NOWRA clergyman Father Richard Healy believes there is an opportunity to harness the amazing energy local young people experienced at World Youth Day.
Fr Healy travelled to Sydney on the Monday and spent the week with Shoalhaven pilgrims.
About 50 students spent the week in Sydney, attending all of the major events including the sleep-out at Randwick on Saturday and the Pope’s final mass in Australia on Sunday.
“It’s an amazing thing
to be part of a massive crowd and feel absolutely safe,” he said.
“The atmosphere was just so incredible, everyone wants to talk to you and know who you are. There was such a sense of friendliness and welcoming.
“You don’t get that kind of atmosphere and experience in any other place.”
As for the local young people involved, Fr Healy said it was a challenging and overwhelming experience for many of them.
“It really does challenge people, but it also opens them up to a deep sense that their faith is okay,”
he said.