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On the verge of Igniting something special

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Praise and worship music was one of the highlights of the four-day Ignite festival. PHOTO: Supplied

Many tears were shed as the moving power of the Holy Spirit was felt by about 1,700 young people at the annual Ignite Youth conference in Brisbane from 27 to 30 September.

One of the highlights of the four-day event was the announcement that the charismatic event ran by Ignite Youth—a ministry of the Emmanuel Community—will be coming to Sydney in 2019 with the theme of ‘New Again’. Team Leader of Sydney Catholic Youth, Chris Lee, said Ignite is pivotal for many young Catholics, in bringing them back to the essentials of their faith—to Jesus, the Church and to a sense of mission.

“I think we’re on the verge of something really special,” Mr Lee told The Catholic Weekly. “Ignite will bring many more young people in Sydney to meet Jesus.”

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When the announcement was made via video during the conference that Ignite would come to Sydney in 2019, Mr Lee said the crowd went “crazy.”

He said Ignite Youth have “a gift for connecting with young people.”

Some of the more than 1,700 young people at this year’s Ignite conference in Brisbane. The event will also be held in Sydney from next year. PHOTO: Supplied

There were also “a lot of tears” at the 2018 conference, Mr Lee said, especially during the “Holy Spirit Night” where there was a special focus on the feast of Pentecost.

The theme for the conference was “Empty,” referring to the need to “empty ourselves to allow God to fill us… letting go and allowing God to work, to hear God’s voice.”

“It was amazing to see the growth in the young people over the four-day conference,” Mr Lee said.

One young 15 year-old boy said he “loved” the conference and felt a deep sense of “peace and joy” during the time of Eucharistic Adoration. Another young woman told Mr Lee that the conference had led to her to consider undertaking missionary work.

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