Pope Francis reminds us of the importance to take real time to accompany young people. He says that all young people are in God’s heart, and that therefore they must be in the heart of the Church. Taking time to accompany involves creating the opportunity for discernment.

At the heart of our journeying with young people is listening. We listen to their deepest yearnings, helping them to hear the Spirit of God within themselves. We don’t seek to impose our own plans on young people, but patiently and lovingly trust in God’s unfolding desire for them, so that they may discover their God-given purpose in life.

What this might looks like in practice:

• An adventure!

• Listening attentively for the nudging of the Holy Spirit in the young person in all our side-by-side accompanying, from the youth club to the football pitch, from the street corner to the sanctuary, from the prayer group to the pilgrimage coach, from the outreach project to the detention hall.

• An intentional commitment to spending time with young people on a journey to someplace new

• A deep care for young people’s well-being and their God-given mission

• Leaving your own agenda at the door

• An openness to young people having a different experience to you

• Intentional times of accompaniment (e.g. one-to-one accompaniment in discerning a future job)

• Informal moments of accompaniment remaining open to those ‘graced conversations’ in which the Spirit is present

• A courageous ministry in which you invite a young person to step forward to discover the life and mission they are being called to

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