Members of Tullamore Junior Parish Pastoral Council explain their work
In 2006 the Junior Parish Pastoral Council (JPPC) was founded in Tullamore parish, Co. Offaly as a way of giving young people a voice in the Church. The JPPC is made up exclusively of secondary school students. Pupils first hear about it in sixth class and are encouraged to join when they start secondary school.
Each year a new committee is voted in by the members of the JPPC which consists of a chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary and treasurer. The first task undertaken by the JPPC was to organise the evening prayer for Advent and Lent. We went on to organise a senior citizens bingo followed by refreshments on Friday mornings after 10 o’clock Mass. This proved very popular with both the organisers and the senior citizens.
As the years passed, the programme of activities increased and we have now spread our wings a bit. In 2010 we organised the first National Youth Conference which was held in the Bridge House Hotel, in Tullamore. The topic was ‘Give Young People a Voice’. Just over a hundred from all over Ireland attended. Since then these conferences have been organised on an annual basis. Each year had its own theme with relevant speakers.
Activities
As a group we decided to do something special in the run up to Christmas. As a result of this ‘A Spirit of Christmas’ was launched in 2011. The idea behind this was to raise some money for a charity of our choice and to help fund our activities during the year.
The day chapel in the parish church was transformed into a Winter Wonderland. After each Mass the children got to meet Santa and hear stories about Christmas customs in Ireland long ago. They were invited to make a wish for those they loved and Santa’s helpers hung it on the Christmas tree.
There was an opportunity to buy cakes, have a cup of tea and a chat and to support a raffle. Now this has become an annual event.
In September 2011, a new youth club called the J. Unit was born. This was aimed at post primary school students.
The J. Unit gave young people who were interested in their faith an opportunity to explore the Gospels further with like-minded teenagers and have fun. We continue to meet weekly on Sunday evenings from 7-8.15pm.
Another big event we organised was a residential retreat at Scripture Union’s Ovoca Manor in Co. Wicklow. This was the first of an annual retreat for youth groups from the midlands area, which now takes place each February mid-term. Approximately 70 teenagers joined together for outdoor adventures and teaching on faith from a variety of speakers in their 20s and 30s. This was a brilliant experience as we got to mix with other teenagers and for some it was our first time to spend two nights away from home.
The idea of having to make our own beds and taking part in wash up after meals was another very alien idea for some! Four years on and we look forward to the camp and what we will take from it.
Lent and Easter are very important events in the Church and we wanted to find something to add to Easter week. In 2012 we held a Stations of the Cross mime on Good Friday in the church at 12 o’clock. Each station was mimed on our altar with a narration and music. It is performed entirely by children and teens. Our thinking behind this was to have something to cater for families, especially with young children.
Response
We were touched by the response we received from those who attended, with some moved to tears! Each year since we have had larger numbers attend and it has now become a very large part of Holy Week.
In 2012 a celebration event was organised for the JPPC. This was a day event in Lilliput Adventure Centre. This was a great day of bog hopping, kayaking and orienteering – finishing off with Mass by the lake. This event has now become an annual event where we now connect with groups from Kilbeggan and Collintown Fore.
Our next venture was to form a youth worship band in late 2014. It is called Reflection Youth Ministries and plays contemporary music. In 2015 they were invited to play at Mass on the fourth Sunday of each month. They have played at our retreat in Ovoca Manor, at the 6th National Youth Conference and recently at a charity fundraiser in our parish church.
Our latest venture is a youth prayer ministry course. This will run every Sunday for seven weeks. This is a tool to help young people to pray. Each week we will sit and share a meal together before the teaching, which will be ran by our youth leaders.
Here some of our past chairpersons share how their time in the Tullamore Junior Parish Pastoral Council influenced them:
- “I didn’t realise at the time what the JPPC would do for me. It opened a window of opportunity and experiences that I will treasure. Not only on a personal level through the relationships I’ve built but indeed as I prepare to begin my working career,” said Michelle Molloy (2006 – 2011).
- “Although at the time being part of the JPPC wasn’t seen as cool to a lot of people my age, as faith wasn’t playing a role in their lives at that moment, it was something that really made me grow as a person and made my beliefs stronger even to this day,” said Niamh Burke (2009-2013).
- “From the very beginning I loved being part of the JPPC. It was such a different experience for me as I had never been part of any group like it. We were always praised for the hard work and energy of the members,” said Katie Kehoe (2010-2014).
- “During my tenure as chairperson I transformed from a passive Catholic to an active one because the JPPC opened a forum for discourse on what faith really means. I came to understand that being Catholic is part of me and I am proud of it,” said Ciara Molloy (2008-2012).