Stefan Kaminski
We always have cause to believe in the future.
Whatever assessment we might make of the world today, there is one certainty as far as we are concerned: that is, that Christ will conquer all and renew all things in Him.
However fragile peace seems and questionable our leaders appear, however divisive our policies seem to become and fragmented our society, we have a duty to prepare for the future and to prepare the next generation who will shape it.
It is with this conviction that the charity launched its programme for sixth-form students in 2021, following the inspiration of its founder, the Lord Alton of Liverpool.
Those students that have participated in the programme have found themselves immersed in an intense, community experience of study, prayer, workshops, team-building and social. They have come from very different backgrounds – school-wise, geographically, ethically and spiritually – but they have all had in common the key requirements for an applicant to this programme: a love for God and a desire to build a Christian society.
The introverts found themselves drawn by the holistic community experience; the scientists found their minds broadened by the philosophical and theological principles they engaged with. Together, they learnt to work as a team, whether to formulate a speech for a student union debate or to design a bridge with limited materials, to achieve a common goal.
At the heart of each day and giving shape to the programme as a whole is the pattern of daily liturgy and prayer. The impact this had on them was noted by virtually every student in their evaluation, whether in terms of a deepening of their relationship with Christ, of being more positively prepared at the start of the day for the work ahead, or of broadening their experience of spiritual practice.
It is only with Christ in firm focus that the philosophical and theological deep-dives into the concepts underpinning the Catholic vision of the human person and society make any sense. Notions of human dignity and rights, for example, are mainstays in modern language, yet are often used without any understanding or grasp of the Christian content that has given shape and meaning to these concepts. And in a secular culture with no reference to higher moral authority, what criteria or standards are there by which to measure the justice or correctness of any given civil law?
Christianity presupposes conviction about a truth that is perennially and universally relevant: a truth that can serve as a stable and a good foundation for a society in which humans can flourish. Such a conviction is profoundly antithetical to the post-modern thinking that underpins secular culture; but then what coherent system has modern secular culture offered us that has any credible hope of better results?
The Christian Leadership Formation programme is a bold statement of hope for the future. It is an appeal to those young people who are convinced that God, not smarties (for those of us old enough to remember), provides the only workable answer. The programme is an opportunity for those young people to meet like-minded peers, to connect with Catholic professionals and academics, to receive an invaluable skillset and intellectual foundations, and to immerse themselves more deeply in their relationship with Christ.
The 2024 programme is now open to applications from students currently in Lower Sixth / Year 12 (or S5 in Scotland). Visit www.christianleadershipformation.com for further information and to apply. If you would like to support the programme by making a donation or providing a bursary for a student, please contact us at clf@christianheritagecentre.com
Stefan Kaminski is Director of The Christian Heritage Centre at Stonyhurst, which operates the Christian Leadership Formation programme