And so the final day of ACYF was here. With the last 7am start for GSCC, we boarded the buses and headed to Sydney Olympic Park. Once we arrived, we headed straight into the heat of the activities. We began with a challenge set by Mrs Moutou to complete a list of activities such as taking a selfie with a bishop and completing many other activities in order to win an ACYF shirt.
From there we headed into hall 3 and 4 for an amazing performance by Genevieve Bryant, before the magnificent Matt Maher took to the stage.
With GSCC right at the front of the crowd that stretched back a good 100 metres, we embraced his incredible words. His melody of songs would take us from singing our lungs out, to peacefully swaying as we were astonished by his words that demonstrated our deep love for God and how he was forever present in all of us.
After such wonderful performances, we sat for lunch before we headed off to the train station to travel to Milsons Point for the final mass at The Domain.
After about an hour of walking over the Harbour Bridge, through The Rocks and Circular Quay and through the beautiful Botanical Gardens; we finally flocked to The Domain where we were entertained by many musical talents as we prepared ourselves for the final mass.
Finally we had made it. The final mass was something truly magical I'm sure all that were present would agree as Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney gave a homily that captured the hearts of the young people, and asked us to go above and beyond the darkness in the world and give it the light that it needs. A place of pure peace, contentment and joy as ACYF 2017 came to a close. Archbishop Anthony Fisher also announced the next ACYF, which would be in Perth, Western Australia in 2019. The crowd roared!!
On behalf of the Year 10 and 11 students present at ACYF 2017 these past 3 days, I would like to thank all the teaching staff for their constant guidance and support, Mr Reyes for his immaculate photography and Ms Romolo for her amazing dedication and organisation for us these past 3 days. We are truly thankful to all.
Finally, I would like to finish with a beautiful and inspirational testimony by Vanessa Wishalim of Year 10 as she reflects on her ACYF 2017 journey. The testimony is found here.
Thank you and God bless