The faith-led smiles on the faces of our young people were evident when they made their way from the Southern Downs to Melbourne this month, for the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF).
Joined by Fr Bony Abraham from Warwick and Fr Nathan Webb from Stanthorpe, along with newly-ordained priest, Fr BJ Perrett and school staff of St Joseph's, Fr Bony told our newspaper that for the 30 or so young people it was "a unique opportunity to experience the vibrancy of the wider Church, to worship alongside their peers, and to rediscover that they are not alone in their faith journey".
"Through three days of inspiring talks, prayer, music, and shared experiences, the festival offered a space for renewal and revival," he said. "It was a grace-filled experience that will continue to bear fruit in the lives of our young people and in our parish communities."
Hosted nationally, ACYF brought together more than 6,000 young people from across Australia in what Fr Nathan said was a "joy to see the Church so alive and to see the young people engage in the life of the Church".
"For me, it was a reminder that God and Church are not inaccessible to this emerging generation. Having a room full of 6,000 people singing praise and praying the rosary on the first night reminded me that we are ready for God; we did not need scaffolding or gradual entry to this."
More from those young people in our next edition.
