Lusaka, 23 January, 2026 / 12:20 pm (ACI Africa).
The National Youth Office of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) has unveiled a yearlong pastoral theme aimed at strengthening the relationship between young people and the family in the face of growing societal pressures and life challenges.
In a message addressed to Catholic youth across the Southern African nation, the National Youth Coordinator announced that the department’s pastoral programme for 2026 will be guided by the theme, “Youth and Family: Growing Faith Together,” a theme that underscores the centrality of the family as a formative space for young people and that highlights the need for a collaborative approach between youth and families in nurturing and sustaining faith.
Fr. Kunda Christopher said that the theme, which is drawn from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, “resonates well with many young people navigating life-changing decisions amidst societal pressures and personal struggles, assuring them of the importance of family unity and support.”
Fr. Christopher explained that the theme was inspired by remarks from the ZCCB president, Archbishop Ignatius Chama, who underscored the importance of strengthening families as the foundation of both the Church and society in his address at the 2025 National Catholic Forum, held under the theme, “Family at the Crossroads.”
“Youth ministry is demanded to be integrated with family and to partner with parents and other significant adults to raise spiritually mature young people,” said the member of the Religious Institute of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB).
