We do not want any levy in mass
Katarzyna Woynarowska talks to Fr Zbigniew Kucharski, Assistant General of the Catholic Youth Association (KSM)
Katarzyna Woynarowska: – What are the differences between the Catholic Youth Association and other Catholic youth organisations?
Dr Zbigniew Kucharski: – First of all, the Catholic Youth Association differs from other organisations in that it is an ecclesiastical organisation...
–?
– I am going to explain it. From the point of view of the canon law the Association is one of the most ecclesiastical forms of lay communities in the ecclesiastical environment. Laymen cannot form a circle of the Association but it is the bishop that calls it into being and appoints a priest-assistant. Similarly, the authorities of the Association are appointed partly democratically and partly hierarchically. The Chairman of the diocesan board is appointed by the bishop’s decree, just like a parish priest. This shows the relationship between the chairman of the Association and the diocesan bishop. When there was a change of the bishop of the Diocese of Zielona Gora-Gorzow, homagium, i.e. homage symbolising submission to the authority, to the new Bishop Stefan Regmunt was given by laymen: chairmen of the diocesan executive boards of the Catholic Youth Association and of the Catholic Action. They represent the ecclesiastical institution in a special way. Since its foundation by the diocesan bishop the Catholic Youth Association has become a part of the structure of the Catholic Church. Another difference is that the Association is an organisation that has not been created to conduct religious and spiritual formation for the young people, members of the Association...
– Not? This sounds quite provocative...
– Taken out of context – yes. Let me explain this. We mainly aim at evangelisation but we cannot do it if we ourselves are not spiritually formed. I mean that in this case evangelisation is the aim for which the Association was created and the spiritual formation of young people is a necessary element of our organisation, without which true evangelisation does not exist. Such thinking allows us to speak about formation as our aim. If we meant only religious formation of young people the request of John Paul II, directed to the Bishops’ Conference, concerning the creation of the Catholic Youth Association would be difficult to understand. The Association would not have needed a legal, canonical and civil entity. The members of the Association must be formed to mature personality; must be able to assume heavy, difficult apostolic responsibility and to work. The Association was not created so that young people only read the Holy Scriptures. You can do that in any community. The Association must evangelise. EVANGELISE! Young people must reach other young people and first of all, they must reach those whom we do not see in churches any longer...
– An extremely difficult task since it concerns people standing at the threshold of the church and wondering whether they should enter or take a step back... Speaking frankly, very few people can reach them. You need leaders to do that.
– Leaders at every level. We do not want any levy in mass and we do not want one action...Therefore, we stress formation of your own character as a necessary and constant element. Young people take part in weekly meetings. They discuss, share in groups, and attend conferences. And what is significant, there are days of formation aiming at developing skills and the gift of active functioning. Please notice that in the Church we have numerous people with a clear gift of piety, which is extremely important... But there are fewer people with skills. And in the present reality an apostle must act skilfully in the world. He must be able to confront the world, confront it and not submit it; he must be able to give it a different course. And that makes a difference – submit and not change. That’s why, certain natural verification is done in the Association. If someone cannot follow our style of activities, if for someone, using the youth slang, ‘the printed harms the eyes’, he will not find his place here. The Association must plan and conduct its activities in a strategic way. It requires attention, determination and endurance. Young people do not only undertake actions within their group but at the diocesan or national level. Because of that the Association will never have masses. And we are aware that we evangelise in the environments that may never join the Association... The aim is the kingdom of God, bringing people to Christ in the Church and not the Association in itself.
– So it is true to say that you need a calling to join the Catholic Youth Association? Like you need a calling to enter a seminary or an order?
– You cannot follow this path without passion. It requires great sacrifice from young people. They must be deeply idealistic. You need to have a calling to organise evangelisation as you need a calling to be a nun or a priest. Please think who are those who have made an anti-drug film. How much work is required to get to know the problem, gather the material, make a film and distribute it! You need to reject entertainment, renounce many pleasures. Yes, the words ‘passion’ and ‘calling’ match perfectly...
– To reach those young people who cannot decide about their religion you need unconventional methods of action...
– When John Paul II spoke about new evangelisation he meant seeking new methods. We are constantly looking for such forms since the world undergoes constant change. The traditional forms of working with young people cannot cope with the pressure of contemporary times. It is time for workshops for priests, nuns. We do not have more people in the Church; on the contrary we are losing them. Is the ‘evil world’ the only reason for that? Many people can only say, ‘we have a problem’ and nothing more... People follow the old methods but we must evolve. If the world develops economically, technologically, there must be space for developing forms of pastoral activities, and at the same time we should preserve and continue what has been good...Therefore, the formation of the Association is different than that in other communities. We think that ‘formation through action’ is a very important method to mould young characters, which can be seen in the way the Association functions.
– John Paul II was very much concerned with the Catholic Youth Association.
– He thought that the Polish Church needed it unquestionably; with all respect to what has already been in the Church, following the principle: preserve one and act the other. The Church, with her richness of forms of activities, must constantly develop. To use colloquial language, in order not to score your own goals the Church must care for all areas. If we do not allow people to be active in the Church we impoverish this Church...That’s why, priests can undergo wise and calm re-organisation so that there is a space for apostolic groups in every parish, with no exception.
– What is the aim of the workshops that the Catholic Youth Association organises for seminarians?
– We want future priests to see that the contemporary pastoral ministry, the so-called mass ministry, will not face up to the requirements of time. Today you must focus on formation and communication directed to individuals and you must show your interest in them. Contemporary ministry cannot depend on priests teaching religious instruction, preaching sermons, making a pilgrimage with some group. You must focus on individuals...
– You said that the Catholic Youth Association would never have many members. With its 30,000 members is the Association small?
– Before the war the Catholic Youth Association, like the Catholic Action, was a powerful organisation. We have existed only 18 years since our reactivation. We work with 16-30 year old people. We have 2,000 parish branches or environmental circles. Each group has its own priest assistant, which means that we have quite a number of priests. Since there are no groups without priests. So we are developing quite well. We hope that this is only our beginning, that we have done a lot but all things lie ahead...
"Niedziela" 23/2008