The Divine Word Missionaries played an active role in the recent Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Melbourne by sharing the SVD missionary charism with young Catholics, promoting vocations, and gaining inspiration from them, as well.

Province Vocations Director Fr Yon Wiryono SVD attended with seminarians from Dorish Maru College and for the first time, the SVD collaborated with the Indonesian Catholic Community in Melbourne, highlighting the value in lay people and Religious working together to promote vocations.

“God’s mission is our mission.  His life, our life.” That’s the message that the SVD shared with more than 5500 young people attending the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) in Perth this month.

The Divine Word Missionaries had a stall at the Festival’s ‘Encounter Expo’, where they shared the SVD charism with youth who dropped in to visit. A number of SVD parishes and chaplaincies also took groups of their young people to experience the big faith gathering which had the theme: ‘Listen to what the Spirit is saying’.

About 80 young people from SVD parishes and chaplaincies in Alice Springs, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney made the pilgrimage to the Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Sydney early this month, an event they say “changed hearts” and “opened minds”.

The youth kicked off their ACYF experience with a vigil gathering at the St Arnold Janssen Chapel in Marsfield, which was broadcast on Facebook Live, before heading to Homebush for the Festival.