By Jamie O’Brien
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe last week echoed the words of Pope Francis in calling young people to be bearers of hope, builders of the future, encouraging them to make a world of goodness, beauty and truth.
The Archbishop was addressing his words to more than 3,000 young people as part of his catechesis at the opening of the 2015 Australian Catholic Youth Festival, held in Adelaide.
“This is who you are, this is why God gave you the gift of life, this is why God has called you into His Church,” the Archbishop said.
The 2015 ACYF took place from Thursday, 3 December to Saturday, 5 December 2015 at the Adelaide Convention Centre and was hosted by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference in partnership with the Archdiocese of Adelaide.
In giving the opening catechesis, Archbishop Costelloe referred to a recent trip to Florence by Pope Francis, who challenged those with him, saying that the Beatitudes are a way for the Church to judge whether it is following its true mission or only thinking of protecting its own interests.
“If this question can be put to the whole Church, and it can and must be, then it can equally be put to each one of us for we, every single one of us and all of us together, are the Church,” the Archbishop continued.
The Archbishop went on to speak about an experience of Pope Francis, who was asked by a young person at a meeting with a Catholic Youth Movement, if the Pope saw any signs of hope and joy in the Church. The Pope, quoted the Archbishop, replied that ‘Seeing young people [like you] who believe in Jesus present in the Eucharist, who believe that love is stronger than hatred and that peace is stronger than war – this is a sure sign of hope and something that gives me joy.
It was here that the Archbishop said that, “Belief in Jesus, belief in love, belief in peace – and I would add, belief in the Church: these are things which I hope and believe we will all find together over the next few days.”
“In the workshops and discussions, in the liturgies, in the meals, in the times of quiet prayer and reflection and, in the moments when we just get the chance to waste time together: in all of these experiences, and especially in what happens deep within each one of us, I personally am hoping, and expecting, that we will all catch a glimpse, and maybe more than just a glimpse, of what the Church is really all about.
“I’m hoping that we will all see, maybe more clearly than we do at the moment, that the Church is about life rather than death, about energy and excitement rather than about listlessness, about freedom and hope rather than about restriction and emptiness, about vitality rather than about boredom, about exploding outwards rather than closing in, and about love – passionate, committed, respectful, selfless and freeing love,” the Archbishop said.
Archdiocese of Perth Catholic Youth Ministry Officer Vincent Haber said the ACY Festival encouraged and inspired him to live a life that is holy and pleasing to God.
“Living a holy life can be very difficult but ACYF reminded me of the beautiful sacraments that are available to me and to everyone at all times,” Mr Haber said.
The highlight of the event for him was a workshop/session by popular American speaker Jason Evert from Chastity Project.
“He was able to explain sex, relationship and love in a way that was very engaging and easy to understand,” he said.
Mr Haber went on to say that having lunch with Archbishop Costelloe was also very special.
“It was an opportunity to sit down, share a meal with him and enjoy a laugh with him. He made all of us feel that he valued us as individuals and made us feel that he was very appreciative of all our efforts in attending ACYF as a group from Perth.”
Mr Haber went on to talk about a pivotal moment at the Festival for him, when everyone was taught how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
“I have a personal devotion to the Divine mercy and being able to share it with thousands of other young people gave me goose bumps and the realisation of God’s love and mercy for all those who were there in that moment.”
The next Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF), to be hosted in Sydney in December 2017, will launch a national Year of Youth.
The Year of Youth in 2018 will celebrate ten years since Australia hosted World Youth Day in 2008.
The Year of Youth will coincide with the liturgical year of 2018 and will begin on the first Sunday in Advent on 29 November 2017, reaffirming the important role of young people in the life of the Church.