Past – Malta Catholic Youth Network

Encounter23: The Call to Hope

08/11/2023

Calling all Catholic youths and anyone interested to deepen their journey of faith!

Get ready for an unforgettable weekend of faith, fellowship, and fun at Encounter, where we come together to celebrate our call to hope. This will be the official event to close off the World Youth Day year.

📅 Dates: Friday 24th – Sunday 26th November, 2023
📍 Location: Malta Aviation Museum, Ta’ Qali

What you can expect:

🛠️ Workshops and Activities: Engage in enriching workshops and activities tailored to both younger and older participants (under and over 16). Learn, grow, and strengthen your faith in a supportive environment.

🔑 Keynote Speeches: Be inspired by four keynote speakers who will explore the profound notion of hope, guiding us on our life journey.

🙏 Adorations: Find solace and connection through moments of adoration, deepening your spiritual experience.

🎶 Music: Lift your spirits with soul-stirring worship that will resonate with your faith and bring joy to your heart.

✝️ Mass: Celebrate the relentless gift of communion with us presided over by the Maltese bishops.

🎲 Games and More: Unwind and bond with fellow attendees through various exciting activities.

Join us for just 5euro which covers your registration for the whole weekend and includes a complimentary meal. We believe in making Encounter accessible to everyone, so if the registration fee poses a challenge, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via email on [email protected]. We’re here to ensure that no one misses out on this incredible experience 💪

We’re on an exciting journey of encounters:

🙌 With God, aiming to inspire a generation to follow and love Him while embracing His infinite mercy;
🌎 With society, celebrating our faith and boldly sharing love, especially with those in need;
👩‍👨‍👧‍👦 And among fellow believers within the Church, recognising our role as youths in the broader faith community, eager to receive from and serve other members.

These diverse encounters are a sure promise of a vibrant and enriching faith experience. 🌟

Plexus23: Rediscovering Hope

07/10/2023

Plexus has gained recognition as the yearly conference for those engaged in youth ministry. The event serves as a platform where we aim to engage in conversations about shared experiences and current topics. We are eager to host and reconnect with you all. Join us on Saturday, October 7th, at Trident Park Malta for another enriching experience.

What to expect

The primary objective is to create the opportunity for us to gather in person, united in presence and prayers. This year’s Plexus will unfold over a single day (08:30-16:00), encompassing moments dedicated to group sharing, discussions, testimonies, and communal prayer, all while drawing inspiration from the unwavering teachings of the parable of Prodigal Son.

Session 1: Hopeless Wandering

The parable, as we all know, starts off with the departure of the youngest son from the house of the father. In this first session we will reflect on why some of the youth we accompany do not find refuge in the Church, the same environment which we identify as “family”. We shall focus on trends which we encounter today in our youth ministries and society at large, and how we can remain faithful companions to our brethren.

Session 2: A Family Affair

This second keynote will delve deeper into the identity of the youth leader. How do we as leaders perceive ourselves, especially in our service toward God? Jesus in the last supper calls us “friends” before “servants.” What is driving us to serve God? A mere sense of obligation which might have been imposed on us? Or a loving relationship with God which we cannot keep to ourselves?

Session 3: Agents of Hope

Our young people deserve to be celebrated and welcomed in the best possible way at home. In relation to the upcoming Jubilee of Hope, we will be engaged in an open discussion on how to be better collaborators with the father in having a more welcoming and listening home/church. This will serve as a space in which we exchange ideas and experiences intended to encourage one another to go out of our comfort zones and reach out to others in a tangible manner.

Mass: A Hopeful Father

The day will then conclude with a Eucharistic celebration in which we realise our ultimate wellspring of nourishment, service, and love. This will be presided over by Monsignor Joseph Galea‑Curmi, Auxiliary Bishop of Malta, who will guide us to turn our gaze towards the Father, who in return celebrates us and longs for us to be united as one.

An optional 10euro buffet lunch will continue to nurture our fellowship at Kettles. This will comprise of a selection of:

Gratinated potato gnocchi with pulled beef and a beer bechamel;

Wholegrain penne tossed in a kale pesto, topped with cherry tomatoes, pecorino and toasted pumpkin seeds;

Fattoush salad — lettuce, tomato, cucumber, radishes, onion dressed with pomegranate and lemon topped with pita croutons.

World Youth Day 2023

08/08/2023

The official organisers of World Youth Day Lisbon 2023 and Diocesan Youth Day/Celebration for Malta and Gozo are MCYN (Malta Catholic Youth Network) and KDZG (Kummisjoni Djoċesana Zgħazagħ Għawdex.

These two organisations are the points of reference for youths in Malta and Gozo to apply for WYD, find out more, or get involved.

