How our students prepared for ACYF
On Sunday 24 November, St Ursula’s students who would soon attend the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) joined hundreds of pilgrims from various Sydney Catholic Schools for a Commissioning Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney.
The mass was celebrated by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP. He gave a blessing to the pilgrims for the beginning of their spiritual journey.
Students also learnt how to prepare physically, emotionally and spiritually for their pilgrimage to Perth.
The theme for ACYF this year was: “Listen to what the Spirit is saying”.
Our Ursula pilgrims were told they would be given opportunities to “listen to what the Spirit is saying”, by hearing and talking about the issues and challenges facing young Catholics in Australia today. They found out they would get the chance to explore their faith and how it relates to life vocations, social action, liturgy and prayer, Catholic music and catechesis.
Through my recent experience attending World Youth Day in Panama 2019, I was blessed to witness students’ lives being transformed physically, emotionally and spiritually by building a stronger relationship with God, interacting with other Catholic students from around the world and sharing their faith with people from many different cultures. Similarly, I know ACYF can be an enriching experience for our students. It can help them deepen their relationship with Jesus, so they can be more empowered to be disciples in the world today and encounter and celebrate being part of the Catholic Church in Australia.
After the Commissioning Mass, staff and students participated in the annual Eucharistic Procession, led by the Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher OP, through the streets of Sydney to proclaim our faith and celebrate the Feast of our King Jesus Christ. We celebrated our faith through hymns, incense and prayers; blessing all inhabitants of the city. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our faith. The Eucharisitc Procession reminded us that we are involved in something much bigger than ourselves.
Now that our students have attended ACYF, please enjoy our report from the pilgrimage here.
God bless!
Laura Fing
Acting Youth Ministry Coordinator
