Sr. Bernadette Alofa participated in the Ignite Conference hosted by the Broken Bay Diocese, from 10th to 13th June. She shares her reflection on this experience:
Dear Sisters in Christ,
I wish to share with you a heartfelt reflection on my experience of attending the Ignite Conference 2025 for the first time, an experience that has profoundly touched and renewed my inner spiritual life. The Holy Spirit was blazing strongly within these four days of the conference. It was a strong holy magnet that drew and brought all these young people together from all over Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Philippines and Noumea. It was strongly attended by many priests, both religious and diocesan, from different States of Australia. This was not just a conference, but a movement of the Spirit, breathing life into fresh vision and bold witness.
From the moment I entered the atmosphere of the conference, it was clear that this was no ordinary gathering. It was a vibrant movement of young hearts on fire for Christ, young people who didn’t merely speak about faith but lived it boldly, unashamedly, and passionately. While many of their peers in today’s world may turn away or grow indifferent to God, these youth carried Jesus not only in their words but in their being. Their praise and worship weren’t performances; they were full-bodied, full-spirited, and spiritual energetic sincere offerings to the living God.
Bishop Randazzo stirred the hearts of the young Church. In his homily at the Opening Mass he said that they are chosen, anointed, and sent not to merely receive the light of Christ, but to carry it boldly into a world longing for hope.
Throughout the conference, I encountered a depth of authentic and courageous faith in these young people, a faith that lifted my own soul. Their testimonies pierced the heart. Their worship prayers uplifted the spirit. The very name of Jesus was declared with joy, with power, with an unshakable certainty not as a ritual, but as an intimate declaration of love for their Saviour and Redeemer.
What struck me most was the way Scripture lived and breathed through them. It wasn’t used as a tool or quoted like a textbook, it was their language, their culture, their anchor. In song, in silence, in conversation, in reconciliation, in encounters, in Holy Adoration, In the Eucharist, every fibre of their faith experience was immersed in the Word, and it shaped the rhythm of their lives.
Their spirituality wasn’t always neat or polished but it was real. It was raw, alive, and radiated the truth of a faith that has been wrestled with, owned, and lived. These young people have ignited a fire of faith that went far beyond the surface, it is not branding or performance, it is generative belief.
They taught me, without knowing, that liberation in Christ comes through complete surrender of ourselves completely to Him. Many of them spoke and lived this truth with conviction: that Jesus is the Light, and through Him, they have found identity, strength, and peace. Their life of prayer is not a duty but a daily friendship with Christ intimate, constant, transformative.
Being at the Ignite Conference with members of our Pauline Family, Fr. Anthony SSP and Sr. Philomena DSP, was also a moment of deep grace and blessings. Our presence as a religious family among them was not only welcomed, it was a witness. In our own way, we stood and united with them, shared in the Spirit, and reaffirmed the spirituality we carry as Paulines, to bring Christ to the world through the media, liturgy and with our lives. Our charism was rekindled in the light of their witness. We come to encounter many who have not known us as a Pauline Family.
As I return from the conference, I carry back not just memories, but a rekindled flame, a flame lit by the faith of the young, who are not afraid in coming forward when it comes to God. They shout His name, they sing His praises, and they live out the Gospel with energy, conviction, and hope to the awesome God. May we too be inspired anew by their boldness. May their fire ignite ours with renewed faith.
I am thankful and grateful for the blessing and opportunity given of attending the Ignite Conference 2025.
