Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, will speak on the care and concern of the Catholic Church for youth, in view of the upcoming Synod of Bishops on Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment.
The annual benefit evening, held in Washington, D.C., is the only event of the Rome-based organization in the United States. It is sponsored by the Friends of The Lay Centre, a group of lay people in the United States who support The Lay Centre in its mission of lay formation, the promotion of Christian unity and interreligious dialogue in the heart of the church.
The evening, held at Georgetown Visitation, will begin with Vespers at 6:30 p.m.
Cardinal Tobin will preside and preach at Vespers, followed by a reception and the Cardinal’s lecture at 8 p.m. He will speak on the theme, “You Will Be My Witnesses: A Mentoring Church.” The floor will then be open for questions and dialogue with the Cardinal, with youth offered the first opportunity to respond.
Cardinal Tobin will share his vision and the importance of an intergenerational church, in which young people are welcomed, befriended and accompanied in faith by members of the local parishes across generations. How can intergenerational friendships in faith benefit young people and how can the Church in the United States develop a mentoring culture? These are some of the questions that will be touched upon over the course of the evening.
Cardinal Tobin was born in Detroit in 1952. He entered the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, more commonly known as the Redemptorists, and was ordained a priest in 1978. After several years of pastoral work in the United States, he served as superior general of his congregation for 12 years.
He was ordained a bishop in 2010, and served in the Vatican Curia as the secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. In 2012, he was named archbishop of Indianapolis, and then archbishop of Newark five years later. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals in 2016.
Georgetown Visitation is located at 1524 35th St NW. Parking is free on site.
Tickets are required to attend. For information or to RSVP before Feb. 1, please write to info@laycentre.org.