It’s full steam ahead to this year’s Australian Catholic Youth Festival, with the event now less than 100 days out. Thousands of young people are expected to descend on Melbourne for the three-day festival, which will have more than 100 workshops on offer.
Pilgrims will be encouraged to ‘choose their own adventure’ by selecting from workshops exploring how to pray, how to live our faith authentically and how to wrestle with the big questions of life, while hearing from passionate experts, inspiring young leaders and Australia’s bishops.
From prayer to fashion
One of the workshops on offer will be a live, on-air discussion called Outside the Chapel, a podcast of ICON Ministry, founded and directed by Fr Rob Galea.
The podcast is hosted by Fr Rob himself, along with Jess Bond and Claire Forbes. Audience members will be invited to join the show as the hosts explore how the Scriptures can animate and energise our life and passions.
Keynote speaker and internationally acclaimed author and speaker Katie Prejean McGrady is also offering a workshop focused on prayer—the basics of how to pray and open up a conversation with God. Katie was recently in Rome for the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers, which drew more than 1,000 participants from over 70 countries. She says she draws inspiration from the soon-to-be-saint Carlo Acutis, who encouraged people to be the original person God made, not photocopies.
‘If you’re just yourself, if you’re an authentic witness to the beauty, truth and goodness of our Gospel,’ she says, then ‘people are attracted to that. They want to talk to you about that.’
Empowering young people to make a difference, workshop presenter Lucas Sharpley will be focusing on the environmental impact of fast trends and the real cost of fashion. Lucas works with Marist Youth and will be inviting young people to think deeply about making sustainable fashion choices without giving up their style.
Other workshop presenters include Fr Chris Ryan MGL, Melinda Tankard Reist, Sam Clear, Charbel Raish, and Emmanuel Worship and Ignite Youth.
Call for volunteers
As the event draws near, organisers are putting out a call for volunteers to join the festival. Volunteers will play a vital role in creating a welcoming and enriching experience for attendees. Roles include welcoming pilgrims, supporting liturgies, assisting with logistics and venue setup, and more.
Learn more and apply here.
Register for the festival today at www.acyf.org.au.
