Countdown to Magnify Pilgrimage and WYD23

The weeks are flying by and in a matter of months around 120 Broken Bay students and young adults will be on their way to World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal.

A large contingent will head to Italy with Bishop Anthony Randazzo for a ten-day pilgrimage from Venice to Rome visiting the homes and shrines of saints, and following the paths of many holy men and women etched into our faith heritage.

Then it is on to Lisbon, Portugal for World Youth Day and a week of faith, friendship and celebrations with millions of young people from all over the world, and, of course, the Holy Father.

February-March have already been busy months in Broken Bay in preparation for "wheels up".

In February all WYD leaders including Pilgrimage Coordinators, Bus Leaders and Assistant Bus Leaders, Group Leaders, Chaplains and Counsellors gathered for a Leaders Retreat. Many in the group have attended a number of WYDs but for some it was a new experience – challenging but they were very much looking forward to notching up their first WYD.

Among one of the WYD newbies is, surprisingly, Bishop Anthony. Although Lisbon will be his first WYD, the Bishop had a lot to offer the group on Christian leadership.

“Our intention in leading should be to accompany those around us into a deeper, more fruitful relationship with God,” he said.

“With that we too will be open to being continuously transformed ourselves, allowing others to accompany us.”

The Bishop also encouraged the group to consider the 4 C’s of good Christian leadership – Calling, Competence, Confidene and Character.

Earlier this month the Diocese launched our own WYD pilgrimage song – Magnify. Written by one of the coordinators, Simon Hyland and recorded by five students, it takes its inspiration from the Magnificat and the WYD theme “Mary arose and went with haste.”

The music video clip has been a resounding success with many congratulatory messages being received by the Diocese and CSBB and CYBB.

You can see it at https://bbwyd.org.au/ or on Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon or Spotify.

Also in March there will be the first Pilgrim Formation Session for all WYD pilgrims and WYD leaders at Gosford. Everyone will gather at Gosford Waterfront for a picnic lunch before walking together to the Shrine of St John Paul II and an information session followed by Vigil Mass and dinner.

And still another first for Broken

Bay – Pilgrim eNews “Magnify”. The first regular enewsletter for pilgrims with lots of news, updates, important travel information and action lists for pilgrims has been distributed.

If you are a young adult aged between 18 and 35 and all of the above has you interested, or anyone you know, then you still have an opportunity to join as a Direct Pilgrim. That means flying directly to Lisbon and joining Bishop Anthony, all the Broken Bay pilgrims as well as young people from all over the world, sharing our culture, interests, ambitions, and faith as Christ’s living witnesses.

How could you not be part of that!

Wyd Lisbon 2023

DIRECT PILGRIMAGE REGISTRATIONs only (AGES 18 - 35)

by Alison Newell, Diocesan Coordinator of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine

Every week in the Diocese of Broken Bay almost 650 catechists teach Special Religious Education (SRE) to Catholic children who attend public schools in parishes across the Diocese. Parish catechists are the face of Christ and of our parish communities to these children, whose parents have made the choice for them to be educated in the faith of their families during school time. The NSW Education Act, 1990 provides parents with this important right.

The ministry of Special Religious Education in parishes is an integral dimension and expression of parish evangelisation. Catechists who teach SRE in public schools embody their Catholic faith as they witness the love of Christ to the children and young people they teach.

Over the past few years, the public rhetoric regarding religious education in Government schools has raised discussion around the merit of SRE and its place in public education. As a result, several studies have been conducted to assess the value of religious education in our pluralistic society. One study has upheld that 84% of Australians believe that our Christian heritage has been influential in shaping the values that we teach children. The McCrindle Research report (cf. ‘Survey of values, education and faith in Australia’, 2018) further revealed that almost all Australians believe it is important to teach values to our school students. This highlights the important place of SRE in our State as a choice that parents can make within the public system.

A more recent study conducted by Professor Zehavit Gross and Professor Emerita Suzanne D. Rutland OAM concluded that SRE is an ‘important part of the rich tapestry of contemporary Australian society’ (cf. ‘Study of Special Religious Education and its Value to Contemporary Society’, 2021). More importantly though for students, the study identified several benefits to children and young people provided through the provision of SRE. These include:

• psychological benefits to students’ mental health and wellbeing,

• strengthening of the multicultural fabric of public schools,

• the creation of safe places for students to explore deeper questions of faith and belief, and

• an effective values education which empowers students in their decision making.

In highlighting the benefits of religious education to children and young people, the research validates the work done by nearly 4,000 Catholic SRE teachers (catechists) and another 4,000 SRE teachers of other denominations and faiths in public schools across NSW and the ACT.

The NSW Department of Education respects the rights of parents to choose religious education for their children. Following the publication of an Independent Review of SRE in April 2016, the Department stated: “The review acknowledges that the policy and legal framework supporting freedom of religion and conscience in NSW public schools since 1848 will be maintained.”

The United Nations also recognises the right to freedom of religion, a freedom that Special Religious Education embodies. Indeed, in a report to the General Assembly in October 2015, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Heiner Bielefeldt, called on all Governments represented at the UN General Assembly “to respect religious practices by children and their families and support families in fulfilling their role in providing an enabling environment for the realisation of the rights of the child… The rights of parents to freedom of religion or belief include their rights to educate their children according to their own conviction and to introduce their children to religious initiation rites.”

In the Diocese of Broken Bay, we are grateful for the ministry of hundreds of parish catechists who provide this opportunity to families and parents in our midst.

We live in an era in which numerous external factors affect children and young people of primary and high school age, many fuelled by social media. The Catholic Church applauds the SRE program which offers children and young people the opportunity to discover, explore and raise questions about their beliefs in a safe and supportive environment. Religious affiliation forms part of the identity of our children and families and SRE supports the proclamation and living of Catholic faith within a pluralistic and diverse community in NSW.

SRE is a vital ministry in the life of every parish in our Diocese of Broken Bay. In responding to their Baptismal call to holiness, catechists bring a message of joy and hope to Catholic children and young people through their proclamation and their witness. A recent trend in our Diocese has seen an increase in the number of young students from the Australian Catholic University teaching in SRE classrooms; the outcome of an agreement which CCD reached with ACU. They have joined hundreds of catechists of all ages and backgrounds who faithfully bring the Good News to the Catholic children of our parishes who attend public schools.

Enquiries about the Ministry of SRE can be made with Alison Newell, CCD Diocesan Coordinator, on 02 8379 1637.