Mags GarganThe annual Christmas retreat organised by Youth 2000 attracted its biggest crowd to date, with 650 teens descending on Newbridge College in Co. Kildare on the weekend before Christmas.
Youth 2000 is a spiritual initiative established for young people aged 16-35 to draw them back to a relationship with Jesus, especially in the Eucharist.
The movement hosts regular prayer meetings at 40 locations nationwide, but its two biggest events of the year are the Summer Festival in August and the Christmas retreat in December.
An estimated 150 young people attending the Christmas retreat were under 18 and National Mission Co-ordinator, Maura Garrihy told CatholicIreland.net that Youth 2000 is “one of the few movements really reaching out to the under eighteens”. “We want to reach young people as early as possible and share this Good News with them,” she said.
The retreat ran from Friday, December 18 until Sunday, December 20 but by the previous Thursday the organisers had to close the bookings as they could not cope with the numbers.
The event was widely publicised through social media, posters and flyers, but according to Ms Garrihy personal invitations are most effective.
“At the Summer festival last August at the Cistercian College, Roscrea we said to the young people ‘You’ve received something special, so invite other people’. Lots of people brought friends to Newbridge. Word of mouth is most effective,” she said.
Among the guest speakers at the retreat were Fr Patrick Cahill from Mitchelstown and Fr Shane Sullivan from Tuam who gave talks on the Eucharist, Our Lady and Living the Christian Life.
Bishop Denis Nulty of Kildare & Leighlin celebrated Mass on the Saturday afternoon and stayed on for the Healing and Reconciliation Service, hearing Confessions late into the night.