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KIWI GRAPHIX HOMEPAGE

Here's your chance to read about my missionary experiences in Germany, England and Russia.......but more importantly deepen your faith by reading such diverse topics as: Saints (Saint Maximilian Kolbe and Saint Francis Xavier); miracles (Church authenticated miracles e.g Eucharistic, Incorruptible bodies of some of the saints, and about some saints that have raised people from the dead); the Eucharist; Visions of Mary; Infallibility of the Pope; Apostolic Succession. Much research has gone into this book and I have quoted from the Bible, the Catholic Catechism, and from early writings of the early Christians (including the Successors of the Apostles). Please email me to order your copy today! You won't regret it! Only $19 NZ or $11 US + p&p.

"Born to be Free" - (MY NEW BOOK!)-
It's packed full of so many answers to your questions
on the Catholic Faith!

"Set Free!" - My first book - includes sample text

Comments on "Set Free!" - Including one from Mother Teresa !

 Report on World Youth Day 1997

 Youth Ministry - Tips, Questions, Advice, Reports
Including Summer Connection -
January 1999 Summer Camp for 15-25 years olds
- Auckland, New Zealand

 Links

Available in NZ (Whitcoulls and Catholic Bookstores) and in Catholic Bookstores in London, Brighton, Dublin, Honolulu, the Leaflet Missal Company (USA) and via a contact in Los Angeles.

• Practical steps to overcoming the fear of rejection.
• Why we need God and His love.
• Taking time out to be with God
• There is a 'cost' to Christianity
• Key Catholic doctrines using the Catechism of the Catholic Church - the Sacraments, Mary our Mother

 This chapter would be ideally read outside - in a park, on a beach, in a forest - wherever your favourite scenic place is. When you're in this setting, stop, pause, and look around you. Look at the beauty! There are so many different colours; different shades of green, yellow, red, blue… Look and listen to the animals and birds around you. Look at the shapes of clouds; look and listen. How did this world come to be? How did so many different animals and forms of life come to be…"

Arriving late and exhausted in Paris they met up with eight other New Zealanders (including myself). We were billeted out to French families where we could share our cultures and faith. Our parish, St Ferdinand alone billeted out over 1,000 people.

The opening Mass was celebrated amongst 300,000 jubilant flag waving people from 150 countries. The chief celebrant, Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, archbishop of Paris said that the "World Youth Day has become the symbol of the Light that is passed on from one generation to the next, and of the living Tradition in our times. With these young people, who have come from some 150 countries, you are invited to discover, in the Eucharist celebrated around the Holy Father, the strength of the risen LORD who reconciles all nations and unites the different generations... Our country has a rich, though tormented, history. May this World Youth Day give it, through God's grace, the taste of the generosity to which each and every one of us is called, so as to build a civilisation of love."

The remainder of the week incorporated discovering the risen Lord through Morning Prayer, Catechesis - the opportunity to be fed spiritually by a Cardinal and share our faith with others from different nations, a pilgrimage to the grave of Bishop Pompallier, a Sports Witness and Culture Night with Nick Far-Jones, ex-captain of the Wallabies, a "Way of the Cross" in which more than twenty groups throughout Paris walked through the streets focusing on the Passion of Jesus and walking closer with Jesus - committing our lives once again to Him, the welcoming of Pope John Paul II with representatives from the Orthodox, Jewish, Protestant and Muslim faiths. This alone touched me in the openness and unity between the different religions making it quite an Ecumenical occasion. The Holy Father greeted individually each nation within the 500,000 exuberant crowd, and a 36 km human chain was formed around the inner city of Paris under the theme of a witness of peace and friendship.

While the World Youth Day was hosted by the Catholic Church anyone was welcome and so it was also a great opportunity for the young people to bring their friends and hope they would be evangelised. This act would definitely not go without bearing fruit. Every person was touched in some way by the joy which was so transparent and overwhelming, and the amount of people wanting to celebrate their faith in Jesus.

On the eve of the final mass, named the "Great Mass" one million people flocked into the Longchamp stadium in Paris. The video screens showed the arrival of the Holy Father and the young people rushed to their feet breaking out in joyful applause amidst the 32 degree heat singing, "Oh Happy Days" - the song which meant the Holy Father had arrived.

The successor of St. Peter greeted us as "Dear young people" and the love and respect in this one phrase shone through resulting in thunderous applause and drew us closer to him, putting us at ease. During this night 10 young people from nine countries were baptised by the Holy Father. Each person had an incredible testimony of why they wanted to become Catholic - to dedicate their lives to Jesus..

The Great Mass was celebrated amongst 1.2 million people. The cries of "Viva La Papa!" and "John Paul II we love you!" echoed around the stadium as the Holy Father greeted us. His speeches were filled with love and when he encouraged or challenged us we applauded him. He was saying what we needed to hear and not want he thought we wanted to hear. He said that he respects and needs us and called us to continue to contemplate God's love and we would receive graces for the building of the civilisation of love - transforming the world by love.

The final speech by a representative of the World Youth Day delegation summed up our love for the Holy Father, "The young people delight to call you Holy Father. Like the best of fathers you have called them to holiness." He also encapulated how the Paris people also received tremendously from the thousands of joyous pilgrims flooding their streets, "A new revolution has happened, a revolution of love." The French Revolution had begun in Paris and so a new revolution of love had begun in Paris. The amount of young people on fire for their faith was a witness to people of all beliefs in Paris and throughout the World.

The young pilgrims of New Zealand though suffering from the incredible heat, late nights and an incredible amount of walking, had experienced something deeper which they would never forget. They had seen hundreds of thousands of young people celebrating their faith with joy, knew they were actually in the same location as the Holy Father (not just seeing him in a TV from the other side of the world), deepened their Christian and Catholic faith, experienced an incredible unity and joy amongst many other nations and cultures, learnt that it was more important to take back the message than the experience, experienced a deeper sense of Mary like the Marist brothers brought to us - that we don't worship her but honour her and her great example of holiness..

Bishop Pat Dunn, Bishop of Auckland was impressed with the enthusiasm and joy so evident on the streets - the comrade it brought - we were part of a huge family. He was touched by the young people's love for the Holy Father, the Cardinal of Paris' exuberant cry of "What joy! What joy!" and the Holy Father's reference to St Therese Liseux testimony of "To be love at the heart of the Church." Bishop Pat also referred to something the World Youth Day delegate said, "Each of us is an individual letter from Christ and collectively we form one united letter." He believes each one of us now has to make a ripple and be a servant of peace wherever we are.

We had come and asked, "Master, where do you live?" We had discovered him in many different ways, through many people and we would now return to our countries and go out and share the message - the treasure, and help build a civilisation of love.

NEXT WORLD YOUTH DAY IS IN ROME 2000 AD - BE THERE!

E-mail me on any Questions you have re: Youth Ministry,

Let us know what is working well in your city/country.

If you have any weird wacky and wonderful ideas
concerning youth and evangelisation please let us know
and we'll publish it on this site.

What would you like to see on this Web Site?

Link me to your Web address !!!!

Let us continue to work to make Christ known,
loved and served more each day."

Mother Teresa, Missionaries of Charity, Calcutta

"Brendan, congratulations on undertaking such a
massive achievement. I really appreciated
your racy style..."

Patrick Dunn, Bishop of Auckland