‘Let your lives glow’: Syro-Malabar youth conference Unite 2025 inspires a new generation

The Syro-Malabar Eparchy of St Thomas the Apostle, Melbourne, recently hosted Unite 2025, a landmark youth conference that brought together more than 600 young Catholics from Australia, Oceania and beyond. Held from 6 to 9 February 2025 at the Belgrave Heights Convention Centre, the event provided a unique opportunity for young Syro-Malabar Catholics to deepen their faith, embrace their cultural heritage and build lasting connections.

Under the Jubilee-inspired theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, Unite 2025 encouraged, empowered, and equipped young Catholics to live out their faith with conviction and to share the Gospel message in their daily lives. The conference featured an impressive lineup of keynote speakers, workshops and spiritual experiences designed to foster both personal and communal growth.

The conference opened with an address from Eparchial Bishop John Panamthottathil CMI, who focused on the word unite, encouraging attendees to come together and ‘unite with Jesus Christ’ through the Eucharist, and to embrace the opportunity to celebrate and explore his infinite love over course of the conference.

Not all lights lead to personal illumination ... But there is a different kind of light—the light of Christ—that offers clarity, warmth and a sense of direction.

He was followed by an inspiring keynote speech from Archbishop Peter A Comensoli, which helped to set the tone for the four-day event.

Reflecting on the theme of light and darkness, Archbishop Comensoli shared a powerful analogy from his travels.

‘A few years back, I had been in Bangalore for a conference,’ he explained. ‘As we landed in Sydney at night, I noticed how much brighter its lights were compared to Bangalore’s. This contrast reminded me that while Australia enjoys reliable electricity, many in India experience frequent blackouts. Yet despite these hardships, life in Bangalore carried on, while here, a power outage brings panic.’

Drawing a parallel between physical and spiritual darkness, he said, ‘Not all lights lead to personal illumination; some merely distract us from the deeper questions of life. Our society is full of people lost in cultural darkness, despite being surrounded by the bright lights of modern entertainment and consumerism. But there is a different kind of light—the light of Christ—that offers clarity, warmth and a sense of direction.’

Let your lives glow with the light of Christ. Go, and set the world on fire!

Quoting the Pentecost account from Acts, he pointed out that ‘Pentecost lit a fire in the disciples, sending them out with Gospel joy. That same light—Christ’s light in the Spirit—encourages us to rise up and seek true hope. This hope is not wishful thinking; it is real, and it calls us to action.’

In closing, he urged the young participants to ‘be horizon hunters. Seek the fire of a new Pentecost. Step out of the shadows and into the light, and let your lives glow with the light of Christ. Go, and set the world on fire!”

A range of workshops delved into key topics relevant to young Catholics, including healing through forgiveness, answering Christ’s call and sharing the Gospel with confidence. Experts such as Indian actor and film-maker Sijoy Varghese, founder of Lifenet Brendan Malone and Fr Melvin Mangalath, director of the Youth Apostolate in the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Chicago, led sessions that provided participants with practical tools to integrate faith into their daily lives.

All of us are in need of the mercy of God.

On the second day of the conference, the popular US-based Australian Catholic podcaster Matt Fradd, of Pints with Aquinas fame, reminded his audience that ‘all of us are in need of the mercy of God,’ encouraging them to ‘run to the sacrament of Confession’.

Catholic speaker Leila Abdullah spoke movingly about the miraculous ways God has upheld and guided her in her life, even through the tragic loss of three of her children and her niece, who were all hit by a drunk driver. She described how God enabled her and her husband Danny not only to forgive the driver responsible, but to launch the i4give movement, spreading the transformative message of forgiveness and the four steps to forgiveness—acknowledge, accept, surrender and voice—around Australia and the world.

Other speakers at the conference included Charbel Raish, founder of Parousia Media, who told the inspiring story of his journey from Catholicism to Islam and back again, and Cardinal Mykola Bychok CSsR.

One of the highlights of the conference was the Mega Workshop Panel Discussion featuring a range of speakers including Catholic broadcaster Jo Hayes, the Hon Jinson Anto Charls, Sijoy Varghese and Dr Trudy Dantis, Director of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference’s National Centre for Pastoral Research. The panel explored how young Catholics can strive for excellence in their personal, professional and spiritual lives.

Acknowledging that young people grow up now in a society completely different from the one she grew up in, Dr Dantis emphasised the importance for many young Catholics of finding places where their faith will be nurtured, and reminded her audience that even those who don’t identify with faith are looking for spiritual meaning and something to nourish them. ‘So that’s an opportunity for us as Catholics and Christians,’ she said.

Events like Unite 2025 serve as vital platforms for fostering faith, identity and unity among young Catholics.

Beyond the workshops and talks, Unite 2025 offered a rich spiritual program, including daily Holy Qurbana (Syro-Malabar Mass), Eucharistic adoration and the Liturgy of Hours. These moments of prayer and reflection allowed participants to deepen their relationship with God and experience the presence of Christ in a profound way.

Interactive activities further enriched the experience, with live Christian bands, team-building events, talent showcases and conversation corners fostering fellowship and joy. Confession booths provided a space for young people to seek reconciliation and spiritual renewal.

As the Syro-Malabar community continues to grow and flourish in Australia, events like Unite 2025 serve as vital platforms for fostering faith, identity and unity among young Catholics. Through engaging discussions, spiritual encounters and community building, they encourage young Catholics to stand firm in their beliefs and embrace their unique calling in the world.