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Conference of the Youth Association of the Holy Archdiocese of Americatranslated

July 5, 2026 · 1 min read

The proceedings of the first day of the Young Adult League of the Holy Archdiocese of America (YAL) conference began with an opening breakfast and the customary opening ceremony. The president of the Conference, John Panos and the Most Reverend Bishop of Diokleia, Mr. Nektarios, Secretary of the Holy Archdiocese of America, who is also the spiritual adviser of the Youth Union conference, welcomed the participants, addressing them with a short greeting. After the breakfast, the participants together with clergy and laity from across the Holy Archdiocese of America had the opportunity to attend some selected sessions of the 48th Clergy-Lay Assembly and participate in many discussions around various ecclesial topics.

More specifically, the conference participants attended, within the framework of the 48th Clerical Assembly, two thematic discussions. The first, which was coordinated by Dr. Ann Bezzerides, focused on the perspectives of youth ministry, while also giving practical directions. The second one was attended by Eva Konstantakos, director of the youth ministry sector of the Holy Archdiocese of America,...

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Maria Munteanu

I am glad that the young people were able to attend the discussions on youth diaconia with Mrs. Ann Bezzerides and Eva Konstantakos. I find it helpful that they also got practical directions, not just general ideas. Did they talk about something concrete about how to attract young people to small parishes, like ours?

Gabriela Rusu

Yes, I was also glad that they insisted on practical directions, not just theory. In our small parish in Craiova, what worked best was to put the young people directly in the choir and in the preparation of the prosphora, not in long sermons. Do you think they would also go to America to try something like that, or is something else needed there?

Ilie Popa

Yes, exactly, practice beats theory every time. In our parish in Bucharest, we have seen that young people stay if you ask them to do something concrete, such as helping to clean after the service or preparing the hut. Do you think that in America it would be good to put them directly into proscomidy or choir, or do they need more online activities there?

Anca Munteanu

Yes, you're right, practice keeps young people close. At our place, after the service, my 14-year-old daughter often helps to gather candles and arrange flowers, and I find that she comes more willingly than to general discussions. Do you think that it would work for the Americans in YAL to put them directly in proscomidia, or is it more difficult there because of the long distances between the parishes?