News

The ACU and CSYMA Youth Academy is launching in 2018! The Youth Academy is a 4 module program for senior secondary school students that aims to train and form Youth Ministry teams and connect students to the broader Church. The Youth Academy provides a formal accreditation to youth ministry students.

Students who complete the Youth Academy receive an ACU and CSYMA Faith and Ministry Award and 5 bonus ATAR points towards a degree at the ACU.

If you want to implement the Youth Academy in your school, contact chloe@csyma.com

The ACU La Salle Academy Graduate Certificate in Leading the New Evangelisation (LNE) run in partnership with CSYMA was launched in 2017 by running the first unit called ‘Faith Formation and the New Evangelisation’. The Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn hosted the inaugural delivery of the first unit, welcoming over 65 participants from Canberra-Goulburn and eight other Dioceses around Australia and New Zealand.

The unit explored the nature and importance of the Catholic Church’s teaching on evangelisation and how they best create dynamic centres of the New Evangelisation in Catholic Schools and Ecclesial Youth Ministries. The participants also experienced the faith formation retreat, Porta Fidei.

The participants’ feedback on the first unit was overwhelmingly positive, reflecting the profound impact of the unit.

The LNE course will continue to be instrumental in supporting and forming leaders and educators across Australia. Read on in this Journal for further information on how you can be a part of the Graduate Certificate in Leading the New Evangelisation.

The biggest highlight was seeing how open and intrigued the students were to the whole experience. All they wanted to do was answer and ask questions and learn more – This inspired me because it reminded me of my own faith journey. Our whole retreat experience was centred around being made for more, sharing this with students helped me to grow in my own faith and realise that I am a unique person and that I need to embrace the person God made me to be. I have such confidence in the future of CSYMA’s mission in England.

Youth Minister, England Mission

Read more about the England Mission in the Catholic Leaders Formation Journal.

In September, members of the Canberra Goulburn and Lismore Dioceses CSYMA Youth Ministry Teams and teachers from St. John Paul II College and St. Edmund’s College in Canberra took up the call of the mission of the Church by participating in the Northern Territory Mission. This mission continued building upon the relationship and work that began six years ago at St. Edmunds College. The team was welcomed by Indigenous Leader Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr and other community elders in a traditional welcome to country, and were touched by the opportunities provided to them to learn and grow through many opportunities and conversations across the Mission.

Read more about the Northern Territory mission in the Catholic Leaders Formation Journal.

CSYMA SHINE was run in the Bathurst Diocese for the second time since the program

was implemented in the Diocese just over a year ago.

The event was huge – over 400 students from five of the Diocesan schools gathered to explore the theme ‘live a life inspired by love’ through praise, fellowship, formation and communion. The SHINE Gathering was facilitated by YMI Youth Ministers in the Bathurst Diocese along with emmanuelworship that blessed the event with their music ministry and added a spiritual depth to the day.

Early last year, the Lismore Diocese CSYMA Youth Ministers ran a CSYMA LEAD conference at Xavier College in Ballina. Over 100 students from across the Lismore Diocese answered the call to come and spend some time forming their relationship with Christ and their youth ministry skills. The two days were filled with engaging workshops and opportunities to develop their faith in communion with those around them.

Lismore was blessed to have Fr. Rob Galea start their conference with a praise and worship concert for both the participants and broader community.

It was fantastic that the youth ministers included and engaged with the broader Church. Feedback from students was that they could really connect with Fr. Rob’s message and that he was a real inspiration!

Billi, a Lismore Youth Ministry Officer said “it was evident that throughout the CSYMA LEAD Conference, there was a strong sense of unity and enthusiasm amongst students” and that the Youth Ministers were “amazed at the amount of drive, commitment, and excitement that the students had for the continued ministry in their schools”.

Father Rob Galea also celebrated mass to conclude the LEAD conference and students were able to receive a prayer and blessing from the Youth Ministers to commission them in their year of senior school ministry.

The Canberra community gathered together for two faith filled days to take part in the CSYMA SHINE Student Gathering. The event was begun by Archbishop Christopher Prowse who celebrated mass at St. Christopher’s Cathedral, Canberra. The response from the community was tremendous; the Cathedral was filled with a diverse mix of young people, families, youth ministers and parishioners.

The Mass was followed by the CSYMA SHINE Youth Rally led by local Youth Ministers and a newly formed music ministry. The band helped the event in exploring the theme of the event ‘live a life inspired by love’.

Students from year 9 and 10 across CSYMA Network schools gathered at John Paul II College in Canberra to dive deeper into the theme through keynote speakers, praise and worship, panels and more! Students noted that it was great to see how young people across the Diocese could come together and be united in their faith.