‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ – John 3:16

Students from across the Archdiocese have come together at Marist College in Canberra for the third annual SHINE gathering run by Catholic Schools Youth Ministry Australia (CSYMA).

This year's event saw 520 students from across 12 Archdiocesan schools attend, which was a significant increase on previous years. Catholic Identity Officer, Nathan Galea, said he was excited by the continued growth of SHINE.

“We’ve got people from Pambula and the South Coast, people from around Canberra and from places like Temora and Cootamundra,” Nathan said.

“We are excited about the things that are taking place within the Archdiocese as we begin to seek new ways for our schools to become centres of the New Evangelisation.”

The event was open to Year 9 and 10 students who had chosen an elective within the Religious Education Program which focused on the CSYMA Youth Ministry Program. The program seeks to establish a Formation pathway that introduces young people to a personal relationship with Jesus, the Church and the Catholic Faith.

The theme of this year’s gathering was ‘The Truth: Life = Love’.

Archbishop Christopher Prowse, one of the guest speakers, was equally thrilled about the growth of the event and the popularity of the Youth Ministry Program.

“I am really happy that it has been organised by youth, for youth and for the evangelisation of youth in the Archdiocese,” said the Archbishop.

“We’re well placed to be what Christ wants us to be, to be his presence in the world today as missionary disciples.”

Throughout the day, students participated in a number of activities including icebreakers, drama, live music, games, testimony presentations and practical workshops. These were designed to encourage students to be open to developing their own personal relationship with Christ.

At the conclusion of the event students were offered an opportunity to respond and come and receive a blessing. The response was overwhelming.

“I loved this conference so much,” said one student.“It is lovely to know that there are more people across the Archdiocese that are on their Faith journey just like me. I am learning so much about my Faith, and it is helping me discover the person I want to be.”