The
Parish:
a
possibility of work for the youth
1. Introduction
The
parish has always had the responsibility to form and to educate with the
Christian principles its parishioners, in particular its youth. The pastoral
line addressed to the "good" and to take care of the "churchgoers"
has characterised through the centuries the pastoral
mission. This is the closest
model to ours, the only one until some decennia ago,
that is abundantly present today. It had its logical support: in a
society, such as the Italian where everyone was
"catholic" because a mentality of catholic origin,
it was logical, to consider non important every initiative, where the
purpose was to bring closer
the "absent".
In
the light of this concise analysis concerning the way to look upon
the parish, especially by the followers, I have been following for five
years an innovating idea for the view of the pastoral aspect of the parish: the "Parish-Enterprise".
This
is a new pastoral line with which the Church intends to offer an alternative
choice to the society.
It
is also true that a real and a complete religious education for the youth can
not limit itself to the "theoretical" moments of the catechism; on the
contrary it would require a community where the religious principles find a
concrete application and can become a testimony.
In
a different situation, when a place for the youth (sports, entertainment and
culture) multiply far away from the parishes, it is certainly necessary to
limit itself not only to the cult and to the catechism, but it needs to
take note of the fact that, as it regards to its structures, we will not be able
to compete with society.
With
our poor and limited possibilities, we will not aim to isolate the youth forever,
but to educate
them
as Christians and as people involved in a society that
opens to all young people.
The
process of secularisation weighs heavily on this structure for many reasons.
First of all as the State although the numerous social services maintains an
awful lot of material of alienation, for the parish it becomes quite impossible
to give not only assistance, but also to listen to the "poor of the poor".
So the parish remains half-way continuing to offer assistance but it can give a
complete assistance to the people that are really needy of its help.
Therefore,
new and various forms of spiritual alienation develop. The parish feels the
"solitude's" of the drugs, of the diseases, of the "non-sociality",
of the criminality but it can not find the means and the capacities to offer
help or to give a response.
How
to introduce the horizon of the faith in these people, who having a material and
a moral void satisfy, feels the external world like rubbish and wants a
particular and absolute attention?
Here
we come into contact with the individualistic, crashed and subjective structure
of society. Now there are no more moments of social aggregation, such as the
family, the school and politics. A French anthropologist calls
such an existential condition "the non-places".
The
parish, that is by definition "parą-oikos",
"close to the house", has already a message of communication to
transmit (the Gospel), it has already a prospect of hope to offer (the
Redemption), but it does not find any more the moments of aggregation. Many
times it remains on the threshold of the need of reassurance: ritualism. It is
on the limit of the flight from reality: irrationalism. And so even the parish
risks the danger of becoming a "non-place".
2.
The starting-point, the social, the cultural and the political outline
A
passage from the letter to Diogneto reminds us that "Christians have not
their own city but operate for the good in the city of all". It is a
passage that for us results as provocative as simple of our lifestyle, as sons
of God incarnated in history. That reality, those problems or those questions of
a society from where as Christians we often escape, they are (let us not forget!)
the Place of
Incarnation and of Redemption.
Sicily,
situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, was from the first ethnical
colonization , a propelling intercultural centre. It was able to testify through
the years a greater knowledge
of its own tragedy and its capacity to put into practice also some very
significant projects of social and economic improvement.
Although
the numerous positive efforts of improvements, Sicily remains a region affected
by a diffused poverty, and this recalls us to motivate our preferential option
for the "last". The new context
of "globalization" with the increasing of inhuman market laws,
risks to make a more tragic phenomenon of social disparity aggravated by the
indifference towards the weakest (people), that is caused by attitudes of the
political egoism.
Sicily
is also one of the European regions with the highest rate of unemployment, even
intellectual: this is often a tragic problem of
denied work, of a condition of subjection, and of
resignation that is caused by those that do not want the existence of
free and dignified people, but the existence of a clientele connected with
favours, while it becomes more worrying
the starting again of emigration. Only the investments (see Agenda
2000) are not enough because it is indispensable to mature a conscience of
solidarity and legality, both of work and of what people are searching for or
can be created together.
We
need some courageous testimonies: priests and involved laymen involved must be
more present in the local reality with constructive and proposal intentions,
even turned to denounce with clearness the most dramatically problems of the
Cities. They must inspire a daily Christian presence "on the field".
To use the name of "Christ" today
means to announce His Gospel not only in the soul of everyone, but also
in the squares, in the places of culture and of work, in politics, in the
multimedia agora going "through the crowd" with prophetically vigour
and attention towards everyone.
