As reported earlier, Boston held their own first annual  Symposium for Adolescent Catechesis. The daylong-conference was led by Sean Reynolds, director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Read here for the full report on Sean’s presentation in Beantown.

Sean had his challenge set before him, however, when, in his opening address, Cardinal O’Malley set the tone for the symposium, urging the attendees that now, more than ever, “We must continue to walk with our young people, to accompany them on their journey of faith, in the midst of an increasingly hostile culture.”

“The privatization of religion in today’s climate of new-age individualism is poisonous to the Bible message of community and connectedness in the body of Christ,” said the cardinal.

“We need to promote the distinctiveness of our Catholic identity, our emphasis on community and social teaching — those things that are uniquely Catholic and through which young people can form a bond to their Church,” he said.  Cardinal Sean blogged on his own reflection on the symposium here and included video of his twelve minute intervention as well.