-          "We have set our hope on the living God" by Fr Tom Forrest

-          "Saint Paul, witness of hope" by Manoj Sunny

-          "Called to be the Saints of the new Millennium" by George Devassy

There were also break out sessions centered on the following topics

-          "Heart for worship - attracting youth through contemporary music" by Shelton Pinheiro, lead vocalist of the Rex Band

-          "Initiating, building and sustaining a youth ministry" by George Devassy, International Coordinator of the Jesus Youth movement.

-        "Mentoring / accompanying youth" by Manoj Sunny, Executive Director of the Jesus Youth Movement.

-          "Teens workshop" by Dony Peter, Coordinator for Jesus Youth, South East Asia

Apart from these sessions, there were vibrant praise and worship sessions, panel discussion by some ACYC delegates, lively performances by various countries and youth groups, a 1 hour live-wire musical concert by the Covenant Singers and a powerful Eucharistic Adoration led by the English Charismatic Prayer Group of Dubai which made the day a memorable one for all the delegates.

The ACYC office was perpetually busy and volunteers with registration, food distribution and crowd control were in action throughout the three day event. Co-ordination for accommodation with foster parents and transportation for participants was quite a task that was ably done by the ACYC officials. About 150 families from Dubai opened their homes to accommodate the delegates from other emirates and countries which was indeed a big blessing for our parish. The food was also very efficiently organized and served to all the delegates with minimal confusion and disruption. Resource personnel for the event had also come to Dubai from far and wide.

The youth transformed the church compound into an arena of love and joy during the lunch break and moved around in trains to the beating of drums, singing hymns.

The Holy Mass on the second day of the Conference was concelebrated by His Excellency Bishop Christopher Prowse, His Excellency Bishop Paul Hinder, Rev. Fr. Varghese Chempoly, Vice Provincial for the Vicariate of Arabia and all visiting priests from Sharjah, Kuwait, Bahrain, Germany and USA. The homily delivered by Bishop Hinder focused on "Mary Mother of Hope". The singing was beautifully led by New Life Youth Choir of Dubai.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The talks for the second day of the Conference focused on:

-          "Rooted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith" by Bishop Christopher Prowse

-          "Put out into the deep" by Fr Tom Forrest

-          "Spreading God's love - A Middle East perspective" by Fr Joy Menacherry

-         "Reconciliation with God, oneself and others" by Fr Tom Forrest

-          " Commit your life to the Lord" by Bishop Christopher Prowse

The break out sessions for the day centered on the following topics:

-          "Heart for worship 2 - Bringing up worship leaders" by Shelton Pinheiro

-          "Discerning God's call and responding to it" by Fr Varghese Chempoly

-          "Student spirituality" by George Devassy

-          "Leadership Forum" by Manoj Sunny

-     "True love waits - Discovering the beauty of relationships" by Dony Peter

The highlights of the day included praise and worship sessions, sharing of experiences by some of the Rex Band members and a powerful and profound Eucharistic Adoration led by Bishop Christopher Prowse and backed by the Rex Band. Many delegates were visibly touched during this Adoration. There were altar calls made by the Bishop for those who wanted to commit their lives to Jesus for the first time in their lives and many youngsters came forward. The most touching part of the adoration happened when about 35 delegates from various countries expressed their desire to join the religious life by coming forward and being prayed over by the Bishops and the priests.  

The day's proceedings were ably compered by Conchita Fonseca of Come Alive Youth Group, Dubai and Bibin Solomon of Jesus Youth, Dubai.

Day 3 of the Conference began with an awe-inspiring Taize adoration led by the Rex Band with a beautiful stage setting prepared by Jesus Youth, Abu Dhabi. The talks for the day were on the following themes:

-          "Living a victorious life in partnership with the Holy Spirit" by Bishop Christopher Prowse

-          "Dare to Go" by Fr Tom Forrest

Sharing of experience by some delegates was inspirational to all to be missionaries by spreading the love of Jesus through our life and testimony. This was followed by a time of reflection and discussion in ones own groups and countries on how the ACYC helped them and how they can share this experience with others. This session was led by Santosh Mathew, the General Coordinator of ACYC, and George Devassy. Over 16 youth groups from all the 6 participating countries came forward and shared their dreams and experiences.

The Conference concluded with a concelebrated High Mass where the Homily "Do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord" was preached by Bishop Hinder. The Come Alive Youth Group led the choir with melodious singing.  

Jojo Varkey, General Secretary of the ACYC, proposed the vote of thanks before all the participants met for dinner and then paraded to the Al Nasr Leisureland for the 'Grand Finale' by the world renowned Rex Band.

The Rex Band inspired the fully-packed arena of more than 3200 people by their extravagant performance, integrating powerful music, thrilling choreography and thought-provoking contemporary theatrical expressions. The group has more than 400 stage performances to their credit stretching over 18 years, which also includes singing for the three previous World Youth Day events in Canada, Germany and Australia.

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To top it all, the welcome message by Bishop Paul Hinder, the "Youth of Arabia arise" call by Bishop Christopher and the message by Rev Fr Tom Forrest that 'the youth have the power to move mountains by their faith' left an indelible mark giving the participants perfect memories of the night of 28^th November 2009. Rev. Fr. Varghese Chempoly delivered the vote of thanks while volunteers in attendance ensured a smooth exit of all the delegates.

The first Catholic Youth Conference in Arabia (ACYC) may have come to a successful conclusion enhanced by the Rex Band, but everyone in the Vicariates of Arabia and Kuwait strongly felt it was just a beginning of many more youth events to follow.