The
parish must transmit "strong" messages, with
an evangelical radicalism and with an educational
legality, reaffirming the value of
fighting to the political and administrative corruption.
The
choice of solidarity towards those that have seen denied or dissuaded their own
right to work must be included in an activity of evangelization in the world of
occupation that helps the growth of a common sensitivity. We must fight against
the inhuman compromises in the search of
"protection", or of "recommendation", and of a black
market, while we must encourage an economical culture that values the initiative
even in solid forms like the "non-profit", the common economy or the
new co-operation, without becoming for the Catholics "a closed corporative
garden".
3. Nature of the parish and its possible evolution
The
parish has always carried on its function and it has offered to the faithful the
Gospel in its totality.
Although
the changes determined by the different eras , the parish has always maintained
faithful to its duty.
Today,
we must frankly say that we find ourselves
in a period of transition and
it is very difficult or quite impossible to individualize some new
proposals of a new parish because of a society that changes quickly.
The
present situation in which we find ourselves is characterized by a real
cultural, religious and moral pluralism. Besides being recorded to the registry's
office of the Church, it is necessary to admit that the situation of the parish
is deeply different from the more common model of a parish that was transmitted
to us.
Then,
which image of parish are we going towards?
Today,
it is probably impossible to delineate a model of parish that is responding with
the needs that may
constantly vary and that do not always give an univocal answer.
The
nature of the parish is "to evangelize", which means to
educate
Christians. As it is entrusted to take care of the people that live in a
particular territory or quarters, and having to address to the people in their
particular situations.
Today the parish is also on a "mission" in its own territory.
It means that the parish is for everyone even for those who don't frequent the
parish community. Today it is necessary that we "equip" ourselves to
have the same attentions towards those people that "do not attend" and
ask oneself: "How do we look for them? How do we
visit them? What
initiatives do we need to take? What
people do we need to educate? In what way?
A
parish organized for everyone even for those that do not attend, must assume
some precise characteristics:
·
The
parish must try to find out the situation that may undergo continuous
modifications. It is a knowledge based on those
that are close to us and that know how to host and how to offer.
·
As
there are in the parishes some people , that are entrusted for "those that
attend" (catechists, choristers, educators...), so it needs to individuate
and to educate people for "those that do not attend".
4. A new image: the Parish-Enterprise
In
the light of this new reality, I
thought to propose a new image of a parish that can respond to a new
demand of giving work! Take advantage of
the new European, National and Regional Laws, I have excogitated a new
form of the new economy. The new image, that
could compete in the job market, could
be called: Parish-Enterprise.
The
subject of unemployment places itself to the attention both to the society and
to the Church. "To be an entrepreneur of oneself" is not only a slogan
or a necessity: it is an opportunity of the post-industrial society. Therefore,
new enterprises developed, directed to the young
and to the less young to allow to acquire a new
mentality of enterprising that requires an acuteness of analysis, a
quickness in decision making, knowledge of the market's mechanism and above all
the courage to risk.
The
entrepreneur in the society
exercises more and more a service that is absolutely indispensable to the
economical development: therefore, the activity can not be considered only a
profession, but a real "mission" for its own responsibility that is
acquired. The new economical context associated with the difficulties that are
present today, requires from the entrepreneur a supplement of ethics and of soul.
Why,
than, would we want to create a new image of "Church-Enterprise" in a
dialogue with the enterprising and liberal professional world?
Even
today the Church believes to have a proposal with a lot of sense, being able to
completely render explicit (thanks to an enormous amount of documents on the
social doctrine and the working world), its capacity of impact in the life of
the people in consequence of their different and concrete situations of life.
One
of these situations, without any doubt, is derived from the practice of
managerial role inside a complete modern society.
How
can
we realize this great idea of "Parish-Enterprise"?
Above
all it intends to be a concrete attempt of beginning and of trying the
comparison among the Christian Community and the working world in view of a
better syntonization of the reciprocal languages and of the reciprocal
knowledges in the research of lifestyles that are compatible with the exercise
of the managerial rolls.
5. Let's review the meaning of "enterprise".
Never
like today the meaning of "enterprise" has come back into fashion, but
it occurs in certain cases, the risk is associated to the permanency of
misunderstandings and of ambiguities. What do we mean with "enterprise"?
What does it mean "to create an enterprise, to be an entrepreneur and to be
a manager" ? What is the utility of "enterprising" for young
workers and for the society in general?
