Breathing life into Liverpool's youth

'Animate' is their name and that’s exactly what they do in the northern English diocese of Liverpool. 'Animate' is a youth ministry started almost a decade ago with the idea that young people themselves are best able to reach out and touch the lives of their peers with the good news of their Christian faith.
From its humble beginnings, the programme now runs a monthly youth Mass and a large retreat centre with weekly celebrations in the popular Life and Soul Café. Each year its dedicated team of young men and women works with thousands of kids in schools and parishes, leading confirmation classes, mission weeks, pilgrimages to Lourdes and other annual events designed to bring the Gospel to life and make it relevant to young people’s individual experiences.
You can of course find them on facebook and twitter, as well as on their animateyouth.org website, but Philippa Hitchen was lucky enough to meet two of the team face to face during a visit to Rome with their very supportive archbishop, Patrick Kelly, who was recently spotted out for a meal with the group on the eve of his Golden Jubilee celebrations.
Their name, 'Animate', is taken from the Greek word meaning reviving spirit, breath of life – and as Philippa discovered from Woody and Becca, the group really does bring a breath of fresh air to the Church in Liverpool and beyond….

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