YOUTH WORK IS IMPORTANT

This is the fourth article in o series of C.H. interviews with Youth Priests.
Just how •necessary it youth work for the successful running of a parish? said Fr. E. Arbuthnot, of Bermondsey, when we talked recently. Strange to say it is a question which provokes the warmest of discussions. " This youth business is just a fad of the moment." " Youth Clubs in this parish never last': "I believe in good Catholic homes." " The results are very disappointing." On the other hand: "Every Catholic parish or 'group of parishes must have a Youth Club." " The Youth Movement has come to stay and we must play our part in it." " The Youth Club is as important as the school." " Youth work Items the leakage," etc.. etc. And so it goes on. . .
Can we attempt coolly and objectively to set Catholic youth work in its perspective amidst the general life of the parish? It is an unchallenged axiom that where there are sufficient children in a district a Catholic school must be erected, Great debts are cheerfully incurred and there is certain the backing and encouragement of the dim. cese. It is equally certain that a parish priest who incurs debts on a similar scale for a Youth Club will be regarded as reckless, to say the least. We can assume then that general opinion recognises the quite unique importance of the school, and justly. But if a parish will spend, say, £20,000 as its contribution to the establishment of a school, is it rash or suitable to expect £5,000 for additional youth premises? Already, perhaps, the sceptical arc becoming exasperated at the suggestion. Let us then try to consider what results we can reasonably hope from a Youth Club at £5,000? I am presuming that initial Board of Education grant will assist materially with equipment and furnishings. With such a building, the " impermanence" problem can be discounted. Given the reasonably attractive and efficient premises-use and , permanent use of them will become a certainty, if only for social and recreational purposes. If there is a school of some 250 children there should be a sufficiency of membership between the both sexes. Will it stem the leakage? It will not stop the leakage; but it may be boldly stated that there was never a lasting Catholic club which did not give great help in this major problem.
SUFFICIENT PRIESTS
There are other questions concerning the relative importance. Is it sufficiently important that a priest should be allowed to give the major part of his time to youth work? Here again common agreement would insist that if the administration of the sacraments in the church or the care of the sick in a hospital are to suffer-the youth work must be sacrificed, But if there are sufficient priests in the parish kir a certain amount of specialisation, is not this a sufficiently important field to justify such a course? Or again is the conduct of a club to be held in such regard that a full-time professional leader shall he engaged even at the annual figure of, say, £300 salary?
I am asking more questions than I am prepared to answer. But from observation of clubs it is pretty clear that a large outlay brings more than proportionate returns. Give your club unworthy premises and volatile leadership workireg two nights it week and your worst fears about youth work will be realised. Launch out into the deep and the club will become a solid institution solving most of its own problems. Even financial. Had not the pioneers of Catholic education shouldered heavy burdens to finance completely the Catholic poor schools we should by now have been eliminated from the State education system.
If we do not firmly set our foot amidst the Youth Clubs of the country, we shall have no claims when, perchance, the full cost of maintenance and salaries will be provided by the Exchequer.