16 November 2008

Dear Friends,

Next Sunday, on the Feast of Christ the King, the Church in England and Wales celebrates Youth Sunday. This is a day for us to reflect upon our ministry to young people and to pray for them and all those who work alongside and minister to them.

This is a great opportunity for me to inform you about the developments that are taking place within our diocese. You may have read recently in the press that the diocese is continuing its development of the Youth Village by constructing four large chalets that will provide 55 ensuite twin rooms within an area of outstanding beauty in our diocese. These residential facilities will greatly support our ministry to young people. These plans were passed by the Bishop’s council not long before the sad death of Bishop Kevin and they are very much in line with his wishes.

Fundraising for this project has been on-going for over 3 years and the Youth Ministry Team have already raised £1.6million, mostly from external sources and donors, which gives this project a sound financial basis. It is through the generosity and the determination of many people that the Youth Village, probably the first to be built within the Catholic Church across the world, will be opened at Easter next year. As a diocese, we are immensely grateful to all who donated towards the Youth Village either financially, by the giving of time or through prayer and support.

There is some further fundraising to take place with the need for another £300,000 to complete this project and we are giving people from our parishes the opportunity to donate should they wish to do so. Details of how this is possible are available in leaflets that accompany this letter.

As Diocesan Administrator, I have had the privilege of being involved in a number of events that have taken place for young people throughout the year and I have received feedback from many others . Each year over ten thousand young people come into contact with the work of the Youth Ministry Team as they take the message of the Gospel into schools and deaneries across our diocese by providing school based missions. Many young people also travel to the Youth Village to work with YMT for day retreats and reflection times. We have the wonderful experience of Lourdes where our young people go on pilgrimage each year and World Youth Day which takes place every 3 years. The Diocesan Secondary Schools’ Summer Festival is a faith filled event which is always oversubscribed and is growing each year along with the Diocesan Youth Council which has been in existence now for a number of years. This weekend, I joined young people and adults from across the diocese at the Youth Ministry Conference where they were commissioned to work together in their parish communities. These events and many more will only be enhanced by the further developments that are taking place at the Youth Village.