Young people are discovering the healing ministry of the Church as the organisers of Brisbane’s “Reco Rally” prepare for large numbers at the praise, worship and reconciliation event this week. Source: The Catholic Leader.
Brisbane Archdiocesan Ministries youth associate director Nattasha Mierendorf said young people “got it” – they saw the need for Jesus’ healing in their lives.
She said they often heard these experiences directly from young people in parish youth groups and through school programs.
She said young people saw a need for healing broken relationships and for God’s support through the challenges in their lives.
She said that was clear from the inaugural Reco Rally last year, which saw nearly 400 high school-aged teenagers gather for worship, live music, a speaker and the Sacrament of Penance.
The organisers had expected about 200 young people and needed more priests than anticipated.
Ms Mierendorf said they had nine priests confirmed attending this year, but would be happy to see the number grow.
She said a lot of people, of any age, could feel nervous about going to reconciliation.
“That’s a totally normal feeling,” she said. She said it could be daunting but the grace and healing from the sacrament “absolutely made it worth it”.
Ms Mierendorf’s advice for young people preparing to make a confession was to think about “your relationship with others, your relationship with yourself, and your relationship with God”.
She said not to worry about the exact words to say, “just be honest with the priest, tell them you have not been (to reconciliation in a while) and they will help you”.
Reco Rally is an initiative of the Catholic Collective.
Details: https://www.catholiccollective.org.au/reco-rally
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Reco Rally expected to draw hundreds of young people to the healing love of Jesus (By Joe Higgins, The Catholic Leader)
