Youth Weekend a Reason for Hope and a Huge Success
Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
9 Mar 2010
More than 30 young people from as far afield as Wagga Wagga and Albury joined 85 others from Sydney for last weekend's 13th Reasons for Hope gathering at Gerringong on the NSW South Coast.
"Word of mouth has spread to young adults from across NSW who are all keen to be part of the event," says John Burton, a school teacher and youth leader with the Diocese of Wagga Wagga.
John has been attending Reasons for Hope weekends for the past nine years and says the 2010 event was the "best one ever."
Feedback from the 115 young people who attended the weekend which ran from Friday, 5 March to Sunday, 7 March, had all been positive, he says, with many of those there describing their time at the gathering as a "life changing experience."
Open to young people between 15 and 35, this year's Reasons for Hope get-together proved to be a victim of its own success and many who tried to register in the last few weeks were disappointed to find they were too late.
"We hate turning people away but 100 was all we could fit into the chapel at the Gerringong conference centre," says Matt Woodbury, one of the founders of the Reasons for Hope initiative, who along with other young men and women from across Sydney helped organise this year's event.
Despite the chapel only able to hold 100, a further 15 arrived for the weekend and although they were unable to cram into the small chapel, they stood at the open windows and joined in the Mass and Adoration that way.
The annual gathering of young people originated in 1997 when members of two city parish youth groups decided to launch a weekend away for like-minded young Catholics.
Now 13 years later, not only has the annual weekend away become one of the year's most sought-after events, but has proved so popular that young people are now travelling from regional centres such as Wagga Wagga and Albury to join in the fun, and learn more about their faith and deepen their connection with God.
Along with a chance to make new friends and discuss their faith in a relaxed friendly atmosphere, those who attended last weekend's Reasons for Hope get-together were able to hear outstanding speakers such as Bishop Julian Porteous, the Archdiocese of Sydney's Episcopal Bishop for Evangelisation and Renewal; Sister Moira Debono, RSM, a Sister of Mercy from Michigan, USA; Mary Ticinovic, a clinical psychologist and expert on relationships; Fr Michael de Stoop, Director of the Vocation Centre for the Archdiocese of Sydney; Fr Mark Battista from Camden, NSW, Fr Terence Mary Naughtin, OFM an expert on the dangers of Ouija boards, séances and the Occult; and Marie Ficarra, MLC who is a Catholic politician and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and a member of the standing committee on Social Issues.
For many of those there, the two panel discussions – one on relationships and the other on faith in action – proved to be highlights of the weekend.
"Each of the panels had four different speakers tackling the subject from a different perspective," says John Burton. "We all learned more about the Church and our faith and had questions answered."
The popular Faith in Action forum consisted of politician, Marie Ficarra, journalist Catherine James, Anthony Gordon from the Catholic Education Office and Paul Hanrahan, who is well-known for his work with Helper's of God's Precious Infants and his prayer vigils outside abortion clinics.
The equally popular and dynamic forum on Relationships was made up of a male and a female panel which included Fr Mark de Battista, Sr Lydia Marie from Alma, Michigan USA, Mary Ticinovic and her husband Mijo Ticinovic, youth ministry co-ordinator for St Aloysius College and primary school teacher, Sarah Edwards.
The Faith-in-Action 2020 forum, (Paul Hanrahan,
Marie Ficarra MLC, Catherine James, Anthony Gordon)
Many attendees were particularly fascinated by youthful journalist, Catherine James' address on the Role of the Media, and while she agreed that Australia's mainstream media often seemed anti-Catholic, she insisted this was due to ignorance and urged Catholics to learn more about their faith so they could educate the media and bring about change.
But beyond the panels, speeches and prayers, what most young people from the weekend came away with was a feeling of solidarity and a knowledge they are not alone.
"In their day to day life, many young Catholics often feel they are in the minority. But a weekend such as this shows them there are many others who feel as they do," says John Burton.
Matt Woodbury agrees describing the weekend as a life changing experience.
"One of the really great outcomes is that young people realise there are many others who feel the way they do and share the same faith and love of God. When you are young you often think that because of your faith and its importance in your life, you are the odd one out. But at a weekend such as ours, young people learn that there are many of us who share the same beliefs and are proud of our faith," he says.
Fr Michael de Stoop acted as chaplain at the gathering and along with prayer and discussion, there was plenty of time for some to enjoy a game of touch football while others opted to take up the offer of free surf lessons.
Daniel and Matt Hill live at Gerringong where they run a surf school and as regular attendees of the Reasons for Hope weekend in March each year, decided to give anyone who was keen, free lessons in the art of riding the waves.
"We decided early on to always hold Reasons for Hope weekends during Lent as this is the time the uni semester is just starting and there's no clashes with exams which happen later in the year," says Matt Woodbury who along with several others is already in the early stages of planning next year's Reasons for Hope weekend.
But with the popularity of the Reasons for Hope weekends, it is now a question of venue so the numbers attending can be increased from this year's 115 to 125 or more.
