On Friday 12 September, Year 10 Youth Ministry attended the Shine Conference held at Merici College. We arrived in the morning, were welcomed by the youth ministers and taken into the hall.

We began the conference by exploring the theme “Let your light shine.” The Archbishop spoke about the theme and talked to us about what it means to have faith, and how we can let our light shine to share the gospel. He spoke about St Carlo Acutis and reminded us that even though we’re young, we can still use technology to spread the word.

After morning tea, we participated in some workshops. We did the “Faith on the Field” workshop where Father John Woods talked to us about his experience working with the Canberra Raiders and how they used prayer before games. He spoke about how we can use prayer and our faith to have confidence in ourselves. Something memorable from this workshop was when Father John said, “Be yourselves, because everybody else is taken.”

We then had lunch and finished the day with a Just Dance session in the hall. This final session included a Q&A panel where people in the crowd, including myself, were able to ask questions and get answers from the panellists. Afterwards there was a testimony shared by one of the Merici students. What stood out was that she openly admitted to denying God, but when she accepted Him she found her life improving. This day offered lots of powerful testimonies and practical ways we can all deepen our faith.

Cecilia A, Penelope B and Aman N
Year 10 Youth Ministry students