Bishop Anthony Fisher
Monday, 26 November 2012
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Australian Catholic Youth Festival : 5 – 7 December 2013, Melbourne
In December 2013 the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference will host the first Australian Catholic Youth Festival. The Festival is anticipated to be the largest national gathering of Catholic young people since WYD 2008.
You are invited to begin promoting and preparing for the Festival and supporting young people from your community to attend.
The Festival will be held from Thursday, 5 December to Saturday, 7 December. It will be held at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) St Patrick’s Campus in East Melbourne, as well as at the East Melbourne Catholic Precinct, including St Patrick’s Cathedral and other nearby churches and facilities.
The Festival will invite students in the age group from Year 9 to young adults aged 25 years from schools, universities, youth groups, parishes, groups and movements throughout Australia. The venues and organisational arrangements have a capacity for 4000 young people. With your assistance we hope to reach this limit.
The Festival aims to celebrate the communion between God and humanity that the Catholic Church signifies and makes present in Australia. It will also be a unique listening opportunity for Church leaders to encounter and engage in constructive dialogue with young people. It is therefore essential that young people from your community are present to contribute to this experience. I also encourage you to make the journey with
the youth of your parish and be enlivened by the young heart of the Church.
Included with this letter is an outline of the Festival’s goals which I hope will help you to gain a greater understanding of what the Festival will be about. Additional information can be found on the Festival website (www.youthfestival.catholic.org.au) where you can register your details to receive regular updates concerning the Festival.
Also included is a poster to assist you to promote the Festival, as well as a small number of business cards which can be used to invite any young people from your community. A promotional clip is also available on the ACBC Youth Ministry YouTube channel; www.youtube.com/acbcyouth. There is also a variety of conversations and information being shared by the Festival’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/acyfestival. Additional
promotional material will be provided in early 2013 prior to the launch of registrations in March.
If you would like any further information about the Festival or any additional material sent to you, please contact Malcolm Hart, Senior Youth Ministry Projects Officer, Bishops Commission for Pastoral Life on: Email: youthministry@catholic.org.au; Phone: (07) 3109 6806; and Mobile: 0419 951 417 or click on the following link
Thank you for your support and I look forward to seeing you at the Festival in 2013.
Yours fraternally in Christ,
Most Rev Anthony Fisher OP
Bishops Delegate for Youth