After a much needed night of rest, Australian Catholic Youth Festival goers will return to Sydney Olympic Park today for another high-impact day of talks, interactive activities, social justice learning opportunities and music.
US headliner, speaker and singer Emily Wilson will take to the stage for the first plenary session after a successful workshop on femininity yesterday.
Australian musician and composer of the ACYF 2015 song, Gen Bryant, will have already warmed up the crowd inside Qudos Arena with contemporary praise and worship, followed by current ACYF song composer Tim Hart, singing We are a Joyful Generation.
Bishop Mark Edwards will deliver the morning’s message before Emily Wilson once again takes the stage to lead the 20,000-strong gathering in praying a decade of the Rosasy, with 10 other young people to help her out.
Charity innovators Orange Sky Laundry will share their journey about how they came to operate an award winning charity, helping homeless people throughout Brisbane to maintain their self-respect through mobile do-it-yourself laundry services.
One of the popular performers of yesterday, a man who successfully egged on a bishop to join him on stage for some dancing, Fr Rob Galea and band will perform what is expected to be another strong set of fun and faith-filled songs.
Then the young people will head off for another epic afternoon of exploring the stalls and activities in the Encounter Dome and attending small workshops and talks before another plenary at 6.30pm.
This time around, the ever popular Sr Hilda Scott OSB and the Bishop of one of Australia’s fastest growing and most ethnically diverse regions, Bishop Vincent Long of Parramatta will be joined on stage by young people for a discussion: What have they learnt so far, and what they plan to do with that learning?
Emily will return to the stage with another of the headliners, Steve Angrisano, who last night had the entirety of Qudos Arena up off their seats, singing and laughing, before Archbishop Christopher Prowse of Canberra delivers a morning catechesis.
Local musicians Gary and Natasha Pinto, both vocal coaches to the stars on television’s the X Factor, will perform.
Uniting the ACYF with the events of 10 years ago, the pair will perform the 2008 WYD song, Receive the Power, which Gary co-wrote with Guy Sebastian.
And then the presence of God will be made known in a big way, with Steve Angrisano introducing the young people to Eucharistic Adoration.