A
certain heritage of consolidated ideas leads people to identify to the "enterprise"
like a narrow group of physical workers (the owners) that have invested in the
enterprise their own economical resources that, obviously, have the interest to
maintain and to improve: that is why they are considered the owners of the
rights' indivisibility
of the enterprising activities.
In
reality the figure of the boss as a physical aspect that operates
like the head of the enterprise, if it still remains for the lower and
for the middle enterprises. It has already been surpassed by a further physical
figure, and therefore it can not identify in the individual and permanent
physical person. Certainly the old boss, perhaps authoritative and severe, was
oriented to the continuity of the development of his "enterprise" and
to a certain stability, even if in conflict of his relationship with the
counter-parties (employees, supplies, customers etc.).
6.
To educate the young in the enterprising world
How
can we educate and encourage our youth to enterprise in the vision of working
that gives them the responsibility both on the personal
and communal level
having to deal with the serious problems of unemployment?
This
serious problem, especially for the youth , calls upon our society that is
characterized by opulence.
It
is true that we are living a period
of deep transformation, that compels us to mature a new concept that
passes from the idea of a regular job to the responsibility of finding new forms
of work.
The
project "Parish-Enterprise" wants to be a mature attempt to propose
work to our youth. In the new market
we are assisting to a continuous deviation
among the various professions, and our entrepreneur often hide old forms
of working exploitation and injustice. To face this dramatic
situation we are called to discover again the authentic value of the
enterprising allowing to be transmitted to the new generations.
We
don't set
to the concept of entrepreneur and of enterprising: it can be an
enterprise the organization of any material goods or the activity of every
craftsman (shoemaker, electrician, mechanic, bricklayer etc.).
On
the basis of this project
"Parish-Enterprise"
there is an intuition, the capacity to individuate an idea of
enterprising that gives the responsibility to
the people or to serve
the society, creating new ways and new forms of productive work. Later
there are resources and
legal forms of the operative organization, but underneath it all there is
a cultural factor.
Why
then do not we encourage the youth to take part instead of looking for a job?
Are our communities informed as far as
the facilities that are provided by laws in enterprising? Are they
informed on the existence of enterprises (BIC or other similar organizations)?
How can we help the youth to contact them with someone
that in a preliminary way is willing in terms of pre-factibility to put
together the hypothesis of a project of enterprising? The enterprising world
wants to open its doors to the youth that have the necessity to form for
themselves an enterprising culture?
7. What are the prospects for the youth?
In
our country according to the last statistical items of the ISTAT , the rate of
global unemployment is 12,1%, the one long lasting of 8,6%, while the
rate of youth unemployment is 26,1% (considering the unployeed up 29 years). In
comparison with the age, the youth (26,1%) are more penalized than the adults
(5,4%), women (17%) more than men (9,8%), the South more the Centre-North
(32,2%), people searching for their
first job (43,37%), in comparison with the unemployment in total
(36,33%).
Besides
this, the dynamics
of
globalization put in a planetary competition especially for the youth,
that are entering the job market. Therefore, the youth live in a condition of
great uncertainty, that deeply conditions their choices in life (marriage,
paternity, maternity, habits of life) retarding their autonomy. These aspects
are moulding a young world filled with feelings of embitterment and
disappointment,
The
Church's zeal, regarding this particular and dramatical problem, finds one of
its most important expressions in the "Progetto Policoro ".
This
project, wanted by the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) with the Labour and
the Juvenile Pastoral Staffs and the CARITAS), begun in December 1995, after the
third Ecclesiastical Meeting in Palermo. It is an answer to the problem of the
youth unemployment in the
Southern Italy with different tones to one question "How do we face
a young person, that has grown in your parish and at a certain point he asks
you "Dear Don..., now that I am 20 years old, what must be my
attitude towards the working world? Where is the outlet to this sad reality of
unemployment?"
This
question is very frequently asked in our southern reality. The youth live a very
difficult reality, probably the most complicated, when having a diploma or
having a trade, they enter the working force. And if the young does not find an
answer, he or she is an easy prey in the world of delinquency. Unfortunately, we
hear of this in everyday news.
What
do we have to do then? Do we keep silent? Do we resign ourselves? Nothing of all
this! We have to react with intelligence, with synergy and with enterprising.
During
these three years of activity this experience, started by the "Progetto
Policoro", has promoted some initiatives linked with different societies (CONF-Cooperative,
UNCI, CENASCA-CISL, ACLI, "Societą per l'imprenditorialitą
giovanile") for an economical support that is necessary for the beginning
of co-operative societies, that make available of cultural property and
possession of the Church to begin an enterprise, giving support to different
forms of voluntary service.
