Being a Protagonist of Change
When I was younger, I had my sights set on becoming famous. I wanted to be a celebrity, and I thought that I had the best reason – celebrities made a difference. They had lots of money and were often in the news for numerous good deeds (I don’t think I paid much attention to the negatives of being famous). To me it was clear: fame + fortune = changing the world.
Fast forward to 2021: I am quickly approaching my 25th birthday and I am definitely not on the road to being famous, but I have learnt a thing or two about how my little life can have big impacts.
In 2019, Pope Francis released a letter to the world called Christus Vivit. This letter (it’s amazing, you need to read it) includes a call to action for young people – to take their place as the now of the Church and use their voices to be ‘protagonists of change’. (174)
What does it mean to be a protagonist of change? As a future English and History teacher, I like to really analyse what things mean so let’s do a mini analysis here:
protagonist
[ proh-tag-uh-nist ]
noun
the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work.
change
[ cheynj ]
noun
the act or fact of changing; fact of being changed.
To be a protagonist is to be an active participant in our own story. Not a secondary character who watches the story unfold from afar but immersed in the experiences that make up our life. Therefore, to be a protagonist of change is to enact and experience positive transformation. By fulfilling Pope Francis’ call to action, we are following our vocation to be bearers of the ‘good news’ and making a tangible difference in the process. Incredible!
As luck would have it, we have an opportunity to be protagonists of change in our own Archdiocese. The upcoming Diocesan Youth Assembly is YOUR chance to live out this call to action. We are seeking input from young people to let us know what matters to you. What are the things that you are worried, hopeful, excited and apprehensive about? What is your church community doing that is great? What is your church community doing that needs work? Do you even have a church/faith community? This process of questioning, discussion, listening, and discernment comes under the idea of synodality which we use to describe a process journeying together. Synodality is something that the Church in Australia (and the global Church) has been exploring for some time. Imagine each of us taking up the call to be a protagonist of change in our archdiocese, walking alongside one another and learning each other’s stories. What could our Church look like when we are constantly intentional about our relationships with God and our communities?
You can participate in the lead up to the Diocesan Assemblies by coming along to or running a youth consultation in your local area. We’ve already been meeting with young people across the Archdiocese and we are excited to engage more of you in this important journey of listening. Your recommendations from this process will help guide the discussion taking place at both of the assemblies. There is no need to become a celebrity to take part in this process, you can even get started as soon as you finish reading this blog. What are you waiting for? Let’s make a difference together.
There are many ways that you can get involved in this process:
Submit a response to the Diocesan Assembly question at www.adelaidediocesanassembly.org/respond
Gather a group of friends and go through the consultation process together. Download the consultation instructions and submit your group responses via the link above.
Nominate to be a participant the Diocesan Youth Assembly.
Speak to leadership at your parish, community, or school to nominate to be a Diocesan Assembly delegate.
Volunteer to assist at the assemblies.
Want to know more about being a protagonist of change? Check these resources out: