Diocesan News
DAY 2:
“BE SEARCHERS OF AN ETERNAL HORIZON”: ARCHBISHOP COMENSOLI COMMISSIONS YOUTH AS FESTIVAL ENDS
In a concluding Mass that saw the Melbourne Youth Orchestra and the Choir of Trinity College Melbourne accompany the liturgy with a glorious and specially composed fanfare and musical setting, courtesy of local composer Mary Finsterer, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli sent the 6,000 young participants forth as pilgrims of hope and “the Spirit’s new shoots.”
Archbishop Comensoli urged the young pilgrims to nurture the life of the Holy Spirit within that contrasts with the lack of hope experienced by so many. “In a world that often trades in distrust, anxiety and the fear of not fitting, the Spirit has been growing in you,” he said. “Mercy instead of refusal, listening instead of shouting, serving instead of influencing.”
Reflecting on the Gospel of Luke, in which Jesus rejoices over the faith of “the little ones”, he encouraged everyone present. “Jesus was rejoicing over people like you. Not because you have everything sorted out, but because you have set out on the journey with Him—open-hearted, on the way, willing to be saints among the saints of God’s pilgrim people.” “The socials algorithm says: remake yourself. Jesus says: be happy among the little ones who know they are loved and who belong.”
“Be searchers for an eternal horizon, not a shrunken enclosure,” Archbishop Comensoli said in his closing words. “Go out to greet Him—Jesus is waiting to welcome you.”
The tone of the final day of the Festival was markedly different from the previous days. Prefacing the busyness of the activities, workshops and bishops X-Changes—a unique feature that provided an opportunity for young people to enter conversation with the bishops on important topics of faith and culture—was a full-pilgrim experience of Eucharistic adoration. In the more contemplative atmosphere, Bishop Mark Edwards OMI of Wagga Wagga guided the young pilgrims, inviting them to let the Lord into their hearts. “Give Him your whole heart,” he said. “Let Him rearrange the furniture of your soul. That’s how the great adventure of giving your life to God begins.”
At the conclusion of Mass, Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP extended a formal invitation to all to attend the 2028 ACYF, which would form a ‘crucial strand’ of the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC).
“Look around you,” he said, after thunderous applause. “There are 6,000 of you here for this festival. Now multiply that in your imagination by 10 to 60,000, then multiply that by 10 more to 600,000. How’s that for a goal? Over these days, we’ve had something powerful moving among you. A hunger for God, the courage to seek him, the joy in finding him have been tangible, unmistakable signs of the Holy Spirit at work in this country. More than a feeling and enthusiasm and experience, something is being awakened in our Church, in our land. Everything you experienced this morning in Adoration, everything at this beautiful Mass,” he went on, “everything throughout our days together—the faith and idealism, the meaning and purpose, the closeness to each other and to God, all flows from one source and one source only: Jesus Christ.”
Archbishop Fisher encouraged the young pilgrims to grow in their Eucharistic faith, to participate in the pilgrimages and processions and catechesis of their local communities, and to prepare well ahead of time for the 2028 combined ACYF and IEC experience. ‘[Jesus] is most intimate with us in his Eucharist,” he said. “The Eucharist is not just a symbol. It is an encounter with the living Christ, His flesh and blood, His body and soul, His humanity and divinity. All for you, everything He is.”
Day 1:
“CREATED FOR LOVE”: DAY TWO OF ACYF UNITES PILGRIMS IN TRUTH, TESTIMONY AND RADICAL HOPE
After a launch that delivered a resounding message of welcome and belonging, the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) opened on Monday, December 1, with an invitation for pilgrims to discover the deeper purpose of their life: that they were created by love and for love.
Recently appointed Bunbury Bishop, George Kolodziej SDS—who jokingly referred to himself as a ‘baby bishop’ who was still learning the ropes—opened the morning with a warm encouragement. “Jesus is your friend. He loves you as you are,” Bishop George said. “Actually, he is in love with you. He delights in you. God doesn’t ask you to be perfect. He asks you to trust him with your heart, your gifts, your story—even the messy parts.”
One of the Festival’s most highly anticipated international guests—though originally hailing from Sydney—was Sr Mary Grace SV, who arrived in Melbourne with a group of fellow Sisters of Life and took to the stage to thunderous applause. She shared her own story of how she moved from aspiring to become an Olympic athlete to becoming a religious sister, realising no finite thing could fulfil the infinite and unending love she was made for. She recalled a particular moment of prayer while driving over Sydney Harbour Bridge. “I said: ‘God, I want to do something great with my life.’ And the answer that came into my heart wasn’t ‘Olympic gold’—it was, ‘What about becoming a great saint?’”.
That answer began a revolution in her heart. ‘The world felt like a stage I was expected to perform upon,’ she said. ‘I thought life was blessed as long as you kept God impressed … [But] life is not a field he is waiting for you to compete in. It’s a pilgrimage he is walking beside you on.’ She reminded the audience that God is not waiting for perfection—only for our presence. ‘God asks one thing of you: to be yourself, and to take the step only you can take … God is not asking you to figure out your future. You don’t need a vision or a 12-year plan. He is asking you to follow his Son.’