8. The "Progetto Venero 2000"
The
aims that the "Progetto Policoro" intends to obtain are very straight
forward. The parish of the "SS. Crocifisso" of Monreale within its
pastoral activities, has matured an associative project oriented to develop an
enterprise of employing the young.
In
this project, that we call "Progetto Venero 2000" (Venero was a great
Archbishop of Monreale and man of
the law in the XVII century), the cultural Association proposes some
interventions that we have grouped into three areas:
a)
the Monument;
b)
the historical Archives;
c)
the Quarter.
As
far as it regards the Monument, our Association proposes:
·
maintenance
and management;
·
allowing
the continual opening of the Sanctuary;
·
opening
of a secretarial office;
·
sale
of sacred objects;
·
promotion
of cultural exchanges among the young people of Monreale and young emigrants of
the town;
·
organization
of shows on the popular devotion to the Holy Crucifix (pictures, sacred objects,
photos and others;
·
constitution
and maintenance of a parish Treasure to give value to the historical-artistic
patrimony of the parish;
·
study,
graphical development, publication of journals, booklets and tracts, leaflets;
·
creation
of a web-site on the parish (history, personalities, simulacrum of the Holy
Crucifix, library, historical archives);
·
creation
and promotion of tourist services;
·
organization
of excursions to the quarters of Monreale and to the neighbouring territory
guided by staff of the Association.
As
far as it regards the Historical Archives and the parish Library, the
Association proposes:
·
rearrangement,
re-establishment and maintenance of codices, books, manuscripts, that represent
documents and testimony on the history of the "SS. Crocifisso" Church
and about other parishes and churches in the town and of the same Norman Town;
·
rearrangement,
re-establishment and maintenance of the parish's Library and of a reading room
to make possible the study of the Archives' patrimony;
·
catalogue
and computerized index of the historical and photographical documentation.
As
far as it regards the "Quarter", the Association proposes to pursue
the interest of the community for its human promotion and its social integration
with the following:
·
the
development of recreative activities for the children-welfare;
·
promotion
of solidarity, of friendship and of comprehension;
·
organization
of courses to help children with homework;
·
creation
of an infant school for children that are at risk;
·
creation
of a library, a video department, and a place where children can play;
·
organization
of activities in spare time, formative courses to support the recovery and the
integration of the minors at risk;
·
concordance
with a competent staff that is specialized in the above-mentioned activities (sociologists,
psychologists, social workers, experts at crime).
9. Financial Resources
The
law of the twenty-third of December, 2000 (Disposizioni
per l'attuazione del Por 2000-2006 e di riordino dei regimi di aiuto alle
imprese), in the fourth title (Aiuti
alle imprese) of the thirty-third article (Aiuti a finalitą regionale per la gestione innovativa e la fruizione di
beni culturali) provides for the assignment
of contributions for the development of productive investments, which are
connected to the recovery of monumental immovables, bound by an important
historical and artistical value... to allot for the activities of services and
of cultural and artistical production that are consistent with the typology of
the estate.
The
contributions can also be granted for the development of activities concerning
both the cultural services of artistical and of cultural production besides the
consideration of the intervention of recovery with the condition that the
activity is developed in immovables of historical and artistical value, although
connected to cultural immovables.
The
beneficiaries are: individual or associative enterprises, non-profit
organization, mixed societies, entrepreneurs...
And
the thirty-forth article (Finanza di
progetto e recupero beni di interesse storico-artistico) underlines
"the valorization, the recovery and the maintenance of public immovables of
artistical, architectonical and librarial interest, with a special reference to
those that are in degrading conditions or in neglect.
Right now we are moving in this direction to reach in the near future the above mentioned finances to present the new image of "Parish-Enterprise".
In
conclusion it comes to mind the reflection of a tragical nihilist: Cioran. He
observes that the crises of a spirituality of our time, it can be seen in the
pharmacies and in the churches. In the first case, because we realize that the
pretence of the welfare of men is clinged to many trifles. In the second case,
because the ugliness of the churches of new construction, it allows us to
understand how little we are aware of the meaning of searching for God.
I
think that the esthetical context is an important element that should make us
reflect upon: the pleasure of a meeting, the inner stimulus towards the meeting,
depends upon all that surrounds us. It is true that we can find God everywhere,
but it is also true that the external element reflects upon the inner
concentration.