| Peter's Story |
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My name is Peter and I'm a third year student in NUIG. I'm going introduce you to the DYC - how we started, who we are and what we do. Growing up I was always frustrated when people complained about young adults and disregarded the role we can play in our church community. I had always wanted to be involved but found that the church was out of touch with our lives and sometimes even discouraged young people from playing our full part. The Tuam Diocesan Assembly changed all that. It has given young people a chance to have a say in shaping our church. The Diocesan Assembly was set up to plan for the future of the church in the Diocese of Tuam. Young people were involved at every step and were given a role far beyond mere tokenism. The Archbishop wrote a Pastoral Letter to every senior cycle second level student in the diocese inviting them to be part of the process take part. Students were encouraged to have their say at school and at a special day held in Knock where every second level school in the diocese was represented. Meetings for third level students were held in GMIT Castlebar and NUI, Galway. In the end, the young people of our diocese decided that we needed an organisation to offer social and spiritual events and provide an opportunity for us to really be listened to. The Tuam Diocesan Youth Council was formed in January 2008 and got to work to deliver on all the enthusiasm and ambition that led to its creation. It currently comprises of 11 members - 3 of whom were nominated by our Archbishop. It is our hope that young people from our diocese will have opportunities to celebrate, experience, live and explore their faith in meaningful ways. Our hope is that this will be done by facilitating, supporting and resourcing faith centred events at diocesan and parish level. Since its formation the DYC has held a youth midnight mass and bonfire at Ballintubber Abbey and has organised a youth walk on the Tochair Padraig over a number of stages. The DYC has also held a dawn mass on the shores of Lough Corrib and is putting together plans for more youth events in the near future including a diocesan youth pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick. The whole time from the assembly to the DYC has been empowering for all young people in our diocese. It is a privilege to be respected and allowed to make and implement decisions for ourselves. It is an exciting time for us all and we should relish and grasp our chance.
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