World Youth Day and Catholic University Students

His Emminence George Cardinal Pell

Universities have played an enormous part in my life. I had the immense privilege of undertaking doctoral studies at Oxford University in the late 1960s, and I have also been fortunate to study at universities in Rome and Australia. As a young priest, in my home diocese of Ballarat, I served as Director of Aquinas College, a small diocesan teachers college which later became a campus first of the Institute of Catholic Education in Victoria, and then of Australian Catholic University (ACU). I headed the team which brought ACU, Australia’s first Catholic university, into being, and when I was Archbishop of Melbourne I was able assist in consolidating the University’s two suburban campuses into one major inner city site.

As Archbishop of Sydney I have been delighted to play a part in establishing campuses of Australia’s second Catholic university, the University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA) in prime inner-city locations; with the law school and education faculty located in Broadway, just down the road from our oldest university, the University of Sydney; and the medical and nursing schools located in Darlinghurst, right in the middle of the largest Catholic hospital and medical research precinct in the country.

So, I am deeply committed to what universities can do, and in particular to what Catholic universities can do. I believe wholeheartedly in the importance of university education and the role of the Church in helping to form the next generation of leaders. For secular universities, this means a serious commitment by the Church to chaplaincy services.

One could be tempted to describe the role of Catholic university chaplaincies as providing a refuge for students on campus. To some extent that is undoubtedly true, but it is only part of the picture. Chaplaincies provide a positive service that not only sustains student faith life, but also seeks to nurture and strengthen it.

To that end the chaplaincy teams in Sydney archdiocese work hard to build a Catholic culture on campus to help students access the spiritual and intellectual riches of the Church, regularly and freely. An effective chaplaincy ensures that daily Mass, prayer and scripture study are always on offer. Naturally, the organisation of social activities is a crucial part of the mix to enable students to meet each other (the modern university campus can be a very lonely place) and form strong networks and lasting friendships.

There is also a missionary element to all this work. As Catholics, we believe that the Gospel message is timeless and will always have something to contribute to the betterment of peoples and society as a whole. Through activities such as stalls, mission weeks, forums and debates, the chaplaincies continue the fine tradition of Catholic intellectualism and engagement with the wider culture.

We must never forget that it was the Church that first inspired the idea of the university. We should have the confidence to treat it as home turf, and use the opportunities and challenges of university life in a secular age to encourage and prepare young leaders to take part in public life and in the battle of ideas.

The renewal of university chaplaincy in Sydney has made good progress, and I hope for more in the future. Of course, success in any work of the Church is never due to one single cause. There always are a number of factors that come together to bring about success, especially grace and God’s blessings. I wanted to strengthen university chaplaincy when I arrived as Archbishop in Sydney, and after considering the opportunities and resources available, and hearing a number of suggestions as to what to do, a Christ-centred, sacramental, and missionary model of chaplaincy was implemented, largely led by lay people.

This model has worked well so far, bearing more and more fruit with time on the campuses where it is in operation. Critical to this has been employing good people who work hard and are committed to the faith, and who can cooperate effectively with the existing Catholic student societies. My ambition is to expand this model of chaplaincy to reach other campuses across the Sydney area. Having the resources to do this is one thing; but having the right people to take on and lead this work is another, perhaps even more important factor. The most important factor, in all our efforts, lies in prayer and faithfulness to Church life and teachings.

It is from within this context that we can glimpse part of the effect of World Youth Day on campuses. The chaplaincy at Sydney University, for example, geared its entire first semester program this year towards encouraging students to register for World Youth Day. Given the enormous financial pressures on university students today, which are significantly greater than they were for my generation, it would be no surprise if some were put off by the registration payment of up to $300.

But this has not proved to be the case. More than 400 students (at the time of writing) have registered from Sydney University and also hundreds more have registered from two other major universities. These figures include even non-Catholic students. And for every student known by the chaplaincy team to be registered there are probably another two or three that they do not know about.

The groundswell of enthusiasm for World Youth Day across the country, and especially in Sydney, is tangible and strong. To cite one example: in 2007 we had 180 young adults take part in a short training course for pilgrim group leaders; this year we had over 650 participate. A proportion of these leaders came from among university students, although the segments from parishes and schools were larger.

There are enormous numbers of people working for World Youth Day in Sydney and in every diocese throughout Australia. Parishes, schools, religious orders, communities and ethnic groups are all getting on board. I have no doubt that the chaplaincy work we have been doing boosted the numbers of university students willing to take part in this sort of course.

Some say that once university students “get” the faith they are likely to keep it for the rest of their lives. Certainly adult conversions are normally longer lasting. When we are born into something we can take it for granted—the ‘cradle Catholic’ syndrome. On the other hand, as the saying goes, adult converts run the risk of being “more Catholic than the Pope”, sometimes to the amusement and discomfort of cradle Catholics.

Young adults are generally still idealistic, seeking what is authentic to answer their questions about meaning, values, and integrity. They are looking for purpose in their lives, something to give them orientation and a reliable compass in the craziness of the modern world. And for many of them this means using their gifts and talents to serve Christ and others.

This desire to be of service to others runs very strong in the young. When it fails to find fulfilment in something life affirming, hurt and bitterness can follow. University is often a testing ground for different answers, so it is essential that students be exposed to the Gospel message and the Catholic tradition in all their genuine vitality.

World Youth Day offers what is authentic and life transforming not just to students at university but to young people everywhere. The work we have done in university chaplaincies has given rise to a number of associations which are taking a very active part in World Youth Day, and these groups will play an important part in bringing the World Youth Day message to university students among the pilgrims.

I hope many of these pilgrims will come back to their universities and studies with a renewed commitment and energy to spreading the word on campus. Pope Benedict XVI is not only a wonderful pastor, but an intellectual in the best traditions of Catholic Europe and European university life. University students in particular will find much to inspire them and to pray about in the Pope’s teaching during World Youth Day. Pope Benedict is an exemplary role model who combines a brilliant intellect with humility, and a depth of culture with great faith.

Countless young people throughout the world have rediscovered their faith through a World Youth Day experience. There are also many who have found their vocation—either to marriage, the priesthood or religious life. My hope and prayer is that similar fruits will be born in Sydney, for Australia and our region first of all, and in all the countries to which the pilgrims will return after the Holy Father has departed.

Cardinal Pell has been Archbishop of Sydney since 2001 and Pope John Paul II named him a cardinal in 2003. He previously served for nearly five years as Archbishop of Melbourne.