St Bernard’s College at 

ACYF Melbourne 2025

The Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) was a joyful celebration of our Catholic faith, held over three days at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. This year ACYF was held in Melbourne for the first time since Perth in 2019. In attendance were 6,000 pilgrims from every state and territory.

The festival began on Sunday when pilgrims gathered at St Patrick’s Cathedral under rainy skies. From there, we walked behind the World Youth Day Cross and Icon to the Convention Centre via a winding route through Birrarung Marr and Alexandra Gardens.

In the evening, all 6,000 pilgrims gathered in the huge plenary room to sing, worship and listen. The atmosphere was electric, with pilgrims dancing in their seats and cheering to an almost deafening level. The speakers included Archbishop Peter Comensoli who told us all are welcome in the Church, Cardinal Mykola Bychok, and Pope Leo XVI via video. 

Pope Leo reminded us that, “Our lives find their ultimate purpose in becoming who God made us to be, by living out his will. You are not the result of a random process. Each of you is willed, each of you is loved, each of you is necessary.” Here is a link to Pope Leo’s full speech: 'Become who God made you to be': Pope Leo XIV's message for pilgrims at ACYF2025

Monday started with the entire festival attending the plenary again, where we listened to different speakers and joined in the worship music. In the afternoon attended workshops on ‘How to Hug Porcupines’ (difficult people), the Bible, and a talk from Catholic and Western Bulldogs player, Matthew Kennedy. 

The final day started with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We then heard about hearing God’s voice from Sister Mary Grace of the Sisters of Life, a former Australian Olympic hopeful who chose religious life and is also famous on YouTube. We also visited the Expo where we met religious brothers and sisters and took the opportunity to ask them some questions.

The festival concluded with the Commissioning Mass in the plenary room. It was announced that Pope Leo XIV will be visiting Australia in 2028 to attend the International Eucharistic Congress. At the conclusion we were encouraged by Archbishop Anthony Fisher to “Carry this fire home. Share it with your families, your friends, your peers at school or university or at work, with your world. Let these days … be the start of something beautiful in you, not the end.”

We look forward to the next big events, World Youth Day Korea in 2027 and the combined ACYF and International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney in 2028.