Lesley Anne A. Rosal (Philippines)
Abstract:
This paper contributes to the ongoing efforts of the Church in the Philippines to form Filipino Catholic youth ministers. In particular, it seeks to provide a response to the problem, “how is the via pulchritudinis an essential dimension in the kerygmatic formation of Filipino Catholic youth ministers?”
In line with this, this paper proposes how the Directory for Catholic Youth Ministry in the Philippines, Ka-Lakbay, may be updated in order to address more current problems and to reflect better new insights and directions from the youth, via documents from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Youth, and from others such as Pope Francis’ Christus Vivit (CV) and the new Directory for Catechesis (DC).
Drawing from CV and the DC, this paper suggests the via pulchritudinis (“way of beauty”) as an essential dimension in the kerygmatic formation of Filipino Catholic youth ministers. The kerygma, the foundational proclamation of the Gospel, should be a message “all of us need constantly to keep hearing.” (CV 111) Meanwhile, the via pulchritudinis — creation, arts, and Christ (in Christian holiness and the liturgy) — is a pathway of dialogue that brings the youth minister to an attraction toward contemplating the kerygma, participating in it, and thereby incarnating it into their lives. On the practical level, implementing this will require re-imagining the current structure of formation in Ka-Lakbay into one that integrates accompaniment. Concretely, the paper proposes: establishing small groups where a more personalized accompaniment is possible, focusing on growth in one’s prayer life, and emphasizing social action as an important component in the formative process of the young.
Final Defense:
Board of Examiners:
- Br. Joaquin Yap, Jr., S.W., D.Phil. (Second Reader/Principal Examiner)
- Raymond Aguas, Ph.D.
- Fr. Jerome Vallabaraj, S.D.B., Th.D.
Proposal Defense:
Board of Examiners:
1. Patricia Lambino, Ph.D. (Adviser)
2. Br. Joaquin Yap, Jr., S.W., D.Phil.
3. Fr. Jerome Vallabaraj, S.D.B., Th.D.
Proposal Title: THE VIA PULCHRITUDINIS: An Approach for the Kerygmatic Formation of Filipino Catholic Youth Ministers