The overarching theme, “Created for Love,” was threaded throughout the day’s workshops, which included topics on learning how to pray, mental health and spirituality, cultivating authentic relationships, using technology and creativity for evangelisation, leadership in faith, truth in the modern age, the mystery of suffering, and many more.
The Justice Activity Centre provided an especially hands-on experience of faith. Young pilgrims not only learned about Catholic Social Teaching but also participated in advocacy experiences and wrote letters to people in detention.
The second day also saw the official opening of Mercy Park, where a steady stream of pilgrims received the sacrament of Reconciliation throughout the day.
Opening:
“BECOME WHO GOD MADE YOU TO BE”: POPE LEO XIV INSPIRES THOUSANDS AT OPENING OF ACYF 2025
Thousands of young Catholics from across Australia filled the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre today for the highly anticipated opening of the 2025 Australian Catholic Youth Festival—an energetic celebration of faith and the first time it has been hosted in Melbourne since 2013.
At the heart of the opening plenary was a surprise video message from His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, who offered a personal and warm encouragement to young Australians to embrace their God-given identity and walk boldly as disciples in today’s world. “Our lives find their ultimate purpose in becoming who God made us to be, by living out his will,” the Holy Father said, recalling the words of Pope Benedict XVI. “You are not the result of a random process. Each of you is willed, each of you is loved, each of you is necessary.” Pope Leo urged young people not to be discouraged by cultural trends that dismiss traditional values or isolate individuals despite the promise of connection. “Technology may connect us,” he noted, “but it can also leave us more isolated.” Instead, he offered a solution grounded in truth: “Turn to God, especially through prayer and the sacraments. That’s where you’ll hear your Heavenly Father’s voice most clearly.” The Pope concluded by calling on young pilgrims to draw inspiration from the lives of saints such as St Catherine of Siena, St Carlo Acutis, and St Pier Giorgio Frassati, and to return home ready to “build up the Kingdom of God in your local communities.”
Ahead of the Pope’s message, Melbourne Archbishop Peter A Comensoli, offered a heartfelt welcome to the thousands of young people gathered under the banner of Pilgrims of Hope. “Whatever reason has brought you here, somehow Jesus had a part in that,” he said. “You belong here. I want to welcome you to your new house—this house of the Church. And it’s your house too.” Reflecting on the theme of “pilgrimage,” Archbishop Comensoli encouraged young people to consider where they are in their faith journey. “He wanted you to be here; he’s had an invite waiting for you. You belong here. So, welcome to your house, this house of the Church.”
Closing out the opening plenary was a stirring address by Ukrainian Mykola Cardinal Bychok CSsR, who shared a deeply personal story of growing up in a persecuted Church under Soviet rule.
“I remember watching my parents praying quietly—just simple, trusting faith,” Cardinal Bychok said.
“Prayer became, for me, like oxygen—quiet, invisible, but necessary for life.” He spoke candidly of being bullied as a child for his faith and challenged the young crowd to remain courageous in their witness.
“The world may try to silence your faith, but it can never silence your prayer,” he said. “When you pray—especially when it is difficult—you allow God to speak into the deepest part of your heart.”
“Even the smallest whispered prayer reaches the ear of God. No government can ban it. No bully can break it. No social pressure can erase it. Your prayer is your strength. Your prayer is your freedom. Your prayer is your hope.”
Holding up a handmade rosary crafted by Ukrainian prisoners of war, Cardinal Bychok offered a powerful symbol of hope and resilience. “These young men and women—your peers—have endured suffering most of us cannot imagine. Yet in their darkest moments, they turned to God. Their hands, which once defended their homeland, now shape beads of hope.” He concluded by inviting all present to join him in praying a decade of the Holy Rosary for peace—especially in Ukraine—and for all nations wounded by war and injustice.
Earlier in the afternoon, thousands took part in a 5km pilgrimage walk from St Patrick’s Cathedral to the Festival venue. Accompanied by the World Youth Day Cross and Icon, which returned to Australia for the first time in 20 years, the walk was a moving public witness to the faith, diversity and youthful vibrancy of the Church in Australia.
Over the next two days, pilgrims will engage in over 100 workshops, daily Mass, concerts, and sacred prayer experiences—carrying with them the words of the Holy Father and the challenge to live out their faith with openness and curiosity, with joy, excitement and, above all, courage.
ACYF 2025 – Jamie O’Brien, ACYF Media & News Manager
Ballarat Diocesan ACYF Pilgrims (Photos Noeline Hogan) and Bishop Paul trialing his ACYF hat before the festival
Below; Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) Opening Liturgy with WYD Cross & Icon – courtesy of Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne
Diocesan Pilgrims were able to celebrate a Festival Mass on Monday December 1 at 11:30 am in the Goldfields Event Space with Bishop Paul and Archbishop Tim Costelloe. Diocesan Priests were also in attendance, this included Fr James Kerr from the Northeast Mallee parish, Fr Cay Trinh from the Western Border Parish and Fr John Corrigan and Fr Bill Lowry from the Sunraysia Parish.
