The retreat will be a festive occasion. Rather than cease operations in the face of this pandemic, Youth 2000 increased our ministry with young people writes Róisín O’Rourke
One summer several years ago, I attended one of my first Youth 2000 retreats down in Clonmacnoise. It was Saturday evening during the healing and reconciliation service and I had received the Sacrament of Reconciliation followed by the personal blessing from Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Despite the beautiful atmosphere pervading the marquee, I was about to leave, but something in my heart prompted me to instead observe the events unfolding around me. Most obvious was the presence of Jesus – the heart of every Youth 2000 retreat – illuminated by the softly lit candles either side of him, and held in the monstrance by one of the priests, who was taking his turn blessing each young person one by one. In the darkened marquee, it was as though you could hear Jesus’ words resonate silently: “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).
The next most obvious feature was the presence of several hundred young people and the numerous priests hearing confessions in various places throughout. Yet, as striking as both these elements were, they were not what my heart was compelling me to observe in that moment. Rather, it was the subtle evidence of work going on behind the scenes, of the whole host of volunteers unobtrusively scurrying back and forth, their efforts ensuring the evening went as smoothly and reverently as possible. I noted the reality that most of their work would invariably go unnoticed by those gathered in the marquee. I sensed their tireless efforts, their selfless and generous service, their willingness to forgo comfort and sleep so that other young people might be drawn closer to Jesus – and I was amazed by the extent of it. For this is at the very heart of Youth 2000’s mission: young people leading other young people to the heart of the Church. What I was observing was self-sacrificial love in action, and it made an indelible impression on my mind.
Leadership
Now – with two years on the Youth 2000 leadership team behind me – I realise that the extent of this service is even greater than I imagined at that time. While I am writing this article about our upcoming Christmas retreat, I also want to take this opportunity to honour those who serve with me, most especially their trojan efforts since our first national lockdown kicked in. On this team, I am surrounded by the most generous-hearted young people you could imagine, whose hearts are lit by love of God and a tenacious desire to draw others to him. Rather than cease operations in the face of this pandemic, they increased them. No longer able to conduct Youth 2000 events as normal, everything was moved online: weekly Zoom workshops on a range of faith-based topics, prayer meetings and quiz nights, all aimed at building fellowship and empowering young people to continue deepening their relationship with God.
Their efforts extended to hosting – with all the extra creativity this entailed – our first ever online summer e-festival and achieving this aim, even when another regional lockdown in Co. Kildare threatened to derail all that they had worked towards. Simply put, they brought the old proverb, ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’ to even more impressive heights.
Second round
Moreover, they were prepared to undergo a second round: “We were so overwhelmed with the positive response to our summer e-festival and thus encouraged to do it all again for Christmas,” says Máire McAteer, who works in the Youth 2000 office along with Emma Maloney. Not long after the summer festival finished, preparations began afresh for our Christmas retreat, online this year December 18-20. Youth 2000 would much rather have everyone onsite at Newbridge again, but will do everything possible under the present circumstances. It gives “young people in Ireland the opportunity to connect with their faith even if we can only help to do that online”, says Emma. Moreover, both expressed their surprise at the incredible community spirit shown by young people over social media.
Personal testimonies – where young people speak of the transformative impact God has had on their life – also struck a great chord with those 150,000 who tuned in during the summer, motivating the team to record even more young voices this time round. Naturally, there will be great joy and laughter interspersed throughout and you can expect to see great promos and competitions on our social media platforms with presents, spot prizes – and quite naturally – Christmas jumpers of all shapes, colours and sizes! Now, as ever, we hope to attract and welcome newcomers who have never attended a Youth 2000 retreat before.
Christmas, of course, is the time for poignantly celebrating the momentous occasion when God entered right into the heart of humanity purely out of love for us; a time when we marvel at how one so brilliant and transcendent would willingly make himself so tiny. How easy is it for us to lose sight of the extraordinary nature of this stunning event? Little wonder that Advent reminds us every year to stop and simply wonder. Pandemic or not, the need to prepare our hearts anew for Christ’s coming has not ceased. Neither has Youth 2000’s desire to provide a space within which this can happen.
Glory
Our theme this year is a line from Psalm 72: “Let his glory fill the earth” (Psalm 72:19). Now, as much as ever, the world is crying out for God’s glory to radiate right through it. In fact, one translation of St Paul’s Letter to the Philippians speaks profoundly into our present situation: “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12). This is what Christ’s glory achieves in our hearts: the ability to live every situation with great peace and joy. His grace is such a powerful transformative force in our lives – a great antidote to the fear and unrest which presently surrounds us – and all of us at Youth 2000 want everyone to receive it abundantly this Christmas and always.
Registration for the December 18-20 retreat is now open online at www.youth2000.ie or by calling the office on 00.353.1/675.3690.