On 8 November, at the General Assembly of the German Catholic Youth Federation (BDKJ), Lisa Quarch was elected as the new spiritual director. The 29-year-old pastoral worker from the Diocese of Limburg is therefore the first woman to hold this post in the BDKJ National Executive Board. “For me, faith and social commitment go hand in hand. Catholic youth associations are places where children, adolescents and young adults can grow, experiment, get engaged, and shape their lives independently. This clearly strengthens resilience against extremist views and therefore protects the foundations of our democracy”, Lisa Quarch stressed. “As the spiritual director of the BDKJ, I am happy that I can now devote my time, talents and resources to supporting youth associations and ensuring that these spaces are and remain accessible to as many people as possible”. Originally from Aachen, Ms Quarch has long been active in the Church’s youth ministry. She studied theology both in Frankfurt am Main and in Maynooth, Ireland. After graduation in 2020, she received training as a pastoral assistant in the Diocese of Limburg, and in 2022, she was appointed by Bishop Georg Bätzing to her current post at the parish of St Mary in Frankfurt am Main. “As a feminist and theologian, it is particularly important to me that spaces and places of faith are safe havens. People can only develop freely, discover and live out their talents, their spirituality and their faith, and enter into authentic relationships with others and with God if they feel as safe as possible”, the spiritual director explained: “This is possible only by preventing and countering sexual and spiritual violence, and abuse of power. And also by fighting discrimination, by reflecting on one’s own ways of thinking, and by adopting a theological perspective and church structures that are attentive to diversity”. Many young people know Lisa Quarch from TikTok and Instagram. Since her university studies, she has lived her faith there too by engaging in conversations with people: “I have experienced how important it is to pursue shared dialogue. There is room for good in the digital world, but hatred and political and religious radicalisation are also often encountered”.