March 2021 marks the second anniversary of Pope Francis’s letter to all young people . Christus Vivit (‘Christ is Alive’) was ground-breaking on its publication, the first Papal encyclical of its kind, to address young people specifically.

In the encyclical, the Holy Father made a series of radical and powerful statements, including imploring us to build ‘a Church with open doors’ with a ‘heart for all young people’. Christus Vivit has been inspiring our work at Million Minutes ever since. It also serves as the grounding behind our pioneering ‘beacon parish’ scheme, launched in 2021.

The Pope’s message rings out a fresh invitation one year on from the start of COVID-19, where young people are facing unprecedented economic, educational, and social challenges, including an unstable future.

In Christus Vivit, as accompaniers of young people, we are reminded that “The community has an important role in the accompaniment of young people; it should feel collectively responsible for accepting, motivating, encouraging, and challenging them. All should regard young people with understanding, appreciation and affection, and avoid constantly judging them or demanding of them a perfection beyond their years.” (CV 243).

The framework used for building this relationship is the story of the Road to Emmaus. It is that same story we use at Million Minutes when referencing our foundations. When walking the streets, when listening to young people, we ask ourselves: How are we supporting their faith and wellbeing? How are we ensuring that marginalised voices are heard? How are we enabling them to become the leaders of tomorrow?

It is these sentiments that speak into our expression of Lent – siLENT. Over the 40 days of Lent 42 participants from across the country join us to create a deafening silence as an act of solidarity with young people

How do we reach the most vulnerable and support them and their families? How do we share our faith and support the well-being of our young people? How do we ensure their voices are heard as the world considers the longer-term view? How do we ensure that young people are the means of ‘light and hope’ that we know them to be?

Let us hope and pray as we near Holy Week and Easter Week that the lessons of Christus Vivit are not forgotten, and that they be applied more fully throughout our Church.

Kate Eastmond