by Alice Magner, Diocesan Youth Council
Confession time: I originally bought my ticket to ONEsydney: Together in Christ last month for one simple reason — I am a massive Matt Maher fan! Walking towards the Sydney Opera House, I didn’t really know what I was stepping into. I figured I’d hear some great music, sing along to Lord, I Need You, and head home. So, when I first realised Matt Maher was only playing two songs, a brief wave of initial disappointment hit me.
However, that disappointment quickly vanished as my expectations weren’t just met; they were completely blown away. Four hours of powerful prayer with our brothers and sisters in Christ from all different denominations and cultures. I left the venue filled with an overwhelming sense of joy, an uplifted spirit, and a burning hope for the future of the Church in Australia.
The experience started long before I even reached the Opera House gates. Because the event was split into two concerts, we arrived right as the 2pm crowd was flowing out into Circular Quay. The energy in the air was tangible. You could instantly feel the buzz, the smiles, and the shared joy radiating from the thousands of people heading toward the trains. Suddenly, it hit me: everyone in my eyesight right now is a follower of Christ.
In a world where being a Christian can sometimes feel lonely or counter-cultural, that realisation gave me instant goosebumps. It triggered a wave of nostalgia, taking me straight back to when I was a 13-year-old kid dodging crowds during World Youth Day Sydney in 2008. That same electric, unashamedly Christian atmosphere was alive and well in the heart of Sydney once again.
The musical line-up was incredible and featured everything from a rap battle between Missionaries of God Priest, Fr Chris Eaton, and Pastor Blake Young, to the powerhouse vocals of Stan Walker and Bella Taylor Smith. But the real goosebumps came when the traditional harmonies of the St Andrew’s Cathedral Choir met the joy of the Pacific Islands Choir, alongside the ancient, hauntingly beautiful chants of the Australian Byzantine Choir. Pope John Paul II famously stated that “The Church must breathe with her two lungs!” referring to both the Church in the East and the Western tradition. Hearing the voices of these distinct spiritual traditions inside Australia’s most famous venue felt like a true glimpse of heaven.
One of the most powerful moments of the entire night wasn’t just the music, but the sight on the stage: seeing the leaders of around 30 different Christian denominations standing together in one place, for one mission, as one Church, praying to one God. In a fractured society, seeing that level of leadership solidarity was a sermon in itself. It perfectly set the stage for the renowned Catholic theologian and author, Dr Mary Healy, who delivered a message that cut straight to the heart. She challenged the crowd with a piercing question:
“How can we preach peace to a broken world if we as Christians cannot get along?”
Dr Healy didn’t shy away from the pain of our divisions, noting that to a watching world, our historic splits make us look like the “children of divorce.” Her words were a wake-up call that Christian unity isn’t just a nice theological concept; it’s the very foundation of our witness to the world.
This prayer for unity is needed now more than ever — not just for the Christian Church as a whole, but particularly within our own Catholic faith tradition. We live in a time where people from different Catholic faith expressions, whether traditional, charismatic, or anywhere in between, frequently argue online and in parishes, each claiming they hold the “true and correct” way to worship. When reflecting on this I am reminded of the final Mass at World Youth Day in Portugal 2023. I can still hear Pope Francis shouting to the massive crowd of young people, reminding us that the Church has room for everyone: “Tutti, tutti, tutti!” (Everyone, everyone, everyone!)
This call to unity is beautifully echoed in the official motto of Pope Leo XIV: “In illo uno unum” (In the One, we are one). Grounded in the deep wisdom of St Augustine, this motto serves as a powerful blueprint for how we should treat one another across different expressions of faith: “Although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one. We are many and we are one — because we are united to Him, and if our head is in heaven, the members will follow.”
ONESydney reminded me that if the Kingdom of God is big enough for all who call on the name of Jesus, and if we want our Church in Australia to be fully alive, we must actively strive for unity and create communities where everyone feels at home and where everyone is welcome to get to know Him.
Photos by Alice Magner
