.- The international Catholic youth congress “Convivio” will meet this weekend in Sydney, Australia to help students come together to reflect on contemporary issues, share their experiences and propose explanations and answers to the challenges they face daily. The theme for the congress is from Mark 8, “Who do you say that I am?”
Convivio Sydney organizers told CNA that the topics are “firmly grounded” in the faith of the Church and the reflections are guided in a way that presents Christ as the “essential answer” for the young participants, who are in their final three years of secondary education.
“Convivio will offer students an opportunity for a deep encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ and from this authentic encounter they can give deep and meaningful answers to their own questions and many others who are in need of the same answers,” Convivio Sydney said.
The congress is hosted by lay members of Sydney’s Fraternas Community, which is part of the international Christian Life Movement.
Cardinal George Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney, wrote a letter inviting youth to the event, saying it is a “valuable opportunity” to consider who Jesus is.
“Everyone who has heard the Gospel message has to answer this question,” the cardinal said. “Is Jesus just another prophet or source of spiritual wisdom? Is he someone who doesn’t matter today, someone from whom our modern world has moved on? Or is he the Son of the Living God, who by his life, death and resurrection showed us that life is greater than suffering, that love is stronger than death?”
“Convivio 09 provides a terrific opportunity for our senior secondary school students to take some time out with the Lord and with each other to focus on how they will answer the Lord and live out that answer,” Cardinal Pell added.
The congress will be held at Bethlehem College at Ashfield, Sydney. The event has previously been held in different cities around South America, the U.S. and England. The 2009 congress is the second time the event has been held in Sydney.
Further information is available at the congress’ website, http://www.convivio.org/sydney.
