NOYE 2026: On the Road… Humans, Christians, Saints
In January 2026, seventy young people gathered for NOYE 2026, the very first National Oblate Youth Encounter to be held at the new St Eugene’s Retreat and Conference Centre. It felt fitting that a new chapter for Oblate Youth would begin in a new place. Fresh walls, open space, and a sense that something was unfolding, not perfectly polished, but deeply alive.
This year’s theme, On the Road… Humans, Christians, Saints, shaped everything. From prayer to conversation, workshops to downtime, NOYE was less about arriving at neat answers and more about walking honestly together.
Each day was grounded in prayer and liturgy. Adoration, Reconciliation, and Mass were not side moments but the heartbeat of the encounter. These were spaces of stillness and encounter, where young people could breathe, reflect, and be reminded that God meets us exactly where we are, not where we think we should be.
The journey unfolded through three key talks that traced the road we are all walking.
First, Emma invited participants to reflect on what it means to be human in today’s world. A world of noise, pressure, beauty, grief, humour, contradictions, and longing. The invitation was simple but challenging: to take our humanity seriously, not as something to escape, but as the very place God meets us.
Nick then explored what it means to be Christian. Not as a label or a comfort zone, but as a way of seeing and responding to the world. To live with compassion, courage, and responsibility, even when it is uncomfortable or costly.
Finally, Xavier spoke about the call to be saints. Not distant, flawless figures on pedestals, but real people who keep choosing love, faithfulness, and hope. Holiness, he reminded us, is a road we walk step by step, often imperfectly, always together.
Alongside the talks, participants engaged in a range of workshops that deepened the theme in practical and creative ways. Sonia led an ecological meditation, inviting young people to slow down and listen to creation as a place of prayer and responsibility. Fr Michael Twigg OMI guided participants through the story and spirit of the 200th anniversary of the Oblate Constitutions and Rules, connecting our present journey with 200 years of mission and courage. Oblate seminarians Br Danistan, Br Hiue, Br Thai, and Br Som introduced us to young saints whose lives remind us that holiness is possible in every culture and every generation. Jason, Karolina, Rosh, and Fr Christian Fini OMI shared honestly about vocation, unpacking how calling and occupation don’t always look the same, but both invite us to listen deeply and respond generously.
Of course, NOYE was never just about sessions and schedules. Community was woven through everything. Shared meals, games, laughter, late-night conversations, quiet moments, and spontaneous joy all helped turn a group of seventy individuals into a community on the road together.
NOYE 2026 reminded us that faith is not a destination we arrive at fully formed. It is a journey. We are human, learning to live well. We are Christian, learning to see with the eyes of Christ. We are saints-in-the-making, learning to keep walking, even when the road is uncertain.
