AUSTRALIA
Originally posted on www.oblates.com.au
The National Oblate Youth Encounter (NOYE) is an annual event organized by the Province of Australia. It brings together young people from around the country who wish to share their Catholic faith in tandem with the Charism of St Eugene De Mazenod. NOYE provides a balance of prayer, workshops, open-forums, liturgy, games and free time to enjoy the recreational activities on offer at the campsite. It first began in 2000, known back then as “Youth Coming Together”, only with 12 young people. Year by year, it has gone from strength to strength.
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National Oblate Youth Encounter 2020 was another successful camp! This year we had over 105 people attend. The support from the Oblate communities around the country helped us break triple figures for the first time in many years, with our venue at capacity.
This year’s theme “mission is possible” gave us the opportunity to understand exactly what mission is in our lives and how we can go about living out this mission. We were able to break this topic down through three daily talks given by representatives of our Oblate Youth community. Mission for young Catholics can often be challenging in today’s world, however given the opportunity to gather together as a community of young people inspired by the Oblate charism enabled us to see that mission really is possible. The encounter was not only a chance to meet with new people from the various Oblate communities, but to personally encounter Jesus through sharing, adoration, reconciliation, and prayer.
This year we were joined by eight Oblates for the whole camp. Their support and presence was hugely appreciated, helping the young people to talk with and understand the Oblate charism on a deeper level. Over the four days, we found ourselves reflective, joyous and moved, and we can’t wait to do it all again next year.
