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CulturED Cafe

Held on Thursday evenings from 7.30pm - 9.30pm (dates vary), Cultured Cafe promises good food, fun, and entertainment with friends. It starts straight after Holy Hour, and for only $10, you can enjoy a delicious dinner with drinks. The night also includes light entertainment (an interesting talk, movie, or even a trivia session -- where things really start to heat up!).

Cultured Cafe: The Realities of Christian Persecution with Fr Zaher on August 10

Fr Zaher is Refugee Priest from Syria, he will be sharing his first-hand experience of being a Christian in the Middle East and the oppression that he and other Christians faced. He joined us in August 2017

Catholic dating in a hook up culture

As a Catholic, have you ever wondered how to go about dating in a culture that seems to glorify hook-ups?

On the evening of 20 April, the Archdiocesan Office for Youth was pleased to host Paul Ninnes, who answered this question for a gathering of over 90 young adults in what’s known as our ‘Cultured Café’.

Paul is the managing director of Real Talk, an organisation which travels the country talking to schools and young adults about sex, relationships and marriage.

Paul delved into some of the standards and expectations that society puts on young people when it comes to dating and gave some tips on healthy courting which he wished he knew when he was dating. Paul also shared his very powerful testimony of his own experience of dating and how his approach to dating changed when he had a conversion experience.

CulturED Cafe with Roby Curtis

Thursday the 2^nd of March was the first Cultured Café for the year hosted by the Archdiocesan Office for Youth. We were excited to kick things off with our guest speaker Roby Curtis. Roby is a singer and songwriter from Brisbane who has started his own ministry called Blind Eye, where he works with the vulnerable and homeless of Brisbane. We had a great attendance with over 70 young people coming along to hear Roby speak. Roby shared about his story and how growing up, his family would invite over the poor and marginalised for meals most days and how as he came to be a teenager he learnt that this was not a common practice in other families. Roby had a conversion experience around the age of 18 and after that noticed a need to live out the gospel through working with the poor in a similar way to how his parent did in his childhood. Roby used his music to break down cultural boundaries with the homeless of Brisbane. He now helps the vulnerable by running a drop in centre 3 days a week and helping them get back on their feet not only in society but also in their spiritual lives. His work is changing lives of hundreds of homeless people. We had an opportunity to ask Roby questions about his life and gain insight into how he deals with the success and setbacks in his ministry. Everyone who came left inspired and ready to make a change in the world.

CulturED Cafe with Fr Richard Leonard SJ

Fr Richard Leonard SJ joined us to talk prayer, film, books and stuff! If you missed out, here is the video below!

CulturED Cafe with Karen Doyle

Karen Doyle joined us to talk about what Pope John Paul II's teaching on the feminine genius is all about. She explored the unique qualities of femininity and how as men and women we can better understand and complement one another. Using her own life and learnings, Karen talked about how you can discover and deepen your faith.

CulturED Café presents: Finding the Way

Last week over 90 people attended the first CulturED Café for 2015! The event was a collaboration between the AOY and the Vocations Office, which launched the Finding the Way documentary. It is a story of three pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago, an 800 km pilgrimage from the western border of France to the north-west corner of Spain.

A big thanks to Ben Van Styn, Sharon Varney and Fr Nick Pearce for sharing your incredible journey with us all!

