Australian Catholic Youth Festival Student Reflections

L-R: Maddison Green, Kate Reedy, Taneisha Cook, Erin Smart, Clare Freeman

From the 6th to the 10th of December 2017, Merici students Erin Smart, Taneisha Cook, Kate reedy, Maddison Green together with Ms Clare Freeman (Teacher) travelled to Sydney along with over 100 other youth from the Canberra/Goulburn Archdiocese to take part in the Australian Catholic Youth Festival. We were joined by another 15,000 young people at Sydney Olympic Park where we participated in four days of prayer, worship and celebration with an atmosphere of joy that we will never forget.

Some personal highlights for us were the ‘Hanging with Hilda’ segments where Sr Hilda Schott had an open discussion with various attendants of the Festival; the uplifting performances from highly talented musicians Matt Maher, Fr Rob Galea and Steve Angrisano, and who could forget the Adoration and public Mass in the Domain on the final night where all 1500+ participants and Sydney locals came all together for one last time.

We are so blessed that we could take this opportunity to represent Merici College and create a greater understanding of what the Year of Youth can look like at our school during this year. We would extend our gratitude and personal thanks to Ms Freeman who was alongside us the whole time, embracing this most spectacular experience with us.

As Archbishop Prowse told us while on the trip, “Together as youth we are required to find our Mary and Jesus moments which should create a tsunami full of good deeds – we may be young but we must set an example for the believer; in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and purity.”

 

Maddison Green and Erin Smart

on behalf of the ACYF Merici College team

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