Made New Again: A young Church gathers at Ignite Conference

Canberra Youth, Olivia, Chiara and Christopher

Over 800 young people gathered for a celebration of faith at the first Ignite Conference to be held in Sydney. This was an incredible initiative based on the theme of ‘New Again.’

Archbishop Anthony Fisher attended and celebrated the opening Mass for the Ignite Conference. Inspired by St Francis of Assisi, Archbishop Fisher encouraged those present to rebuild and rejuvenate the Church during these troubled times. 

Nearly 40 youth and young adults from the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn attended the Conference; representing Catholic schools, the Australian Catholic University, ecclesial communities and the Archdiocesan Youth Ministry.

Youth Minister Chiara Catanzariti said that the Conference left her “inspired to respond to the call to everyday holiness, the opportunity for young people to rise to our everyday call of doing small acts with great love and to pursue our vocation of sainthood.”

This was a sentiment shared by Christopher Gilroy, who also said “it was incredible to be amongst people of the mission and come together united in the life of Christ’s Church.”

Those from the Archdiocese joined with leaders from Australia and beyond including Justine Cumbo, Fr Daniel McCaughan, Josh Angrisano, Paul J Kim (USA) and Brendan Malone (New Zealand). Throughout the Conference, inspirational keynotes and workshops were coupled with dynamic days of sacraments, worship, prayer, contemplation and dialogue. It was evident that renewal was the hope and lived experience of all young people gathered.

The Archdiocese is looking forward to seeing this new reality continue to unfold into the 2020 Ignite Conference: Unleashed.