Throughout this week, we will be “airing” segments of our Youth Contact meetings, conducted over the previous two weekends. The full ArchBalt resources is now live here.

Our theme for the training was Salt and Light. How do we help young people to preserve the faith?  How do we fully reflect the prism of Christ’s light?

Kristin Witte addresses the issue of Spiritual Bipartisianship. 

The concept that there are Catholics that are horizontal in their ecclesial tendencies or vertical in their ecclesial tendencies of spirituality, theology, ecclesialology, or  prayer in regards to their ministry must be abolished.

The cross has both horizontal and vertical beams.  Christ himself declared that every kingdom divided against itself will be laid to waste; and that no town and not house divided against itself will stand. Jesus Christ never promoted division, bias, or any type of ecclesial bigotry.

Whether serving at Eucharistic Adoration or at a women and children’s shelter or at , to divide the Catholic Church through bias denies us the most complete image of the Body of Christ.

Kristin suggests that building unity across the aisle will take more than an symbolic gesture.  It requires support and structure to institutionalize ecclesial bipartisanship.

She suggests:

> acknowledging each other’s presence and dignity

> recognizing the authenticity of another’s passion

> seek consensus and common ground

> celebrate diversity

> be fluent in a language other than your own