One of the greatest joys of this mission is seeing young people awaken to the reality that their lives have purpose—that God has called them to be disciples on mission. In recent months, and in the months ahead, NET staff and teams are travelling across Australia and New Zealand, sharing this message with dioceses, parishes, and youth gatherings.

Everywhere they go, the conversation is the same: What does it mean to live with a mission mindset? For NET, this means helping young people see that mission isn’t something reserved for a select few—it’s the call of every Christian. To live with a mission mindset is to understand that faith is not only a gift to receive, but also a responsibility to share. It is a daily choice to allow the love of Christ to shape our words, our actions, and our vision for the world around us.

I am inspired by the courage of our missionaries who witness to this truth with joy, and by the openness of young people who are hungry for something real. More than ever, we need a generation who see themselves not as spectators in the life of the Church, but as apostles—sent and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for standing with us in this work. Your prayers and support make it possible for NET to keep sparking this missionary fire in young hearts. Together, we are inspiring young people to follow Jesus and find a home in the Church.

Peace,

Mark

Executive Director

TEAM UPDATES

NET Auckland with Michael Rayner (NET 23,24) and Jessica Samaila (NET Staff)

NET Missionaries - Inspiring their generation!

With renewed focus and a mission mindset, our missionaries are fully engaged in their local areas this month—seeking the Spirit daily, building authentic relationships, proclaiming Jesus boldly, creating contrast communities, and persevering with hope.

Across Australia and New Zealand, they continue to inspire young people to follow Jesus and find a home in the Church.

Auckland Team

It’s been a busy and very exciting past month here in Auckland. We kicked off August with World Youth Day Auckland where 2,000 young people gathered for a day of talks, worship, Mass and Adoration. Some NET Alumni joined us, Christyna Malitoa-Brown (NET 22,23) MC'ing the day alongside Jacob, and Fr Will Luliano (Brisbane Archdiocese & NET 12,13) giving some captivating talks as a guest speaker.

We spent a week in the beautiful landscape of Whangarei for some retreat days with Yr 10 & 11 students from Pompallier College. Other retreat days have been spent with the girls from St Dominics and Baradene College of the Sacred Heart. The Baradene girls then invited us to watch their dance competition which was a great opportunity to see them again. Can’t wait for the coming month ahead!

Rockhampton Team

We have had an incredible month travelling and ministering all over the Diocese! We began the month in the Valleys Parish, ministering in many schools and churches across Biloela, Monto, Moura and Theodore. It was an incredible experience staying on cattle properties and getting a taste of country life!

Back in Rockhampton we got back to ministry with the boarding students and also spent a week at a nearby college, running sessions for over 20 classes and a twilight retreat which was a great success for the students involved. 

Our next trip took us even further out West, to Blackwater, Springsure, Emerald, Barcaldine and even Longreach! We ran retreats for parishes and schools and were welcomed into many beautiful communities to celebrate Mass. Across this trip, we stayed in so many places, including an avocado farm, small country towns, and even on a remote cattle station! Some team highlights of this past month include the most insane stargazing, a night swim in artesian thermal springs, playing a lot of pickleball, hanging out with so many horses, hitting up so many playgrounds, epic road trips, lots of fun dinners with awesome communities, and celebrating Craig’s 20th birthday in the outback!

Maroochydore Team

This past month has been full-on in the best way, jumping back into ministry and settling into the rhythm again. It’s been so good to be back in the sunshine after our freezing (but amazing) midyear training. We celebrated Sam’s birthday with a trip to Rainbow Beach, where we had a beautiful moment praying together under the stars and watching the sunset. 

Our ministry has kicked off to a really good start and we’re loving being back present in the school. We’re back singing at Mass, hanging out with students, joining more classes, and even diving into Bible stories like Abraham’s. This last week was especially  hectic but so rewarding! We drove to Brisbane to help Ignite Youth run Formation Days for BCE students across many schools, then jumped straight into our parish’s annual Sisterhood Retreat. It was such a gift to provide music, prayer, and connection with the women of our parish (shoutout to the men for serving food!). 

God is still moving strongly within our ministry, and we look forward to growing closer to Him, each other and all those we’ve connected with throughout the rest of the year. 

Darwin Team

Helloooo from Darwin!! Our past four weeks have been a wild and amazing adventure across the top end! We have been road tripping all the way from Darwin down to Katherine, Alice Springs and then to Santa Theresa where we led multiple retreats including ones for confirmation and communion students within the schools and parishes.

We also worked with the Gen Bryant team in music ministry whilst in Alice Springs. We thoroughly enjoyed the cooler weather in central Australia compared to the Darwin humidity and attended the school fete at St Joseph’s school in Katherine which was a beautiful community event! Our team has also celebrated Kait’s 25th birthday which we enjoyed with the Bishop and other clergy in Alice Springs.

After returning to Darwin, we attended a year 10 overnight retreat with Mackillop college and helped out at the biggest breakaway youth night this year (so far). We have also discovered our new favourite team activity… rock climbing! We are currently back in Tiwi islands, where we will be running retreats for the senior students and living it up by the deep blue sea! 

APPLICATIONS OPEN

If you or anyone you know is interested, could be interested or you think they would make a great missionary serving with NET Ministries - let us know! 

More information can be found here

COMING UP

Mark Your Calendars!

Join us for an inspiring evening with guest speaker Fr Rob Galea, as NET partners with Ignite Youth to celebrate and support the mission of inspiring young people to follow Jesus and find a home in the Church.

Ignite Conference

Since 2001, Ignite Conference has been the passion project of a small group of people who carried a vision for what a gathering of faithful Catholics and the unchurched would look like.

NET Ministries are proud to partner with Ignite Conference. We highly recommend getting along to the Brisbane conference in 2025! 

MAKE FAITH POSSIBLE

At NET Ministries, we are committed to inspiring young people to encounter Jesus, follow him and find a home in the Church. Your support—both financial and prayerful—ensures that this mission continues to transform lives. Here’s how make faith possible: