Registrations for the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) to be held in Sydney from 7 to 9 December 2017 have opened last week.
In news just announced Wednesday 17 May, global contemporary Christian music megastar Matt Maher has confirmed he will be coming to Sydney for event.
The internationally acclaimed Canadian songwriter and worship leader is heading to Australia with his band to join with 15,000 young people at the biggest Festival of its kind to be held in the country.
He will perform, lead worship and provide engaging input on each day of the three-day Festival at Sydney Olympic Park including Sydney Showgrounds, Qudos Bank Arena and The Domain.
Australian Catholic Bishops Delegate for Youth and Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher OP said Mr Maher’s music is a powerful tool to reach young people.
“We’re so pleased to be welcoming this highly acclaimed artist for the ACYF,” Archbishop Fisher said.
“His strong faith and courageous witness right in the heart of contemporary culture is an encouragement to all young people to use their gifts and youthful energy in service of the Gospel.”
Mr Maher expressed his excitement to be visiting Sydney again.
“There is a lot happening down under and I can’t wait to get to Sydney with my band for ACYF to celebrate with the young heart of the Church,” he said.
Mr Maher was in Sydney for the World Youth Day in 2008 and at the same time made his major recording label debut with the album Empty and Beautiful.
Since then, Maher has become a staple in the artistic and song writing community.
Maher was also awarded the Songwriter of the Year at the 2015 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, has been named iTunes Best Christian & Gospel Single and is an eight time Grammy nominee.
He continues to perform and speak as a part of global high-profile events, including performing on stage with Pope Francis in front of more than three million people at World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro and at the World Meeting of Families, marking Pope Francis’ first visit to the US in 2015.
Registration opens online for the Australian Catholic Youth Festival
With seven months to go, online registration officially opened for the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) to be held in Sydney from 7 to 9 December 2017.
Among the first to register were a number of the Bishops of Australia who were in Sydney for their biannual Plenary Meeting.
While registering online for the Festival, Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher said that the festival will be a national expression and joyful celebration of the young Church in Australia.
“I encourage young people across Australia to go online and register with a local group today or visit the Festival website to find out about other opportunities and the pre-festival competitions. If you are between Year 9 and 30 years, the Festival is for you,” he said.
Early bird registration closes on 18 August 2017. Individuals over 18 years can register as part of a local group or directly as an individual participant. All aged under 18 years must register as part of a group.
Groups are encouraged to register early with an additional incentive of a complimentary registration per organisation, for all groups of more than ten that register before 31 May 2017.
The Festival is expected to be the largest gathering of Catholic young people in Australia since World Youth Day 2008.
It aims to draw more than 15,000 young people from every State and Territory to explore, deepen and celebrate their Catholic faith on local soil. Organisers are pulling out all stops to ensure the Festival will bring alive a rich variety of speakers, entertainers, workshops and formation opportunities for our young people.
The three-day event is an initiative of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, hosted in partnership with the Archdiocese of Sydney. The official theme of the Festival is, Open new horizons for spreading joy: Young people, faith and vocational discernment. The gathering will be hosted at Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush with the final Mass taking place at the Domain within the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.
Festival organisers are currently seeking entries for a film, song and art competition with finalists showcased at the event in December. The winning song will become the official theme song for the three-day Festival. For further information about the Festival, visit www.acyf.org.au.
To see Archbishop Fisher join his fellow bishops registering online, view the youtube video by Clicking Here.
The Festival registration process can be completed on mobile or tablet devices. Alternatively, groups and individuals can register online at, www.acyf.org.au.