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r Southern Cross, Page 16 Feature Thursday, August 31, 2017 he Chi Vatican releases online questionnaire for youth The questionnaire — available in English, Spanish, French and Italian — can be found on the synod’s official site: youth.synod2018.va/content/synod2018/it.html and is open to any young person, regardless of faith or religious belief. questionnaire for youth Vatican By Carol Glatz (CNS) VATICAN CITY (CNS) — To involve young people in prepa rations for the Synod of Bishops on youth in 2018, the Vatican has released an online questionnaire to better understand the lives, attitudes and concerns of 16- to 29-year-olds « around the world. The questionnaire — available in English, Spanish, French and Italian — can be found on the synod’s offi cial site: youth.synod2018.va/con- tent/synod2018/it.html and is open to any young person, regardless of faith or religious belief. The general secretariat of the synod launched the website June 14 to share information about the October 2018 synod on “Young people, faith and vocational dis cernment” and to link to an online, anonymous survey asking young people about their lives and releases online expectations. The answers to the questionnaire, along with contributions from bishops, bishops’ conferences and other church bodies, “will provide the basis for the drafting of the ‘instrumentum laboris,”’ or working document for the assembly, synod officials said in January. Young people from all back grounds are encouraged to take part in the questionnaire because every young person has “the right to be accompanied without exclusion,” synod officials had said. The list of 53 mostly multi ple-choice questions is divided into seven sections: general personal information; attitudes and opin ions about oneself and the world; influences and relationships; life choices; religion, faith and the church; internet use; and two final, open-ended questions. The write-in questions are an invitation to describe a positive example of how the Catholic Church can “accompa ny young people in their choices, which give value and fulfillment in life” and to say something about oneself that hasn’t been asked in the questionnaire. Other questions ask about living arrangements; self-image; best age to leave home and have a family; opinions about education and work; measures of success; sources of pos itive influence; level of confidence in public and private institutions; and political or social activism. The section on faith looks at the importance of religion in one’s life and asks, “Who Jesus is for you?” That question provides 16 choices to choose from, including “the sav ior,” “an adversary to be fought,” “an invention” and “someone who loves me.” It also asks which topics — promoting peace, defending human life, evangelization, defend ing truth, the environment — are the most urgent for the church to address. The Vatican’s preparation for a synod generally includes developing a questionnaire and soliciting input from bishops’ conferences, dioceses and religious orders. This is the first time the Vatican’s synod organizing body put a questionnaire online and sought direct input from the public. A synod’s preparatory phase seeks to consult of “the entire people of God” to better understand young people’s different situations as synod officials draft the working document. The synod on youth will be looking for ways the church can best and most effectively evangelize young people and help them make life choices corresponding to God’s plan and the good of the person. Walking the journey of pro-life ministry By Ellen Mongan he Georgia Right to Life dinner, “Southern Evening of Prayer, “was held at Aquinas High School, on August 19, 2017. The first speaker, Gary Gamer, author of “Swept up in the Spirit,” said that he was grabbed by the hand of God, and called to stand for the least of our brothers, the unborn. Gary spoke about the deception women believe about abor tion. He gave us a bird’s eye view of what often goes on behind the closed doors of abortion clinics. A mother may leave her murdered baby behind, but the memory remains. He said, “People can get over it, but they can not get past it.” Many people come to stand for life in front of Planned Parenthood to make restitution, even unbelievers. “Apathy has plagued the pro-life movement in last few years.” Now is the time to do something. “God has a mission for you.” Gary left us all with a little secret, “We all own the sidewalks.” So stand for life even if you stand alone, Gary does! The keynote speaker, Dr. Alveda King, boldly shared about “Staying the course for life.” She gave us a glimpse into the courage it takes for the journey. God fought for her “right to life” before she was even born, when her mom chose life under difficult circumstanc es. Dr. King’s life has become a statement of what it means to stand. She is the daughter of the late civil rights activist Rev. A.D. King and his wife Naomi Barbara King. Walking in the footsteps of her uncle Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., she knows that she has “big shoes to fill.” She is determined to proclaim boldly a pro-life message and leave a legacy. Dr. King leads “Civil Rights for the Unborn,” a ministry to the African-American community by Priests for Life. She speaks, writes, and sings the pro-life message, giving hope to those who need it most. She has authored both, “King Rules,” and “America Return to God.” Opening her voice with the song, “Silent No More, “every heart in the room was touched. Dr. King left us all with an exhortation, “This is our world and if we all do our part, we win together.” As she stood before us, a woman of valor, I could not help but think that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was smiling down from heaven, glad he had taken that first step on his journey for equal rights. She may not be filling her uncle’s shoes but she is carving out a path for others to follow in her footsteps. Ellen Mongan is a Catholic writer AND SPEAKER WHO HAS BEEN MARRIED 41 years to Deacon Pat Mongan of Saint Mary Help of Christians Church in Aiken, S.C. They have 7 children and 12 grandchildren.
