By Anthony Barich
The Archdiocesan Respect Life Office has launched its 2010 Embrace the Grace youth conference theme, Life, Freedom, Truth to further Perth youth’s formation and linking Catholic thinking to everyday life.
The theme is based on the quote “There is no true freedom where life is not welcomed and loved and there is no fullness of life except in freedom” from Pope John Paul II’s Evangelium Vitae (“The Gospel of Life”).
As in every year the conference has been held, participants are given a t-shirt with the thematic quote printed on the back. Participants are broken up into groups named after a specific saint about whom they learn more and also how to adapt the saint’s charism to their everyday life.
It was launched at a “Little Italy” themed fundraiser at Balcatta parish hall on 10 July which raised $2,100 with 120 people from across the Archdiocese – young and old – attending.
“The quote is versatile for all people in their different stages of their faith journey. It questions why our Catholic faith is the one true Church, and searches for answers,” Hanna Lyra from the Respect Life Office told The Record.
It is relevant to our Australian culture and societal views, she said, due to the recent happenings in our political leadership, the recent introduction of legislation regarding life issue matters including euthanasia in WA and Tasmania and issues surrounding abortion in Brisbane.
The Respect Life Office also hopes the theme will refocus today’s youth back to Australia’s Catholic/Christian roots and will address why, today, Australia is lacking in the faith. Though 64 per cent of Australians called themselves Christian in the 2006 Census, Catholicism was the only Christian denomination to experience a rise.
Embrace the Grace is a five-day annual conference held at New Norcia for seven years with up to 150 participants between the ages of 16 and 35, targeting especially upper high school students.
The conference brings local and national guest speakers on life issues in today’s culture centred around femininity and masculinity, Catholic catechesis, with Mass and prayer opportunities, a “mini-Olympics”, a social dance and other initiatives to provide a holistic formation of young people.
Archbishop Barry Hickey founded the Respect Life Office in 2003 with Clare Pike – now Sister Bernadette, Mother Superior of the new Religious association Missionaries of the Gospel based at Willagee – as its founding director.
The Respect Life Office was founded to respect and promote the dignity of human life from conception until natural death, as per John Paul II’s Evangelium Vitae, released in 1995, and is a public relations organisation providing information and resources, networking and liaison between Catholic agencies and with the secular world.
The 2010 theme for Embrace the Grace will also focus on related themes from Evangelium Vitae to help form youth, including: “The formation of conscience is the recovery of the necessary link between freedom and truth”.
Also, “When freedom is detached from objective truth it becomes impossible to establish personal rights on a firm rational basis; and the ground is laid for society to be at the mercy of the unrestrained will of individuals or the oppressive totalitarianism of public authority.”
Both these quotes are from Evangelium Vitae, which John Paul II issued to clarify the Church’s teaching on the value and inviolability of human life.
The Respect Life Office, which hosts Embrace the Grace, was able to make a profit for the conference due to Giovanni’s Kitchen, whose owner John came in on his holiday to spend days cooking for it; Balcatta Growers Fresh and Ma’s Family Bakery.
Several other sponsors and donators also ensured a profit for the successful hosting of the youth conference. Organisers were impressed and stunned by the large number of people of goodwill who stayed back to undertake the considerable task of cleaning up the parish hall.
“We had an overwhelming response of people wanting to contribute to the night, whether it be a donation or volunteering their time to help make the fundraiser a success,” Miss Lyra said.
“Whenever you do work for God and you place your absolute trust in Him, He will always look after you no matter what.”
Organisers were also impressed with the “amount of dedicated youth who came on the night”.
The Respect Life Office has changed its location from its founding office in Morley to 39 Jugan Street, Mt Hawthorn. Its new phone number is 9444 5320.