The Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) organisers have recently announced preparations are well underway that will showcase iconic venues and talent competitions for the event that will draw 15,000 young people to Sydney from 7 to 9 December this year, and revealed some of the event details that will appeal to participants Australia wide.
The announcement included the Sydney Olympic Park precinct as the main venue and use of the Sydney Showground and Qudos Bank Arena venues.
The 2017 Festival will culminate with a closing Mass at the Domain on Saturday 9 December, not far from St Mary’s Cathedral and adjacent to the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.
The announcement by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, who is hosting the three day 2017 ACYF in partnership with the Archdiocese of Sydney, also included a series of talent competitions where youth are invited to showcase their musical, artistic and film making talents ahead of the festival later this year.
Singers and songwriters are encouraged to put in their entries for the official theme song of ACYF.
While the song competition is open to all ages and must appeal to young people by engaging them in a way that touches their hearts and minds, the short film and art competitions will be curated into an exhibition at the festival.
The song must reflect the joyful and exciting atmosphere of the Festival. As an agent of evangelisation, the song should draw young people to Jesus and the Church. Entries for this competition closes on 26 May 2017.
Reflecting the event theme, Open new horizons for spreading joy: young people, faith and vocational discernment, the short films can be up to three minutes in duration.
Artwork entries should also explore and illustrate an understanding of the Festival theme. A completed body of artwork must not exceed one square metre in area for two-dimensional works and one cubic metre in volume for three-dimensional works.
Both competitions are open to upcoming filmmakers and artists from Year 9 to 30 years old. The closing date for entries is 16 October 2017.
Director of the Office for Youth Malcom Hart said these artistic and creative elements of the festival are a unique opportunity to showcase and celebrate the many gifts and talents of young people.
“I encourage every parish, school and community in Australia to invite and encourage their young people to participate and to grab hold of this opportunity by exploring and sharing their faith through song writing, film making and artistic creations,” Mr Hart said.
“A personal encouragement can be just the spark needed for a young person to seize an opportunity, so spread the word in your local school, parish or youth ministry team,” he said.
The 2017 Festival will feature international and national presenters and performers who will be announced in the coming weeks.
Organisers from dioceses around Australia are invited to attend a National Briefing Day on 28 April and again on 13 October in Sydney to collaborate in bringing young people from city and rural communities across the country. Registrations will be opening shortly.
The Festival exists to provide young people with opportunities to deepen their relationship with Jesus, celebrate their faith and encounter the vitality of the Church in Australia. The Festival will mark the beginning of the Year of Youth in 2018 proclaimed by the Bishops of Australia to celebrate ten years since World Youth Day was hosted in Sydney.
Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Rev Anthony Fisher OP and Australian Catholic Bishops Delegate for Youth is looking forward to welcoming young people from every Catholic Diocese across the country.
“Who could forget the energy and the buzz when we welcomed tens of thousands of young people to our city for World Youth Day in 2008?
“Now, nearly a decade later, young people from across the country will join Church leaders to celebrate and pray for the young Church of Australia,” Archbishop Fisher said.
For more information about the Festival, see www.acyf.org.au.