Youth mobilise to solidify Faith in nation’s hearts.
By Anthony Barich
Highly successful evangelisation efforts by Roman Catholic, Maronite and Melkite lay movements across Australia have been amalgamated to form a lay apostolate called The Catholic Forum to “rekindle the faith of lukewarm faithful”.
The Catholic Forum (TCF) grew out of a page on the social networking website Facebook called Catholics Australia, started by Maronite and Roman Catholic youth focused on the Maronites’ Guardians catechesis movement; Melkite initiatives and Lumen Verum, a weekly apologetics session for adults at St Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic parish, Belfield, Sydney.
Catholics Australia soon encompassed the growing movements within the Roman Catholic Church in Sydney like Theology on Tap, started by University of Notre Dame Australia student Patrick Langrell; Sydney university chaplaincy events and Urban Theology, another pub-based catechetical movement.
Catholics Australia spread to include Brisbane, where youth started a monthly Faith on Tap catechesis session and Perth, as its diocesan youth office posted events on the Facebook page.
The concept for TCF emerged before WYD08 when members of the Sydney youth groups approached Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Julian Porteous to have one all-embracing initiative to help Catholics network. The prelate suggested they wait until after the July event to consolidate on the successful evangelisation efforts.
Its website was launched last month with the backing of Record columnist Fr John Flader of Sydney’s Adult Faith Education Centre.
“Our intention is not to usurp existing movements and apostolates, nor in any way discourage their initiatives,” a statement on the website said.
“It is our sincere desire to harness their hard work into a single effort for the purpose of rekindling the faith of the lukewarm faithful, advancing their knowledge of the faith, defending the faith against those who challenge it, and to bear witness to God’s Truth to those who know it not – through apologetics, catechetics and evangelisation, for the greater glory of God.”
TCF also acts as a support network to various lay movements and apostolates in their missions and initiatives to further the Faith.
It also plans to make its website more interactive, where questions can be asked to Fr Flader, whose book Question Time answers questions on the Catholic faith.
TCF’s first foray into the public was promoting a Eucharistic procession through the streets of Sydney led by Cardinal George Pell accompanied by Sydney Auxiliary Bishops Porteous and Anthony Fisher OP on June 14 for the Feast of Corpus Christi. Over 5000 participated.
This was the start of the build-up to US apologist Tim Staples’ visit to Sydney, with several events planned culminating in TCF’s inaugural national conference on July 11 in the new De La Salle and Bethlehem College Hall, Ashfield, with the theme of “The Bible Made Me Catholic”. The Staples’ tour drew over 8000.
Staples reiterated TCF’s aim – to deepen and strengthen the faith of Catholics. Its website plans to have links to Catholic Answers, the Californnia-based apologetics company that Staples works for.
Charbel Raish, one of the Maronite organisers of TCF, said that many who attended Staples’ speeches admitted they had previously sat on the fence on matters of the Church.
“Skeptics and non-Catholics at the start were asking questions, so our goal is to put out there the Church’s truth, to evangelise, share it and get Catholics to know how to dialogue and reason together,” said Charbel, a 27-year-old teacher at Redfield College and former Maronite seminarian.
Its next big event is hosting US apologist and prolific author Mark Shea in October, when he will tour Sydney parishes and pubs.