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Addressing thousands at the conclusion of the ACYF25 commissioning Mass in Melbourne, Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP announced that the next Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) will be held in Sydney in 2028.
It will form a crucial strand of the International Eucharistic Congress in 2028 (Eucharist28), and the archbishop extended an invitation to all pilgrims present with a challenge to invite their closest 100 friends.
“There are 6000 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?” he said.
“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.”
Young people from Australia and the Oceania region gathered from 30 November to 2 December for the festival, held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
It began with Masses at St Patrick’s Cathedral and a pilgrim walk to the host venue, accompanied by the World Youth Day cross and icon.
The festival included talks, prayer experiences, Masses, workshops, forums, live concerts, engagement with bishops, games, a justice activity centre and an interactive expo.
The final day was marked by the reminder that we are all loved by God and a call for the young pilgrims from across the country to take the experience they received at ACYF out into the world.
The morning plenary began with Fr Rob Galea who took the crowd on a journey of energetic and reflective music, focusing on the presence of God. Following Fr Galea was US speaker Maggie Craig. She focused on the meaning of Jesus’ name – “God saves” – and the mission of salvation at the heart of Christ’s life.
“He comes to save you which he did through the Cross… only the Lord Jesus Christ has risen from the grave and has never died again,” she explained.
“He experienced death to share that experience with us, but he also defeated death because the love and salvation he has for you is stronger than the grave.”
Her reflection helped prepare the pilgrims for the festival’s final Eucharistic adoration. All 6000 young people knelt before the Eucharistic Lord as Bishop Mark Edwards OMI of Wagga Wagga invited them to let God work deeply in their hearts.
“Let him rearrange the furniture of your soul. That’s how the great adventure of giving your life to God begins,” he said.
For many, this moment defined the day. “Adoration with 6000 people, all adoring the same God, goes to show the faith in Australia is alive and that there is hope,” said Paul, a Sydney pilgrim.
Mary and Emily, pilgrims from Sydney and Melbourne, said Craig’s talk helped them enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ.
“She put the passion into words to show you the intensity of what he went through for us,” said Mary. “As a teacher listening to that, I thought that’s how you get their attention and help them remember things about the faith.”
With hearts prepared, pilgrims then made their way to the final round of workshops and talks, including the last ‘Bishops Xchange’ where Archbishop Fisher and Bishop Richard Umbers spoke on “navigating Catholic identity in a digital age.”
The day finished with the concluding Mass where the Melbourne Youth Orchestra and the Choir of Trinity College Melbourne accompanied the liturgy. Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli asked the pilgrims to cultivate their faith and take what they had learned to others.
Aware that returning to ‘normal life’ can be difficult he reminded them that even if “the socials algorithm says: remake yourself. Jesus says: be happy among the little ones who know they are loved and who belong.”
Sydney pilgrim Stephanie echoed that sentiment, telling The Catholic Weekly: “ACYF taught me to not be afraid of what I believe in and being able to share that with other people and being able to understand new perspectives.”
Looking ahead, Sydney Catholic Youth team member Julian Vieira said the announcement Sydney will host ACYF in 2028 filled him with excitement – particularly as it will be the opportunity for young people to experience the church united across all ages.
“To have ACYF as part of Eucharist28 which is even larger, shows that we aren’t siloing the youth and young adults or the adults of the church,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to helping young people realise what a great gift we have to always have Christ present with us in our Blessed Sacrament.”
Following the festival, Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry delegate for youth Bishop George Kolodziej SDS wrote a letter expressing his hopes for young people.
“I have been encouraged by your enthusiasm and witness to Jesus Christ, our friend, who accompanies us along the journey of life,” Bishop Kolodziej said in the letter.
“We worshipped and prayed together, listened to one another, deepened our faith, and met new friends from across our great country.
“We now turn to our local communities, embracing our call to be missionary disciples. Let us share our joy as we prepare for World Youth Day 2027 in Korea and the International Eucharistic Congress 2028 in Sydney.
“I invite all young people of Australia to make their home with Christ and to remain in Him, the true Vine (John 15:5).