Our Youth Adviser offers three fantastic work streams - including a wide range of online and in person courses and events -to support the young people of our Diocese as they journey in faith. To find out more about any of the initiatives listed below, or to sign up to receive information and updates on Formation Team events more generally, please contact our Youth Adviser. To access a range of supporting documents and resources click on the bar below.
We are all beloved children of God, created to enter a relationship of love with the one who made us.
Our formative years offer an important opportunity to begin to understand our identity and place in the world. Our Youth Service is dedicated to helping young people to understand that their identity is in Christ; that they are loved by the God who made them, who died to save them, and who walks alongside them now.
There are lots of ways to get involved in youth-focussed events across the UK and beyond. The opportunities included here are just some of the initiatives our Youth Adviser is involved in, if you want to sign up, or find out more, please contact our team.
A pilgrimage within our diocesan pilgrimage! The Redshirt experience is aimed at young people in school years 10 and 11, providing a life-changing opportunity for young people to grow in faith, while bringing huge smiles to people on pilgrimage with us. Former Redshirts usually agree on two things; that being a Redshirt will change your life and that that everyone should go on the A&B pilgrimage.
Is a three-year discipleship process for Catholic young people in school years 10 to 12 who want to take their faith in Jesus Christ to a whole new level and learn how to share it with others. theASCENT believe accompaniment is at the heart of discipleship formation. Their programme aims to form disciples for the ‘long haul’ through immersion, input, apprenticeship and activation
The CYMFed Flame Congress takes place every two years at Wembley Arena. It is the largest day-long Catholic gathering of young people in England and Wales, boasting an impressive itinary which includes international speakers, phenomenal worship music, celebration and discovery. Flame should not be missed! Contact our team at ruth.gerun@abdiocese.org.uk to be part of the next diocesan group heading to Wembley.
Rooted was founded by the amazing Children Youth and Family Minister at the Catholic Parish Guildford. The programme provides a fun-filled weekend away for teenagers at Oakwood Youth Challenge in Wokingham, offering amazing prayer opportunities, workshops, talks, games and outdoor activities.
As we enter the world of university and work, we need extra support to help us to grow in faith. We may be wrestling with big life decisions or trying to discern the person God is calling us to become. Our Youth Service offers a range of opportunities for young adults to gather, both virtually and in person, to grow in fraternity and faith. Contact our team to find out more.
Join our Faith & Fellowship Evenings. If you are a young adult (18-35), the chances are you don’t see many people like you at Mass. If you want to share your faith with Catholics of a similar age to you then come along to our fortnightly, Monday night Faith & Fellowship zoom meetings. Register below to join our fantastic diocesan wide community - we look forward to welcoming you.
Being a young Catholic can be difficult. Our Youth Service, in collaboration with our Vocations Team, offer a series of Connect Days, enabling young Catholics to meet with people like them, across our Diocese. Connect Days take many forms, they might be a prayerful retreat day or a fun day out on a canal boat, at the seaside, or heading up to London. The focus of these days is community – helping you to grow in fraternity with those you meet.
Our Youth Adviser works with parishes across our Diocese to establish youth-friendly opportunities. Community Root’s opportunities vary relying on the fantastic skills and charisms of individual parishes. They might include Mass with live contemporary worship music or Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with gentle pre-recorded praise music, with the possibility of a social gathering for young adults after the event. Everyone is welcome to these events and while they are not solely for young adults, the emphasis is on the invitation and welcome of people in the young adult age group. Contact our team to find out more.
Enjoy a fantastic weekend of prayer and praise with more than 30,000 people across the UK, in the beautiful surroundings of the Wiston Estate in West Sussex. The cheapest - and best! - way to attend the Big Church Day Out is as part of a group with people from our Diocese. Enjoy amazing opportunities for worship with some of the best Christian artists in the world. On registering your place, you can either attend with your friends and family, or set up camp with our brilliant diocesan group - the choice is yours.
We are encouraged to behold the “seeds of goodness sown in the hearts of the young” and consider each young person’s heart as holy ground. (Christus Vivit 67)
The work of our Youth Service is underpinned by the principle that ‘you cannot give what you do not have’. Adults passing on the gift of faith by ministering to young people need ensure that they nourish their own faith, taking time to behold the glory of God. Our BeHold programme offers parish volunteers and parents a range of opportunities to develop their skills, enrich their ministry and expand their parish and deanery networks.
Our Confirmation Networks help and support confirmation catechists to grow in faith and friendship, as well as affirming the wonderful work that is taking place across the Diocese. Joining a Network provides an important opportunity for catechists to gather with others from across their local area, sharing the rewards and challenges of preparing young people to receive the sacrament. The network provides a range of opportunities, with formal input from our Youth Adviser and guest speakers, coupled with more informal community building elements.
Sign up for our Youth Ministry Training Programme. This six-month programme combines in-person and online events enabling and empowering Youth Ministers to work more effectively with young people in their parish or deanery. People across the Diocese are very welcome to attend this exciting new course, with volunteers from some deaneries invited to play a key role in the programme. To get involved or find out more please contact our Youth Adviser.
Join one of our Topical Talks & Events. Our Youth Service aims to address and explore issues affecting young people, inviting experts in their fields to present on a range of subjects. Our most recent series of talks centred on Young People and Mental Health. Positive feedback and demand for places means that this incredibly useful course will be repeated later this year. To register your interest please email our team.
Big Church Day Out is a brilliant family friendly event, providing a fantastic opportunity to share your faith with your children. Join with over 30,000 people from across the UK to worship together in the beautiful surroundings of the Wiston estate, with some of the best Christian artists in the world. Click on the link to reserve your place and join our diocesan group.
