Twenty-eight-year-old Emilie Callan and 21-year-old Jacob Jason Genaille-Dustyhorn will be representing Canada in Rome for the March 19-24 gathering.
Originally from Cornwall, Ont., Callan now works as a bilingual television producer and writer at Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation. She was one of two co-hosts for a national youth forum broadcasted on Salt and Light TV in October last year.
Grenaille-Dustyhorn is of Cree descent. He is currently studying in the Indian Teacher Education Program at University of Saskatchewan and is also involved with the province's Youth for Christ Hockey League.
The pre-synodal meeting was announced by Pope Francis last October during a general assembly. “With this path the Church wishes to listen to the voices, feelings, faith and even the doubts and critiques of the youth,” the Pope said.
The two Canadian delegates will join about 300 other delegates from around to world to participate in an unprecedented pre-synodal meeting. Topics raised during this week-long meeting will contribute to a final document ("Instrumentum Laboris"), along with the results from the Church-wide questionnaires submitted last fall.
The 15th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod Bishops will take place in the Vatican on Oct. 3-23. Bishop delegates will be discussing the theme, "Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment."
Photo of Jacob Jason Genaille-Dustyhorn to come.