The gathering at St Patrick’s College brought together Catholics from across the country for a day of prayer, testimony, teaching and worship under the theme ‘Living Water for Every Generation’, before concluding with an evening concert.
Addressing the gathering, Fr Cahill said contemporary society is “desperately, desperately searching for meaning and purpose” and argued that Christians should not approach evangelisation as though they are constantly defending something in decline.
“We stop thinking we’re always on the back foot, we’re always defending ourselves,” he said. “No, we’re not.”
“What we have people need,” he added, pointing to the need for grace, consolation, meaning and purpose in people’s lives.
Fr Cahill said the Church should not try to compete with the entertainment already available to younger generations.
“They’re not actually looking for entertainment [from] the Church,” he said. “They’re looking for profundity and meaning. They’re looking for the Lord.”
He added: “They’re actually looking for what we have, for what we always had. And maybe they’re looking for what we actually lost.”
Throughout the day, speakers shared testimonies of the Holy Spirit at work in people’s lives, with accounts of recovery, renewed family relationships, missionary vocation and a deepening life of prayer.
Radio presenter Nikki Hayes spoke movingly about her journey from addiction and homelessness to recovery and a return to broadcasting.
Three years ago, she told the gathering, she was sleeping rough in Dublin, had lost contact with her daughter and was struggling with addiction. She is now two years and ten months sober and has rebuilt relationships with her daughter, family and friends.
“He didn’t take anything from me, he just showed me a better way,” she said of her faith.
Maria, a 22-year-old Jesus Youth missionary, also described how her faith moved beyond the “spiritual high” she had experienced at charismatic events growing up.
She said intentional formation and learning to invite the Holy Spirit into her daily prayer eventually transformed her faith and led her to commit a year to missionary service.
Rev Simon Genoe urged those attending to become people who listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
“We need to tune our ears and tune our hearts to respond to him,” he said.