Over 100 members of the Salesian Family came along last Saturday and Sunday to the two seminars delivered by Fr Louis Grech SDB on accompanying young people. The participants in Bollington and Battersea included Salesian priests, sisters and Brothers, youth workers, Cooperators, and parishioners, all of whom shared a commitment to young people, and wanted to know more about Don Bosco's method of supporting and nurturing them spiritually.

Our Provincial, Fr Gerry Briody, welcomed Fr Louis, and talked about the powerful final document from the Synod on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment, which acknowledges the importance of listening to and understanding young people, both vital elements of the Salesian approach.

Assisted by well-chosen and very amusing video clips, Fr Louis talked about the capacity of the young for adapting to change, and about the need to speak the language of the young before we can properly listen to and guide them.

He outlined the difference between the holistic style of Salesian accompaniment and other methods of spiritual direction, which tend to be offered only on a 1-1 basis. Salesian spiritual direction is initially group based – and this creates an environment which leads to young people freely seeking individual direction. This occurs within the family environment of the Oratory, where accompaniment can be informal, offering guidance when it's needed, with several people contributing rather than a single, dedicated person. 'The playground is such a beautiful place for spiritual direction,' he said.

He emphasised the importance of recognising the young person as protagonist, and reminded us of Don Bosco's optimistic, happy style of living the faith, and acknowledged that too often, Church is seen as distant by young people.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the presentation was on the spiritual development of young people, and the age at which children are receptive. He contrasted the concepts of stages of spiritual development, where people gradually grow and progress, and states, where a very young child is capable of profound spiritual experiences at times. Don Bosco recognised this long before modern psychologists and philosophers, and it remains an important pillar of Salesian accompaniment.

Fr Louis talked about the many challenges of modern society, for people of all ages' including time and attention pressures, the impact of omnipresent technology, and the trend towards instantaneous responses. But he warned older people not to judge young people 'for being born into the aquarium we've created.'

These pressures affect everyone - older people have too little time for introspection and reflection too, and often, we no longer know how to be with young people, how to be with ourselves and how to be with God. He pointed out that we can't give accompaniment to others if we are not being accompanied ourselves.

The diversity of the groups in terms of age, background and cultural experience made for very productive discussions during the afternoon, and this built on the input Louis had presented to make the whole event an important learning and sharing experience which will not be forgotten by any of us.

We are very grateful to Fr Louis for coming to talk to us - and of course, for his book, which sold amazingly well on the book stall at both events.

Accompanying Young People in a Quest for Meaning by Fr Louis Grech SDB is available from our online bookshop.