CulturED Cafe with Leah Darrow

More than 150 young people gathered last Thursday to hear CulturED Café’s special guest Leah Darrow. Leah first became famous at 24 years of age when she participated in the reality TV Show, America’s Next Top Model. More than just a modelling competition, this show was also about the interaction between the 14 finalists as they battled it out for the title. Leah went on to work as a professional model in New York however in 2005 she had a conversion experienced which changed the direction of her life. Leah shared about her powerful testimony and the topics she is most passionate about – reclaiming love and reclaiming beauty. Leah said that both these beautiful gifts have been distorted and belittled by our culture and many have believed the lies. Beauty is more than just our physical appearance and the virtue of modesty is not just about covering up. Leah explained that beauty is about protecting the mystery of a person and includes how we speak and think – not just how we dress. She also said that real love is wanting what is best for the other – something our culture needs to be reminded of. When asked about how we can share these messages of modesty and chastity with our friends, Leah pointed to the importance of being a witness of these virtues ourselves. She also spoke about our current culture where many people are sharing too much of their personal life on social media and the importance of keeping private things private. Leah was keen to answer questions from the floor and graciously stayed back to speak to the interested young people. The AOY was particularly grateful to the Lazari Foundation for bringing Leah to Melbourne and allowing so many of our young people to hear her speak.

CulturED Café with Daniel Wells

Big thanks to Daniel Wells for joining us for CulturED Cafe on 24 July - if you missed out, you can catch up here!

CulturED Cafe featuring Steve Angrisano (USA)

If you missed Steve on his last visit, be sure to check out the video!

CulturED Cafe featuring Archbishop Martinez (Spain)

Did you miss CulturED Cafe on Thurs 8th May? Catch up now...

CulturED Cafe featuring Fr Morgan Batt

On Thursday 20th March, we saw our biggest CulturED Cafe with Fr Morgan Batt. Did you miss it? Catch up with our video of the event and hear Fr Morgan's inspirational stories.

CulturED Cafe featuring Dr Maureen O'Connell (USA)

If you missed out on CulturED Cafe on Thursday 4 July check out the video below. Dr Maureen O’Connell is a lay theologian, author and professor at Fordham University. Her latest book "If these walls could talk" focuses on the power of community art in bringing about social justice. Enjoy us as we take a whole new look at how art, faith and culture intersect and contribute to our communities.

CulturED Cafe featuring Sherry Weddell and Fr Chas Canoi (USA)

If you missed out on CulturED Cafe on Thurs 16 May, listen to Sherry Weddell, co-founder and co-director of the St Catherine of Siena Institute and the internationally acclaimed Called and Gifted Program along with Fr Chas Canoi as they discuss Grace, God's Gifts and vegemite.

CulturED Cafe featuring Sr Regine (USA)

If you missed out on CulturED Cafe on Thurs 14 March, listen to Sr Regine Fohrer, a religious sister from France who has spent the past seven years ministering to lonely and isolated people in the housing projects of Brooklyn and the Bronx, alongside young lay missionaries who are part of the Heart's Home movement. Heart's Homes exist in some of the poorest (and not-so-poor) communities around the world to offer a place of welcome and friendship.

CulturED Cafe with The Fraternas

If you missed out on CulturED Cafe on Thurs 4 October, listen to Cecilia Figueroa and Eileen Leyne speak about their lives as Fraternas - a group of lay women and their mission in the Church today.

CulturED Cafe... Gracefest edition 16 Aug - Nathan Halloran

If you missed out on CulturED Cafe, catch up with part two here - Nathan Halloran SJ

CulturED Cafe... Gracefest Edition 16 Aug - Steve Angrisano

If you missed out on CulturED Cafe, catch up with part one here - Steve Angrisano

CulturED Cafe with Fr Dom Murphy OP

If you missed our May CulturED Cafe or just want to relive it - see below!

CulturED Cafe presents... Bishop Vincent Long

If you did not have a chance to hear Bishop Vincent Long at our first CulturED Café for 2012, then catch up on some of the questions here and keep an eye out for our next session on Thursday 10 May!

CulturED Cafe presents... Fr Rob Galea

World Youth Day Madrid may have impacted millions of young people, but for many pilgrims it was the performance of young priest and singer Fr Rob Galea at the Australian Gathering that really struck a chord. Up to 150 young people from all over Melbourne packed into the Cardinal Knox Centre for Cultured Café, hosted by the Archdiocesan Office for Youth. Watch the interview:

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