Call to connect with our youth
THE Year of Youth has inspired young people to go to great lengths for their faith — but few as far as the Missionaries of God’s Love.
A team of missionaries, including three sisters, two brothers and five inspirational young people, have given up a full year to travel the country and share their message with young people.
The team spent a few months in Townsville, inspiring local youth to share their message of hope.
Sr Therese Mills travelled with the group, which is based in Canberra, and said the Year of Youth was a calling to spread their message.
“Our sisterhood down in Canberra felt called to be a part of that and we wanted to offer something for the Catholic Church of Australia, so we wrote to a number of bishops to offer ourselves as available to youth ministry within the church and to make ourselves available particularly in regional areas,” she said.
“We really felt called to go to regional areas, and bring alive the youth ministry of the church today.
“We got our team together, we did some training down in Canberra and then we did a big road trip from Canberra to Townsville.”
Young Missionaries Xavier Direen of Hobart and Jessica Bond of Christchurch, New Zealand both travelled from afar to share their inspiration with Townsville’s youth, but said it was the right decision.
It’s always been something I’ve been open to, I grew up around young missionaries and looked up to those people a lot, so it’s been a seed that’s been in me for a long time,” Xavier said.
“The opportunity to work with the Missionaries of God’s Love was just wonderful and something I personally was really excited by and wanted to pursue further,” Jessica said.
Jessica and Xavier said Townsville had been a beautiful place to visit, and said they were warmly welcomed by the community.
“For me, I haven’t always been a part of the church, so as a young person I love to see the difference that God can make in young people’s lives,” Jessica said.
“I love youth ministry and I just love to see ( young people) know that they’re loved and know that they have a purpose and potential and to see them be lit up by that.”
“It’s been really good to see a lot of the young people that we’ve done ministry with have never really experienced anything like it before, and have never really known about it, so for us coming into their lives they’re so openminded and have really taken on board our message,” Xavier said.
Sr Mills said the group had very much enjoyed their time in Townsville and that their messages had been well- received.
“The church here in Townsville is on fire, it’s such a cool place to be and we’ve felt so welcomed. The hospitality has been phenomenal,” she said.
Sr Mills said some of the missionaries were faced with a difficult choice about whether to commit to the year of volunteering. “For some of our younger team members they had to decide whether or not to have a gap year and defer uni, some were also in full- time work, but some of them are just responding to what they believe God is calling them to do,” she said.
“Young people can get sucked into the struggles of the world, but these young people really want to bring the hope of Jesus into a hopeless world so I think that’s inspiring and such a beautiful thing to see.”