That community has become the Schönstatt (Schoenstatt) Apostolic Movement. There are Schoenstatt religious orders, secular orders and mission centres on five continents in 42 countries. And while priests, nuns, single individuals and married couples all play essential roles in Schoenstatt’s mission, the youth remain one of Schoenstatt’s most important mission outputs, Fr. Pablo Pol told Youth Speak News.

Pol is an Argentinean Schoenstatt priest who works with the youth of Buenos Aires. In 2008, Pol was visiting family in Winnipeg. While there, he spoke to their parish about his work. Since then, Our Lady of Perpetual Help and another Winnipeg parish, St. Vital, have supported Pol in his work. Pol now visits once a year, celebrating Masses and talking to the congregations about his ministry. During his most recent visit, Pol and Nicole Hoard, the youth events co-ordinator at St. Vital, talked about their individual youth work at the parish level.

The Catholic youth group in Buenos Aires is thriving and constantly growing. Some 300 youth meet weekly at the Spiritual Centre that Pol leads for faith, fun and friendship.

Pol said there are four areas of importance that strengthen the Schoenstatt  youth groups in Buenos Aires: formation to learn about Catholic doctrine and how to apply it to your life; prayer  because, as Pol puts it, “Strong prayer makes strong youth”; community, so youth feel like they belong; and finally, apostolate, or mission work, so that the youth fulfill their desire to make a change in their world.

“Youth give you strength,” said Pol. “The youth give you new ideas. The youth move the movement.”

Hoard agreed. 

“(The youth bring) life and energy,” she said. “Without the energy and ideas and the life that they bring, the church stays stagnant... We need the renewal that youth can bring, and do bring to the church.”

Buenos Aires youth have their struggles too. Poverty is a big challenge. The youth struggle with knowing how to bring the church to the city’s poor places. Another big challenge is the non-denominational churches, which are changing the predominantly Catholic roots of the people and causing hardships in families that are dividing themselves. And as always, there is the universal struggle between the secular world and the church for its youth.

In Winnipeg, Hoard has had similar challenges.

“There’s so many things that the youth are asked to give their time to,” said Hoard. “There’s so many things thrown at them, and it’s like, how do you schedule time for it all? (The struggle is) how to meet young people where they’re at, (in a way) that’s realistic. I feel like that’s an ongoing challenge.

“Young people don’t know what to ask for; they don’t necessarily know what the possibilities are in the church, so it’s important to help young people feel their importance in the church and give them a role,” said Hoard.

Pol said the youth will bring people with them.

“Their friends will say, ‘Ah, here is something interesting!’ and the group will grow,” he said.

Pol said the key to any successful youth group or mission is simple.

“It’s like an engine. Here (in Canada), in the morning, when you turn on your car, it goes very slowly, it’s very cold. But after a few hours, it goes very fast. First you have to start. At the beginning, it’s cold, and it’s not easy. But then, people start to know, ‘In this parish, you have a nice place... you have a Mass with music,’ and slowly, slowly, slowly, it will warm up.”

(Richard, 15, is a Grade 11 home-schooled student in Winnipeg.)