Year in Review 2025 Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst 27 experiences for all who attended, even the ‘once young’ among us. Through plenary sessions with a balance of energy and stillness, workshops catering to every wondering, Adoration, Reconciliation and large-scale liturgies, our young people experienced the Church in a new way. Our Sandhurst theme Hope is Alive and the ACYF and Jubilee theme, Pilgrims of Hope resonated strongly, helping pilgrims recognise that they are not alone in their faith. The impact of ACYF was evident in a strengthened sense of belonging to the Sandhurst diocesan family; increased confidence in expressing faith openly; and a renewed desire to missionary discipleship on their return. The part of ACYF that impacted me the most was realising that faith isn’t something I have to carry alone. Seeing thousands of young people my age praying, worshipping, and openly seeking God made me feel less isolated in my own faith journey. The talks and moments of prayer reminded me that even with doubts, struggles and questions, God still meets me where I am. ACYF helped me understand that being Catholic isn’t just about personal belief—it’s about community, support, and walking together towards Christ. Clyza Liceralde ACYF Pilgrim Catherine McAuley College Bendigo and St Kilian’s Parish Carlo Acutis Exhibition and Gathering: On 22 November, pilgrims marked the Feast of Christ the King with a “Hope is Alive” day. The afternoon began with prayer and reflection on the witness of St Carlo Acutis guided by Fr Stephen Bolling, and time with the Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition at Sacred Heart Cathedral. This was followed by a short pilgrimage walk to the community garden at St Kilian’s where pilgrims enjoyed a sausage sizzle and had meaningful time together in small-group conversations about faith, belonging and hope, led by Fr Junray. The gathering concluded with a Youth Mass that challenged and encouraged young people to place Christ at the centre of their lives, before pilgrims were blessed, commissioned and sent forth with renewed faith and anticipation for the journey ahead. Youth Masses: Throughout 2025, it has been particularly wonderful to see the organic development of a small local group of young people between St Kilian’s in Bendigo and Holy Rosary in White Hills, who share responsibility for the planning and leadership of regular Youth-led Masses across the two parishes with the support of the SYM Team. We are so pleased to see this youth-driven initiative come to life as our young people participate actively and responsibly in the life, mission and work of the Catholic faith community. Podcast: Catch the Flame: A Sandhurst Catholic Youth Podcast: It began with conversations in the SYM office, where we asked ourselves, “Why not bring this to platforms like podcasting, where we can still continue sharing reflections and ideas, but this time reach not just the walls around us but the young people out there as well?” That question led to a series of planning sessions and coordination with Fr Junray, who developed an outline of topics and a list of possible guests to join us and share their insights. “Catch the Flame” is a space created for our young people in the Sandhurst Diocese to explore faith, life, stories and questions through honest and real conversations. The podcast was launched on 21 August 2025, and Season One, has already concluded with four episodes that explored themes leading up to the ACYF. Launch of the new Socials Pages: We created our new social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram in the last quarter of this year. This was necessary because we could no longer make major changes to the previous accounts, including authentication and security settings, as the phone number linked to them no longer exists. With the new accounts, we now can grant access to specific individuals for designated tasks. For example, we were able to provide Julie Moore with appropriate access when she served as our official photographer and videographer for ACYF 2025. The launch of these new pages was an important step in strengthening our youth ministry’s digital presence and visibility. It allowed us to intentionally shape our online voice, storytelling, and outreach to better reflect the life, faith, and experiences of the young people we serve. These platforms now serve as a central space to communicate, celebrate milestones, and build ongoing connection with the wider youth community. This year marked the beginning of something new for many young people and revitalised faith in others, as they discovered that faith isn’t just something celebrated at church or big events, but something lived day by day. Through growing relationships and accompaniment across parishes, schools and diocesan life, young people recognise themselves as missionary disciples in their own lives. By sharing stories, asking honest questions and experiencing faith together, they are learning how their faith can be lived out in classrooms, workplaces, families and friendships. As we look to what follows for youth ministry, these experiences affirm that Youth Ministry is most fruitful when it stays relational, Christ-centred and missionfocused. Building on the momentum of pilgrimage, festival experiences and local initiatives, the Diocese is well-placed to keep nurturing personal and spiritual growth, deepening participation in Church life, and empowering young people to live as missionary disciples. Grounded in hope and guided by the Spirit, Youth Ministry in Sandhurst continues to be a living sign that hope is alive among our young people. Claire Spinelli Youth Ministry Team Leader Diocese of Sandhurst 2025 Reports
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQ0MTI=