Youth Ministry News

On Saturday 29 November, Mrs Nader along with 14 students and myself, travelled to Melbourne for the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) where we joined thousands of young Catholics in worship, music, workshops and prayer. Highlights ranged from lively concerts to quiet moments of Eucharistic Adoration, with opportunities to engage with bishops and speakers. The experience fostered community, deepened faith and left participants motivated to live as “bearers of Christ’s light.”

Attending ACYF was an eye-opening experience, helping and encouraging young individuals to open up their hearts to God, and learn more about their faith. Through inspirational talks, workshops, masses and plenary sessions, we were able to learn our connection with God, and how our faith will guide us through different paths. The Australian Catholic Youth Festival also enabled us to grow friendships with others from different schools, who share similar mindsets and want to explore our faith further. Overall, the ACYF was an impactful 5-day experience, and I would highly encourage students to attend the next one in Sydney, 2028.

We hope you enjoy reading what some of our students had to say about their experience.

As 2025 draws to a close and we prepare our hearts to welcome Christ, Advent invites us to pause, pray and open ourselves to His presence. Amid the busyness of life, we are reminded that lasting joy is found in making space for the Lord. May this season of anticipation renew our faith and inspire us to share His light with the world.

Wishing you and your family a blessed Christmas and a joyful, prosperous New Year.

Nicole Katacos
Youth Ministry Coordinator

Aisha Castro Ceballos
Year 9

Olivia Gois
Year 10

ACYF was truly an incredible experience and I came away from it with so much more than I ever expected. I learnt how powerful it can be to sing your heart out in worship, how deeply God can speak in the silence of adoration, and what it means to surrender everything to Him through confession.

We had the privilege of hearing so many inspiring voices from Fr Rob Galea to Sr Mary Grace, and even special messages from Pope Leo, Archbishop Fisher and Archbishop Comensoli. In one of the sessions called “How to love your friends (and your enemies)”, I was reminded that Jesus knew Judas would betray Him and still washed his feet, and that kind of love reminds me that no mistake can ever make God give up on us. This festival reminded me that there is so much hope in the young Church. I saw countless people stepping forward for confession, lifting their voices in worship and choosing to embrace their faith with joy.

To anyone reading this: God loves you and He desires to know you personally. He sees every flaw and mistake, yet His love for you remains constant and unfailing. You are loved by the God who created you intentionally; beautifully, uniquely, and perfectly as you are. Don’t wait to encounter Him because the time to draw close is now. Trust in him and the rest will follow.

Brianna Merlino
Year 11

My experience at the Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Melbourne 2025 genuinely gave me a sense of purpose. It helped me realise that my faith isn’t just something personal, it’s something I’m called to live out for others especially in my role as a Minister of Holy Communion within the College community. The festival also helped me build deeper relationships with the Christian community and opened my eyes to how welcoming, supportive and worshipful we are when we gather together. It showed me what it truly means to belong and to serve.

Isabella Saoud
Year 9

Overall, I had an amazing experience at ACYF of faith formation which I would do again in a heartbeat, from the speakers and workshops to the praise and worship songs and exhibitions. It was a truly remarkable experience which allowed me to develop my relationship with God. The plenary sessions taught me that God is loving and merciful and cares for all our needs constantly, all we need to do is pray and have faith. I also learnt that prayer is a fundamental part of our faith where God listens to us and the two essential factors of prayer are hearing God’s voice and letting God hear our voice which I learnt from Sister Mary Grace’s workshop.

Georgia Tsovolos
Year 10

This experience allowed me to look deeper into myself and my faith to further discover how God’s patience and grace persist in my life. There are often times when it is easy to forget how blessed we are, and this trip has helped me to gain a more positive outlook on my life and my faith, reminding me of God’s ever-present love. Spending so much time with like-minded young Christians has grown in me a sense of community, and I look forward to continuing in my journey of adoration and worship.