By Caroline Smith
“Music was filling the streets of Sydney; literally people were singing in the streets.”
It is hard to believe that it’s been nearly 10 years since hundreds of thousands of young Catholics from more than 170 nations descended on Sydney for the 2008 World Youth Day (WYD).
From the 500,000 pilgrims who welcomed Pope Benedict XVI at Barangaroo to the 400,000 people who gathered for the final Mass at Randwick Racecourse, the event marked a time when the joy of the Holy Spirit was overflowing in Australia.
It is in this vein that the Catholic Bishops of Australia have announced a Year of Youth, which will celebrate the 10th anniversary of WYD Sydney and build on the legacy of that extraordinary time.
Beginning on the first Sunday in Advent on 29 November 2017, the Year of Youth will be officially launched at the Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Sydney next December.
Archdiocese of Perth Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton said the Catholic Bishops of Australia had received the proposal for the celebration from the Australian Catholic Youth Council (ACYC), which they “enthusiastically endorsed”.
“We thought that the idea had great merit, as 2018 will mark the 10th anniversary of WYD in Sydney,” he said.
“The bishops remembered how close they became to the pilgrims and the many ways, the faith of the young people gave them inspiration. They could see the enormous potential in the young people of the Church to bring about renewal to our parishes and ministries.
“The Year of Youth offers everyone in the Church in Australia, the chance to reflect on how, together, we can bring new life to our communities.”
Bishop Sproxton noted that Pope Francis had subsequently announced the 2018 Synod of Bishops would focus on the accompaniment of young people and vocational discernment, suggesting that “the Holy Spirit is at work!”
He said the Catholic Youth Ministry (CYM) Perth team had begun planning for the launch of the Year of Youth and other events in the Archdiocese, while ACYC was preparing youth initiatives and resources.
Looking back on WYD in Sydney, Bishop Sproxton said it was a “watershed mark for the Archdiocese” and deserved to be celebrated and reflected upon.
“Youth ministry in our parishes has grown amazingly. Nationally, it is said that youth ministers have increased and their time in ministry is longer,” he said.
“The most important outcome of WYD Sydney and the other WYDs has been the new personal relationship with Jesus Christ that so many of pilgrims have developed and sustained.”
One of those pilgrims is Bateman parishioner Matthew Lim, who attended his first WYD in 2008 as a 19 year old.
Now working for CYM Perth, Mr Lim said he was not particularly in touch with his faith eight years ago; in fact, the only reason he attended WYD was because it was being held in Australia.
“I wasn’t really into my faith at the time but a lot of my friends were going. It was quite life changing,” he said.
“The thing that struck me the most was meeting so many people from around the world who were young, who were pretty normal people and who were very open about their faith. I thought, ‘This is great’.”
Another pilgrim who attended WYD for the first time in 2008, Glendalough parishioner Carina McPherson, had a similar experience.
“It was really joyful for me and people still talk about it to this day. Music was filling the streets of Sydney; literally people were singing in the streets,” she said.
“For an essentially atheist country, it was a really cool opportunity for the Church in Australia to have an experience where Catholics were seen on the street and were very visible.”
Aged 17 when she attended WYD, Miss McPherson said the pilgrimage encouraged her to take greater ownership of her faith and step into leadership roles, such as serving as President of the University of Western Australia Catholic Society.
“For me, it meant I was making an active decision. I was pursuing learning about my faith and talking about my faith and recognising that I have a role to play,” she said.
As for the event’s greater impact, Mr Lim said it left a lasting impression on young people around the country – something that the Catholic Bishops of Australia plan to build upon during the 2018 Year of Youth.
“If I could sum it up in one word, it would be ‘hope’. There was an idea before that religion is important, but after going to WYD people could see that it it’s important,” he said.
From pages 10 and 11 from Issue 5: ‘Christmas 2016 – Looking forward to the Birth of Christ & Reflecting back on the Year 2016?’ of The Record Magazine