Sebastian Duhau, a
youth minister from Australia, and a young auditor at the Synod of Bishops,
advocates the use of appropriate language in youth evangelization.
By Sr Bernadette Mary
Reis, fsp
“Anything that speaks
to young people where they’re at is a great tool, says Sebastian Duhau, a youth
minister for the Brothers of the Christians Schools in Australia who is among
the young auditors at the Synod of Bishops on Young People. He spoke with Devin
Watkins expressing his hope that the Church will discover how to adapt its
message so young people can grasp it.
Defining terms
Sebastian says that a
major issue at the Synod is unpacking the different understandings of
accompaniment, vocation and discernment. It is evident to Sebastian that the
Bishops have different views of these realities. Being able to discuss these
views openly is positive, he says.
"It’s been great
to have that discussion, to allow people to share their different
understandings and perspectives to try and gain consensual understanding of
what we’re talking about and what we mean when we use those terms."
Defining these terms
has been essential in view of the drafting of the Synod document, Sebastian
says.
Synod audience
“The primary audience
is the young people themselves,” Sebastian told Devin.
“We’re trying to
direct this to the young people, and for me specifically, the young people who
are disconnected from the Church, who don’t see it as relevant, who feel like
it doesn’t have anything to offer them”.
It is their opinions
and viewpoints that the Synod document needs to “capture” so that the Church
can better accompany them in the future, Sebastian said.
Listen to our
interview with Sebastian Dahau
Reconnecting with the
disconnected
Sebastian thinks that
the Church needs to adopt a new approach to young people. This means adapting
its language so that the young can grasp the message.
"From the birth
of the Church, when Jesus was walking the earth, the Church has always been
about accompaniment, and actually walking with people, building relationships
with people, having conversations and loving each other."
Unfortunately,
Sebastian says his experience is that the Church “talks at young people”, and
“teaches about the Church”, rather than “introducing them to the person of
Jesus Christ".
"We need to go
back to what the roots of the Church are, go back to what this Church is really
about and be an authentic, transparent, relational, loving, communal Church for
all people."
Retrieving the
connection
It’s all about
language, Sebastian said when asked about how the Church can “get back to its
roots”. He thinks social media can be an effective tool for the Church to use
with young people.
"I think we need
to start realizing that the language we use in approaching young people is so
crucial and so important…. [We should not be] scared to change the language,
and to change some of the words we use…to make it more accessible and more
relevant. It’s about giving them the truth of the Gospel and the truth of what
the Church is and what the Church should be but in way that actually makes
sense and doesn’t seem too far-fetched or too highfalutin."
