I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).
This is what it means to be truly full of life - or LIVE.

Each year in the Diocese of Wollongong, each secondary school is blessed to have the Catholic Youth Ministry Wollongong (CYMW) team visit the school three times a year to run LIVE. The aim of LIVE is to draw young people into responsible participation in the life, mission and work of the Catholic Church and forge a strong sense of community.

On Thursday 28th February, students at St Francis were invited to experience their first LIVE event of the year, focusing on the theme “Who am I?”. The first part of LIVE was a lunchtime concert where the CYMW team performed live music under the COLA from their mobile stage. This lunchtime concert was open not just to our secondary students but also to our students in Years 3-6, one of the many benefits for students of a K-12 school.

After school, the second part of LIVE took place with our Year 7-9 students participating in an optional retreat afternoon where the theme “Who am I?” was explored in greater depth. Students were treated to afternoon tea, a game, live music, a talk, small group discussion, worship and dinner. We were pleased to have 99 students in attendance at this optional afternoon session. This group of students was the largest group the CYMW team has seen at a LIVE event. Being the school with the smallest secondary contingent in the Diocese of Wollongong, this is an excellent testimony to our students willingness to embrace our College motto of ‘Open Minds, Open Hearts’.

For our Year 7-9 students who want to ensure they are free for our remaining two LIVE events of the year, the dates and themes are as follows:

• Thursday 27th June (Week 9, Term 2) - Who is He?

• Thursday 7th November (Week 4, Term 4) - Who are we?

Additionally, for our Year 7-9 students who enjoyed LIVE and want more before Term Two, the CYMW team run a non-school affiliated event called LIVE Local - a youth group for Year 7-12 students which runs from 7-9pm each Friday night of the school term at St John’s Campbelltown.

This term, LIVE Local will culminate with an Easter celebration on Friday 12th April.

Finally, as Pope Francis reminded the young people in attendance at the final Mass of World Youth Day in Panama earlier this year -

We are on a journey. Keep walking, keep living the faith and sharing it.
And do not forget, you are not the tomorrow, you are not the ‘meantime’, you are the Now of God.