Preparations are ramping up as Melbourne prepares to welcome more than 10,000 young people later this year for the fifth Australian Catholic Youth Festival. Source: Melbourne Catholic.
Taking place from November 30 to December 2 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, this year’s festival marks a special homecoming, with the first ACYF held in Melbourne back in 2013.
Diocesan and school leaders from across the country recently gathered at the convention centre for a national briefing, which included a tour of the venue and a glimpse at the festival spaces.
“This festival is going to be the largest Catholic gathering in Australia,” festival director Teresa Rhynehart said.
“And it’s going to be a place of encounter for our young people. They will encounter the Church– our bishops, religious congregations, various Catholic organisations– and see the incredible breadth of the Church that exists in Australia,” Ms Rhynehart said.
“But most of all, hopefully, there will be an encounter with our Lord. And that might be an encounter that they are having for the very first time in their life,” she said.
The festival will bring together thousands of young people from Year 9 to 25 years old from across Australia, offering a range of activities including talks, Mass, prayer, workshops, live music, games, engagement with justice issues and an interactive expo.
“We want to create a place where young people will be evangelised and can feel equipped and empowered to talk about Jesus in their own lives,” Ms Rhynehar said.
They will encounter the Church – our bishops, religious congregations, various Catholic organisations – and see the incredible breadth of the Church that exists in Australia.
Dioceses across Australia are already planning their pilgrimages to Melbourne.
To assist dioceses with their planning, Ms Rhynehart outlined a four-phase roadmap to ACYF, which begins with prayer and discernment, followed by invitation, formation and then, finally, sending forth the young people on their pilgrimage.
Details: www.acyf.org.au.
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Melbourne prepares to host Australia’s largest Catholic event this December (Melbourne Catholic)
