HOPE FOR YOUTH

 

Everyday one reads about the youth in our country, or around the world, and the negative effects they have on culture and society.  Then one or two (or more) young people show up at the monastery and we gasp at how joyous, caring and just downright great they are. So does the monastery attract only the special ones, or are they the norm? I would like to think (and am sure) that  the majority of today's young people have HOPE for the future and are working to make a better world.`                                                                                                                      

"I also want to encourage you to encourage young people. Young people are the first pilgrims of hope! They thirst for meaning, authenticity and true encounters. But be careful, let the young meet with the elderly, because the elderly are also witnesses of hope. Young people, when they go to the elders, receive some special mission. Do this work, which is very important. Help young people to discover Christ, because Christ is the answer. Help them to grow in faith, to dare to make courageous choices and to become missionary disciples of Jesus, living witnesses of the Gospel. Pass on to them the boldness to dream of a more fraternal world and accompany them, so that they may become artisans of hope in their families, schools and workplaces.  Pope Francis   (Jan. 10, 2025)

                                          Local youth putting in new deck at OLR