"JOURNEYING WITH THE YOUTH"
The Responsibilities of the SFO to Franciscan Youth
"To foster community among members, the council should organize regular and frequent meetings of the community as well as meeting with other Franciscan groups, especially youth groups." Rule, article 24
"The SFO, by virtue of its very vocation, ought to be ready to share its experience of evangelical life with the youth who feel attracted to Saint Francis of Assisi and to seek the means of adequately presenting it to them." GC, article 96.1
"The Franciscan Youth..., as understood by these Constitutions and in so far as the SFO considers itself to be particularly responsible for it, is formed by those young people who feel called by the Holy Spirit to share the experience of the Christian life in fraternity, in the light of the message of Saint Francis of Assisi, deepening their own vocation within the context of the Secular Franciscan Order." GC, article 96.2
"The Franciscan Youth, as a component of the Franciscan family, requests from the competent secular leaders and religious superiors, respectively, fraternal animation and spiritual assistance." GC, article 96.6
"The SFO fraternities will promote the vocation to the Franciscan Youth by means of appropriate and dynamic initiatives. They should see to the vitality and the expansion of the Franciscan Youth fraternities and will accompany the youth in their journey of human and spiritual growth with proposals for specific activities and contents." GC, article 97.1
"The SFO fraternities commit themselves to give to the Franciscan Youth fraternities a fraternal animator, who together with the spiritual assistant and the council of the Franciscan Youth guarantees an adequate secular Franciscan formation." GC, article 97.2
What is the SFO to do?
YOUTH/YOUNG ADULTS COMMISSION CHAIR
The Responsibilities of the Chair at Any Level
The Chair is to promote The Rule, Article 24, and the General Constitution, Articles 96 and 87 to minister to the Franciscan Youth of the USA.
The Chair is mainly an instrument of communication. The Chair is responsible to disseminate information from the level above, to the level they are, and to the level below; and vice versa.
National Chair
Regional Chair
Local Chair/Fraternity
Franciscan Youth Group or Youth Activity
The Chair is responsible to report, preferably in written form, to the level that they are responsible to. These should be quarterly reports on their activities, even if there is nothing new to report. Photos can be a wonderful alternative to a written report!
The Chair is responsible to promote youth ideas and involvement during the meetings of their respective councils. Remembering youth involvement is as important as remembering multicultural and ecumenical initiatives, and these initiatives sometimes can contain all these components. Chairs do not always have to conceive these new ideas, but they must keep the idea of a youth component open.
The Chair is responsible to have the name and contact information of any SFO who is working with youth, and information on any Spiritual Assistant involved. This will make communication easier. That information is to be relayed to the National Youth Chair for the USA database. The Chair can also discuss the need for these adults to have a "State Criminal Background Report" done yearly, and to have a copy of these reports.
The Chair is not to be hesitant in contacting the next higher level for help and/or information whenever they feel the need arise!
Kathy Taormina, SFO
National Chair, Youth Young Adults Commission
920 Whitney Drive
Apple Valley, MN 55124
952.997.2243 (home) - 952.457.2209 (cell)
kltsfo@frontiernet.net