"IF YOU want to hang with Jesus for a while over lunch break, the Adoration chapel will be open," Ann Lee, director of Knock's youth ministry, tells the audience at the shrine's Summer Youth Festival yesterday, before the end of the morning sessions."I'll probably go there myself."
Yesterday was the first full day of the three-day festival, and by the afternoon, 300 people had registered for a busy programme of prayer, reflection, motivational workshops, Mass and music from Christian bands.
A further 450 are expected over the weekend: each parish has supplied free transport, and many are sponsoring the €55 entrance fee, which covers all costs.
The festival has been going since 2001, and there are many veterans among this year's crowd.
Unlike other music festivals, however, there is a strict no-alcohol rule, a midnight curfew and you don't sleep in your own tent: there are separate marquees provided for each sex to unroll their sleeping bags.
"They had air-beds to sleep on in the marquees last year," reported Aoife Fox (21), from Drumcondra. "They only have mats this year. It's hard on the back. I didn't really sleep at all."
James Leonard (30) from Newcastle, Co Down, sought the shelter of a local BB. It was his first festival.
"In the normal parish context, you don't get to talk to other young people about faith," he explained. "For our generation, it can be embarrassing to talk about your faith, because of the recent bad history of the church. You don't feel you have a voice. Where does faith fit into our modern culture? So it's important to come somewhere like this to recharge the batteries."
One person who hadn't travelled far for the festival was Ellen Hynes (18), from the nearby townland of Aghamore. "It's not really seen to be cool to be doing something like this when you're a teenager. But I've been here before: it's great craic, and you meet new people. Why not come? The great thing is everyone is willing to share their faith here. It's really open. Nobody has to hide it here."
Among the events on the programme yesterday was a 15-minute mime of a song, Watch the Lamb, by mime artist, Steve Murray from Essex.
Murray, who has made his living for the last 12 years by performing Christian mime around the world, graphically re-enacted the suffering endured by the carrying of Christ's cross by Simon, to loud applause.
Afterwards, Murray says of his unusual job: "God made me a mime artist because I'm not very good at explaining what I do."
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