Carnivale Christi
Seek the Face of Christ
Carnivale Christi began in 2001 and has consequently grown to be one of Austalia's largest annual Catholic festivals. Over the past five years, the festival has been staged in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Wagga Wagga and tens of thousands of people have participated.
On Thursday May 18, 2006 Archbishop Denis Hart will open Carnivale Christi at St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne - Cardinal George Pell will open Carnivale Christi at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney the next night. Over the subsequent two weeks, 25 events will be staged across the two cities and 15-20,000 people are expected to attend.
At its essence, Carnivale Christi is a spiritual celebration in the heart of the city. Consequently, 40 Hours Adoration will take place at the two Cathedrals across the Carnivale Christi weekend and forty different groups are being invited to take an hour each as part of this united prayer vigil. At each Cathedral, the festival will then reach its climax on Sunday May 21 with the Festival Mass. This Mass will feature a Festival Choir of hundreds of singers brought together from across the city to sing alongside the Cathedral Choir.
Over the next three years, as Australia prepares for World Youth Day 2008, our aim is to take Carnivale Christi to five cities across the country with plays, musicals, concerts, art exhibitions, expos, films, sporting contests and forums with both local and overseas speakers all playing a part. This is an ambitious plan but one which we believe is possible with faith and the generous support of the community.
