Page 8 - Unity Edn 42
P. 8
Australian Catholic
Youth Festival pilgrims
told:
‘Rebuild my Church’
n the opening day of the 2019 Australian
Catholic Youth Festival thousands of
Oyoung Australian Catholics have been
challenged to “go out and rebuild” God’s Church
The opening session of the Festival, which
drew 5500 young people from across Australia,
featured a Welcome to Country, high-tempo
music, inspirational speakers and moments of
prayer
Fr Rob Galea, a priest of the Sandhurst Diocese
and a renowned singer-songwriter, used the
Festival’s opening session to invite delegates to
be open to the voice of God in their lives.
God is real - Christ is Alive
“I pray that throughout this time, as we
gather here as a family, as we gather here
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, the host as your people, that you give us the grace
of the Festival as the Archbishop of Perth, to hear you speak,” Fr Galea said.
welcomed pilgrims and encouraged them to
bring every part of themselves to the gathering. “Lord, we don’t want to walk out of this
place the same way we walked in. We
“You are welcome here with your know that when you speak, our lives, our
questions, with your hopes, with your hearts are changed forever. So Lord, we
dreams. You are welcome here with give you the permission these next few
your doubts and with your fears. You days to speak to our hearts, to speak into
are welcome here with your hesitations our lives.
and you’re welcome here with all your
enthusiasms,” Archbishop Costelloe said. “Lord, we give you the permission to mess
up our plans. We want you, Jesus. We
“God is real. Christ is alive. The Church of want your guidance, Holy Spirit. You can
which you are a part is yearning to help take the world, you can take everything.
you and to hear you, to teach you and to Give us you. Come, Holy Spirit.”
learn from you, to challenge you and to be
challenged by you.” In the evening plenary session on day one,
pilgrims heard humorous and faith-filled
Archbishop Costelloe’s opening address insights from Missionary of God’s Love Sisters
drew upon the exhortation that St Francis of Therese Mills and Judy Bowe, who recently
Assisi received 800 years ago and a similar appeared on the television show, The Amazing
encouragement from Pope Francis in more Race.
recent times.
Sebastian Duhau and Holly Roberts, who have
He combined God’s request to St Francis’ – “Go each represented young Australian Catholics
and rebuild my Church, which is falling into at the Vatican, told their peers that they
ruin” – with Pope Francis’ comments at World should take up Pope Francis’ challenge to be
Youth Day 2016 in Poland. “protagonists of change” and “the now of God”.
Archbishop Costelloe challenged young people: They explained that the Plenary Council 2020
“Get up off your couches, go out and help allows people of all ages in Australia to be both
rebuild my Church. Help it to set out on of those things.
new and uncharted pathways. Help stop
the Church, my Church, from falling into Extract from an article by Jamie O’Brien
ruin.” Communications Manager & Editor (The Record)
8 Catholic Community of the Northern Territory, Diocese of Darwin
