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The Church of Now: Young People and Global Catholicism Today
May 6-8, 2022 • Online via Zoom
This international conference recognizes that young people are not just the Church of the future--they are the Church of the present as well. As Pope Francis pointed out in his 2019 apostolic exhortation, Christus Vivit, "Young Catholics are not merely on the receiving end of pastoral activity: they are living members of the one ecclesial body." The whole Church needs to find new ways to listen to and empower young people. This conference brings together scholars and activists from Lebanon, Indonesia, Nigeria, India, Brazil, Burundi, Central African Republic, China, Mexico, the Philippines, Uganda, and the United States. Panels will address questions of
- Vocation and discernment
- Faith formation
- Trauma and moral courage
- Sustainable development
- Young people's leadership in the Church
Keynote Speakers
Hosffman Ospino
- Chair, Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry, Boston College (Boston, MA)
- President, Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS)
Brenda Noriega
- Member, Vatican's International Youth Advisory Board (Brighton, MA)
- Member, Maryknoll's Young Adult Empowerment Team (YAE)
Agatha L. Natania 
- Member, Vatican's International Youth Advisory Board (Jakarta, Indonesia)
- Executive Director, Youth Organization of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)
Émile Abou Chaar
- Member, Vatican's International Youth Advisory Board (Neuchâtel, Switzerland)
- Spiritual care practitioner, University of Lausanne's Centre Neuchâtelois de Psychiatrie
More about the Conference
Organized by DePaul University's Center for World Catholicism & Intercultural Theology (CWCIT), World Catholicism Week is now in its 13th year; an annual event, it gathers scholars from around the world to explore a single topic. CWCIT is grateful to its conference cosponsors here at DePaul: