BY Martin Dunlop | June 21 | 
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An early start for New Dawn youth
Youth Ministry hold retreat led at cathedral in Ayr ahead of annual conference in Scotland
Members of Scotland’s New Dawn Youth Ministry recently brought their message to young Catholics from across Scotland, ahead of the organisation’s national event in St Andrews next month.
The youth ministry teamed up with Galloway Youth Office, led by Fr Stephen McGrattan, on the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to offer a day of retreat for young people, including praise and worship, music and the celebration of Mass.
Canon Patrick Keegans, administrator of St Margaret’s Cathedral, Ayr, hosted the event and welcomed young people from Catholic dioceses across Scotland to a sunny Galloway.
The young Catholics listened to the thoughts of guest speaker Patrick Reynolds, a full-time Catholic youth officer from Ireland, with one pilgrim commenting that his love and relationships talk was ‘the best one I have ever heard.’
The young people rounded off their pilgrimage by attending St Margaret’s Cathedral’s vigil Mass, with one parishioner commenting that the site of all the young pilgrims was ‘very uplifting.’
Dougie Hunter, director of New Dawn Scotland, said that the expansion of New Dawn’s youth ministry marks ‘a very exciting time’ for a group that has ‘Catholic evangelisation’ as its mission.
“We hope this will be the first of many New Dawn youth retreats taking place in dioceses around Scotland,” Mr Hunter said.
Young people will, once again, have their own workshops and events during the 2013 New Dawn in Scotland Conference, which will take place from July 8-12 at Madras College, St Andrews.
“The theme of this year’s conference is, Bring out the new and the old, and the Year of Faith will be prominent throughout the event,” Mr Hunter said.
Bishop Joseph Toal of Argyll and the Isles will attend the conference and is expected to welcome two visiting bishops from abroad to St Andrews.
Among the speakers at this year’s New Dawn in Scotland Conference, now in its fourth year, will be Aneel Aranha, from the United Arab Emirates, who runs a Catholic radio station in the Far East.
— For further information on the New Dawn in Scotland Conference 2013, visit the website: http://www.newdawninscotland.com
— This story ran in full in the June 21 print edition of the SCO
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