Young Church is alive and well in the Diocese of Palmerston North!
From learning about servant leadership at YCL to having fun at Life Teen Summer Camp and celebrating our epic youth ministers, have a read of what’s been going on for our young people over the summer holidays.
Young Catholic Leader (YCL) 2024
Every year, the Diocese of Palmerston North Youth Office runs a programme called Young Catholic Leader, held each December at Highland Home Christian Camp in the beautiful Pohangina Valley.
This year, we welcomed 65 participants and 15 leaders—our largest programme yet! Students joined us from seven diocesan colleges as well as state schools within our diocesan boundaries. We were blessed to receive generous sponsorship from Catholic Charities and the Page Trust.
Young Catholic Leader is designed to equip Year 12 students for servant leadership in the way of Jesus as they step into their Year 13 roles. The programme strengthens the special character of leadership in our schools by teaching 11 key principles of effective leadership. As always, the feedback was outstanding, affirming the programme’s impact on our secondary schools.
At the conclusion of the programme, we commission our leaders by inviting them to reflect on the gift they will bring back to their school community in the coming year. With such a strong group of young leaders, 2025 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for our diocesan secondary schools!
Please continue to pray for our young leaders as they embark on this journey.
Life Teen Summer Camp 2025
From 14–18 January, youth from New Plymouth, Whanganui, Palmerston North, and Hawke’s Bay attended LifeTeen Summer Camp at St. Paul’s College in Hamilton.
As the largest Catholic youth event in Aotearoa New Zealand, nearly 400 people gathered for a transformative week. The camp offered a rich variety of experiences, including prayer, small group sessions, sisterhood and brotherhood discussions, Apologetics 101, messy games, daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and countless moments of joy. Praise and worship echoed across the Waikato, and we were delighted by a surprise visit from Bishop John, the Episcopal representative on the NZCBC National Council for Young People.
In the Diocese of Palmerston North, the LifeTeen kaupapa is well established across our five largest parishes, with all our young church ministers fully engaged in LifeTeen Ministry. Guided by the LifeTeen mantra, “leading teens closer to Christ,” faith came alive for these young people. Their experience is living proof that when we invest in the faith lives of young people, they thrive.
Please continue to pray for LifeTeen ministry in our country!
Festival One
Many of you will remember the Parachute Christian Music Festival, now known as Festival One. Held in Karapiro in the mighty Waikato, this festival features multiple stages showcasing a variety of Christian artists and music genres. It takes place every Auckland Anniversary weekend and is packed with action!
We camp in tents, experience powerful messages of hope, join in worship and quiet prayer sessions, take part in sports competitions, and explore missionary and service opportunities both in Aotearoa and beyond. Our young people describe it as totally sick (which, for those unfamiliar, means really cool), and they return home reinvigorated in their faith.
One of the festival’s most memorable moments is the reenactment of the Feeding of the 5000, where festivalgoers share a meal cooked over Argentinian BBQs. Open to families, Festival One is an epic experience, and we are excited to attend again in January 2026.
If your young person would like to be part of our diocesan group, we would love to have them join us!
World Youth Day to change to August
While World Youth Day is traditionally celebrated on the Feast of Christ the King in November, marking the end of the Liturgical Year, this year we will celebrate it at the beginning of August to align with the Jubilee Year calendar.
The NZCBC has received permission from the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life to move this celebration to a more suitable time for us in the Southern Hemisphere. As a result, August will now be our permanent date for World Youth Day each year.
International World Youth Day 2027 – South Korea
Expressions of interest will soon be open for those wishing to prepare for this incredible international event, set to take place in Seoul, South Korea, in 2027. This will be the first time World Youth Day is held in mainland East Asia and in a country where Christians are a minority.
NZCBC National Young Church Website
We are excited to announce that the NZCBC National Council for Young People now has a website where you can stay up to date with resources, news, and ideas for safe ministry with young people.
Please visit and share the link – www.youngpeople.church
Who are the youth ministers in the Palmerston North Diocese?
New Plymouth – Susilo Kentjana
Napier – Joylene Whibley
Hastings – Faaki Tuanaki
Whanganui – Rain Forest
Palmerston North – Louise Lloyd
See here for pictures – https://www.pndiocese.org.nz/young-catholics/contacts/