The joy and energy of the recent Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Melbourne is set to continue with the next two major international youth events on the horizon. Source: Melbourne Catholic.
At the conclusion of ACYF 2025 in December, Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP confirmed that the next Australian Catholic Youth Festival will be held in Sydney in 2028, and will form a crucial part of the International Eucharistic Congress.
The impact of such festivals cannot be underestimated, Archbishop Fisher said, as they directly address the hunger of many young people for more involvement in their faith, and the isolation many feel.
“I think there is very significant evidence that having a spiritual life helps young people with mental health issues, anxiety, depression, loneliness and so on,” he said.
“For young people that are struggling with [this], we want them to have faith. We want them to know God, because there really is a God, but we also want them to have faith because we know that’s going to hugely help them through their life.”
He said the shared experience of thousands of peers is transformative.
“Even if they go to church, there’s hardly anyone their age, or their friends aren’t there, their peers from school are not there,” Archbishop Fisher said.
“Young people, one after another, tell me when they come back from a festival like this, ‘I’m not alone. There’s lots like me. There’s thousands like me.’ If they go to World Youth Day, they discover there’s millions “like me” all over the world, and that’s a huge encouragement to them.”
Archbishop Fisher said preparations are already advanced for the 2028 Eucharistic Congress, with key staff and committees in place.
He emphasised the event will have a strong youth focus, drawing on Sydney’s experience hosting World Youth Day in 2008.
“We will be having, as it were, effectively a mini World Youth Day within the International Eucharistic Congress,” he said.
But before the International Eucharistic Congress, there will be World Youth Day in Seoul, South Korea, in August 2027.
ACYF 2025 was a launching pad for the Korean event, with a delegation of WYD 27 organisers, including Fr Peter Jong, Cecilia Song and Catherine Park, attending.
When asked how young people at ACYF were perceiving the 2027 event, Ms Song was confident.
“It’s great to see they are united in faith, and they are willing to come over to South Korea in ’27. We are very grateful to see they are so excited for the journey ahead.”
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ACYF success sets stage for global youth gatherings in 2027 and 2028 (Melbourne Catholic)
