Mags Gargan
Altar servers process through St Eunan’s Cathedral, Derry, during a Mass celebrated by Bishop Donal McKeown to celebrate the start of Catholic Schools Week. Photo: Stephen Latimer. Young people from the Diocese of Derry have taken up the challenge to ‘Debate the Bishop’ in a series of Lenten meetings organised by the Derry Youth Community.
On Sunday Bishop Donal McKeown took part in the first debate with young people aged between 16-21 in St Mary’s College, Derry on the topic of ‘Profession of Faith’.
“The young people really enjoyed the night,” said Charlotte Gormley from Derry Youth Community. “They were really engaged and they were allowed to say what they wanted to say in a relaxed atmosphere. They got a lot from the bishop’s willingness to serve them and he made them feel they had a voice to question, discuss and explore their faith. We were also talking about topics that they might never talk about at school or at home. ”
Event
The event involves ice-breaker games, prayer, the presentation of a topic based on four sections of YouCat (youth catechism) and a question and answer session between Bishop McKeown and the participants. The topics covered are: profession of faith, the sacraments, prayer life of the Church and what we believe.
The ‘Debate the Bishop’ nights take place on Sundays, February 28, March 6, and March 13 and on Tuesday, March 15 from 7-8pm.