Sister Nathalie Becquart is the author of "Lo spirito rinnova ogni cosa"

In a few days ago, Pope Francis appointed the first woman undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, she is Sister Nathalie Becquart, of the Xavière religious community.

Sister Nathalie Becquart, former director of the National Service for the Evangelisation of Youth and Vocations of the Conference of Bishops of France, has been a Consultant to the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops since 2019. He has a long pastoral experience with young people behind him and in October 2018 took part in the preparation and celebration of the Synod of Bishops on young people. His reflections and the perspectives opened up by the event for pastoral action with young people from the perspective of synodality are contained in a text published for our editors entitled "Lo Spirito rinnova ogni cosa. Una pastorale giovane per i giovani", with a preface by Brother Alois, Prior of Taizé.

In this book, Sister Nathalie presents an original rethink of youth ministry called to become young with young people. A real GPS to inspire a pastoral care that is adapted to today's generations, in which young people are not only receivers of a service but also protagonists in the life of the Church itself. Through 5 chapters outlining the fundamental attitudes for living the mission with young people in the current context of our secularised society, Sr Nathalie does not hesitate to provide concrete examples and practical traces rooted in the vision outlined by the Youth Synod and the orientations of Pope Francis' "Christus vivit".

It is often said today that young people have changed and are no longer responsive to pastoral initiatives. In reality, in these pages, Sister Nathalie shows us that pastoral care that takes into account the culture and sensitivities of today's youth still has a lot of appeal for them. The indications that the author provides start from the needs of young people and indicate the aspects that are useful for their support and their inner growth in the faith: the importance of listening; a relational Church and not just an institutional one; the implementation of a bold and creative pastoral care adapted to the life situations of young people; the need for references and guides to learn how to discern and make positive decisions; the importance of dealing with topics that are dear to them. Real guidelines to help all those in the Church who are eager to unite and accompany the new generations in their mutual growth, in synergy with their culture and their new language, according to a style of co-responsibility with the young people themselves. The new that the Synod showed us, in fact, consists in considering young people no longer as mere recipients of pastoral activity, but as true protagonists - together with the other baptised - of the life of the Church: while they receive - like everyone else - they also offer their gifts and charisms for the building up of the ecclesial Corps and for the salvation of the world.

We are grateful to Sister Nathalie Becquart for this valuable contribution and wish her all the best!

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LO SPIRITO RINNOVA OGNI COSA