The St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish - Gattaran opened a space for listening and shared discernment as young people from different gimongs gathered for the Parish Youth Assembly on September 27, 2026.
Rather than beginning with programs and plans, the assembly began with the young people themselves. Participants had the opportunity to know one another, share their experiences of being young and involved in their communities, and speak about their hopes and expectations for the parish youth ministry.
The gathering allowed the parish to listen to the realities of its young people and to recognize the different experiences, challenges, gifts, and aspirations present across the gimongs. Their stories and hopes provide an important starting point in discerning how the parish can better accompany its youth.
The assembly forms part of the parish’s continuing efforts to strengthen and renew its youth ministry. By creating spaces for young people to speak and listen to one another, the parish hopes to build a ministry that is not simply planned for the youth, but shaped with and alongside them.
More than an assembly, the gathering marked another step in building relationships among young people across the parish and creating a stronger sense of belonging within the wider parish community.
As the youth ministry continues its journey, the Parish Youth Assembly reminds the community that listening is itself a form of pastoral accompaniment. By hearing the voices of its young people, St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish takes another step toward a youth ministry that is more relational, participatory, and responsive to the life and hopes of the young.