomes young, new, full of life.”
(Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit, 1)
Young people are important to the Church of today and tomorrow. Their faith, creativity, dynamism, and vitality are a surge of hope that can change the world. It is to young people that this Pastoral Letter from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops is addressed.
Issued on the anniversary of the death of Blessed Carlo Acutis, 12 October 2022, this Pastoral Letter is meant to inspire young Catholics to live their faith in an extraordinary way, encouraging them to strive toward holiness, and assuring them of the steadfast support and accompaniment of their Bishops along their individual journeys of faith.
How can this Pastoral Letter and video be used?
This Pastoral Letter is addressed to young Catholics. It can be used for individual reflection, as well as in group settings, such as parish or diocesan/eparchial youth groups, schools, families, ecclesial movements and associations, and faith-based communities.
The Pastoral Letter may also serve as a tool and resource for pastoral coordinators, youth group leaders, teachers, and anyone who accompanies young people in the faith. To inspire readers and deepen discussion about the content, reflection questions are featured after each section.
The Pastoral Letter can be downloaded, printed, shared digitally and distributed across Catholic networks.
An accompanying video introduces the different themes in the letter. The video can also be downloaded and shared.
Discover below the Pastoral Letter in PDF format, a video presentation and various promotional tools.
Download the Pastoral Letter (PDF)
Themes:
- Jesus encounters the teachers in the Temple
- Walking and talking together
- Technology and faith
- The presence of Jesus in your life
- Growing in faith: Learning over a lifetime
- Mary, an influencer among us
- Saint Kateri: a model of courage and perseverance
- Carlos Acutis: a role model for young people in the 21st century
- Be unique!
* Reflection questions after each section
15 Minute Video Presentation of the Pastoral Letter
- Featuring three young people and a Bishop
- Watch on YouTube
- Download the video
Communication and Social Media Toolkit
- Press release/announcement for bulletins
- Images to share on social media
- Image folder for webmasters