Laughter, song, and the scent of hot soup filled St John XXIII Parish, Glenwood-Stanhope Gardens. Children skipped between pews, grandparents smiled from the back rows, and young people raised their voices in worship. It wasn’t just a gathering – it was a celebration of hope come alive.
Over three days in August, HOPEFEST, the Diocese of Parramatta’s Jubilee of Hope, turned the parish into a living tapestry of faith, where worship, reflection, and pilgrimage intertwined, and the Spirit of God moved through every heart.
A night of song and Spirit
On Friday 8 August, more than 250 people entered St John XXIII for an evening of powerful music and prayer, guided by the Mission Enhancement Team’s Rachael Kama, who has led church and community choirs for over 20 years.
The FaithFeed, the Diocesan initiative for people in their 20s to 40s, shaped the night, as all are welcomed, questions are honoured and stories reveal the divine.
Participants at HOPEfest Day 1. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
This was reflected in those who attended, including the intergenerational choir of BLAZE and Ignite youth, Singles for Christ, Alpha members, and high school students.
Vinnies and the “Awesome Ladies” group provided hot soup, while newcomers prayed through song.
Soon, the church sang together: “Your name is the highest, Your name is the greatest, Your name stands above them all – what a beautiful name it is – the name of Jesus.”
“You could feel the change in the hearts of the people in the community,” said one parishioner.
“Tonight was the start of something new for me,” another reflected.
Participants during HOPEfest Day 2. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
“Listening to the music, hearing stories and praying with a room of blessed souls was amazing.”
Youth leading the way
If Friday was about worship, Saturday was about listening – to Scripture, each other, and God.
Amanda, a leader of the parish’s BLAZE youth group, invited participants into the Word of God, showing how hope runs through Scripture. Group discussion, journaling, and lectio divina (divine reading) allowed participants to reflect on hope in their own lives.
Participants at HOPEfest Day 1. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
“Love is not just a feeling. It’s an action,” one participant shared.
“Even when we’re tired, we can still love through our actions, like a mum loving their baby in the middle of the night.”
“It was good to have my dad there to hear how he also reflects on Scripture,” a young participant said.
“It’s so good seeing the young people leading,” added a couple.
A pilgrimage through rain and sun
Sunday brought the final act: a local pilgrimage from Stanhope to the Franciscan Shrine of Holy Innocents at Kellyville. Over 100 pilgrims set out, greeted by alternating rain and sun, which did not deter them.
“It was really a pilgrimage experience in all of the ways,” said a Catholic school teacher, noting how the weather mirrored the challenges pilgrims offer up to God in prayer.
Children sang, parents carried little ones, and pilgrims shared reflections along the walk. At the Shrine, Fr Paschal welcomed them and spoke on hope as a theological virtue – a gift from God calling for a response in daily life. Many received Reconciliation before Adoration drew the weekend to a close.
Fr Jolly, Parish Priest of St John XXIII Parish, Glenwood-Stanhope Gardens speaks to participants of HOPEfest Day 2. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
“Thank you everyone for a beautiful weekend of faith, hope and love,” said one parent. “A pilgrimage of the heart that spiritually uplifted our parish community.”
“It was a truly spirit-filled weekend, and we feel blessed to have been a part of it,” another added.
More than an event – a way of being Church
HOPEFEST began as a conversation between Fr Jolly Chacko and the Diocesan Mission Enhancement Team (MET). True to its synodal approach, MET listened to what was already alive in the parish.
Fr Jolly described the synergy as “a good opportunity” to collaborate on something bigger and better than any could imagine.
On Sunday, pilgrims celebrated Mass before setting off on a mini-pilgrimage to the Franciscan Shrine of Holy Innocents in Kellyville. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
HOPEFEST showed what is possible when the Diocese and parish walk together. It was not just an event, but a lived expression of a vibrant, synodal, missionary Church.
At Glenwood-Stanhope, the water of hope flowed freely – and all who came to drink left renewed for the journey ahead.
HOPEFEST reflected the priorities of Mission, Formation, Prayer, Listening and Community inherent in the Diocesan Pastoral Plan: supporting prayer groups, fostering intergenerational leadership, and empowering parishes to use their charisms for mission. Visit Synodality to learn more, or reach out to the MET today.
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