RISE: Lenten Retreat ’23

08/03/2023

WYD is an event to be celebrated by every single youth within the Church, even those who for one reason or another won’t make it to Portugal. In view of this, we are encouraging all youth in our diocese to join us for RISE’s monthly events with the aim of getting together and growing deeper in faith through prayer and spiritual formation.

RISE: World Youth Day Year 23

03/02/2023

Whilst World Youth Day (WYD) is a worldwide encounter with the Pope celebrated every three years, RISE is a series of events organised by MCYN leading up to WYD. The name is inspired by the theme of this year’s WYD – Mary Arose and Went with Haste (Lk1:39). WYD is an event to be celebrated by every single youth within the Church, even those who for one reason or another won’t make it to Portugal. In view of this, we are encouraging all youth in our diocese to join us for RISE’s monthly events with the aim of getting together and growing deeper in faith through prayer and spiritual formation.

World Youth Day Year ’23 Launch

19/11/2022

As you may have heard, Lisbon is hosting next year’s World Youth Day. On the eve of Christ the King’s feast – 19th November 2022, we will be embarking on a pilgrimage towards this celebration with Pope Francis in our local diocese. We invite you all to join us together with Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna for the kick-off of this guaranteed beautiful journey at St Francis Church in Valletta at 7pm.

Following this celebration, we will be launching an exciting year plan for all young people at MUŻA.

Plexus22: ANEW

29/10/2022

Plexus is now well-known as the annual conference for all individuals and groups involved in youth ministry, in which we attempt discussing mutual experiences and current themes whilst being refreshed by the relentless spring of the Gospel.

We look forward to hosting and meeting you all in person once again on Saturday, 29th of October at the Salini Resort, St Paul’s Bay.

Overview

Session 1: “Love your neighbour as yourself“

Loving others requires us to first love ourselves. This session will look at practical ways through which we can take care of ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually in order to be in a better position to serve wholeheartedly.

This session will be led by Stelmart and Annabelle Khalil, sisters and creators of @marta.u.maria, an online platform sharing a Christian approach to body, mind and spirit. Stelmart is a physchotherapist by profession and Annabelle, studied spiritual companionship.

Session 2: “By this everyone will know that you are mine…”

Following the invitation to better equip ourselves prior reaching out to others, we will then focus on how to be effective witnesses of Christ. How can we all be relevant, “salt and light of the Earth” to those whom we serve at this day and age?

This session will be led by Sr Maria Angeles Diaz.

Session 3: ANEW

This would then lead us to a collective dreaming session in which we will exchange ideas and experiences intended to encourage one another go out of our comfort zones and reach out to others in a tangible manner.

This session will be led by Fr Jethro Bajada (OFM Cap.) and Benjamin Flores Martin (Archbishop’s Delegate for Youth).

What’s it going to be like?

Most importantly, we want to have a space to come together in person after such a long time, to be together and to pray together.

We want to offer leaders the time to reflect on their experience of service and the space to share their experiences and listen to the stories of other youth leaders.

This year, Plexus will be happening over one day and it will consist of moments for sharing and discussions, short insights, testimonies and prayer.

In view of this, following the keynote sessions, plenty of time is going to be allocated for small group discussion and moments for personal reflection, aspiring that Plexus22 will be the breather we all need at present.

What is togetherness without food? We will be having lunch (and of course, coffee) together through which we will enjoy some time of fellowship. We will then end our day with a Eucharistic celebration, from which we acknowledge our ultimate nourishment, source of service and love.

Esperjenza fil-Qrib mar-Redentur

21/03/2022

F’dan ir-Randan qed nistiednu liż-żgħażagħ u adolexxenti jingħaqdu għal siegħa adorazzjoni quddiem is-Sagrament u r-Redentur tal-Isla. Flimkien mal-Arċisqof Charles J. Scicluna, nixtiequ li din tkun siegħa ta’ talb fejn aħna nikkontemplaw il-misteru ta’ Alla fid-dawl tal-Passjoni ta’ Ġesù. Din l-adorazzjoni ser issir fil-Bażilika ta’ Maria Bambina l-Isla, u ser tkun animata mill-band Footprints.

Din l-adorazzjoni qed issir b’kollaborazzjoni mal-Parroċċa tal-Isla.

The Forum for Youths and Adolescents

10/01/2022

In 2021, Archbishop Scicluna took the initiative to establish forums providing a space for meaningful conversations with adolescents and youths. Two distinct forums, one dedicated to adolescents and another to youths, were launched. Invitations were extended to two representatives from each youth organization to ensure diverse participation, with the groups rotating every three years to represent the broad spectrum of organizations. An email notification was sent to every youth organization, informing them of the opportunity to participate in these engaging forums.