Jul 3, 2012
Aylesford Friary, in Kent, was alive last weekend with music by the MOBO nominated Jahaziel and Indecisive; workshops on a range of issues relevant to young people today; and a sense of celebration that has to be experienced to be believed. Each year hundreds of young adults gather from all over England and beyond for the Brightlights Festival to celebrate and share their faith. The tone of the three days is always relaxed and there is something for everybody. This year’s theme was 12: Ears that hear, eyes that see, focusing on discipleship. It was about a invitation to journey, beginning with the Feast of Ss Peter and Paul, and listening to where God was calling you in your life.
In addition to all the craic there were gentle and reflective liturgies throughout the three days. In addition to morning and night prayers we celebrated a number of liturgies of the Eucharist, as well as the Sacrament of Reconciliation. These experiences were enhanced by the work of the RISE Drama Group and the composition of original music for the occasion by Edwin Fawcett.
This is all part of what it means to come to Brightlights. There is an atmosphere here that is truly unique. It’s about building community and recalling that each of us have unique vocation, but also a common calling. It reminds us that we have a phenomenal message to share with the world if only we have those ears to hear and eyes to see. It is an event that the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have been delighted to support and hope to continue into the future.
Jun 12, 2012
Taize night prayer at the Congress
Ecumenism was the name of the game at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress (IEC2012) today Monday 11th June, with an extensive programme of events on the RDS campus and main arena focusing on the importance of Christian Unity. The theme of the day was Exploring and Celebrating Our Communion through Baptism.
Brother Alois, Friar of the Taizé Community
A catechesis on our common baptism: ‘Communion and Baptism: A Passion for the Unity of Christ’s Body’ was delivered in the main RDS arena by Br Alois Löser, Prior of the Taizé Community, France. Dr Maria Voce, President of the International Focolare Movement, shared her personal testimony on ‘Word of Life’ before the Liturgy of Word and Water presided which was by Archbishop Michael Jackson.
Speaking during the liturgy of Word and Water, Archbishop Jackson said: “The importance to me of this Eucharistic Congress is … it speaks of the broader picture of the life of communion flowing from baptism. Once we accept that mission is, first and last, God’s mission, questions have to be asked about how we enable this gift of God to be the spiritual activity and the active spirituality of the church of today. And we need to be mindful always that God speaks through the world to the church, as also to the world through the church.”
Jun 4, 2012
Some of the children who stay at the Holy Family Centre
You couldn’t have planned it if you tried. After a very long drive and a good night’s sleep I’m up and wandering around the Holy Family Centre with Sr. Susan. There are children running around, playing football or simply chatting with one another. As I turn the corner by the hall next to the pitch there are two children aged 11 and 7 and the older one is reading her Bible to her friend. It’s all about Moses, Pa-hair-ooh ( think about it! ) and the ten plagues. She stumbles over some of the words, but soliders on with great energy. It’s about frogs, locusts and plenty of drama. What’s not to love! (more…)
May 31, 2012
After Mass in the neighbouring township of Ivory Park
There’s a clock on the office wall of the Tshwaranang Hospice and Care Centre that advertises the services of a local funeral director. It’s a sombre reminder of the reality facing South Africa in light of the HIV / AIDS crisis. But in a place that could easily be overshadowed by despair hope reigns, at least for now.
As we walk around the ground with Mna. Joanna, the centre director, we meet Sammy working in the garden. Sammy was once a patient in Tshwarang, but because of the care he received he has now recovered, at least temporarily. He is now looking after the vegetables that the Centre grows and sells in order to help support itself.
Tshwaranang Hospice
The word ‘Tshwaranang’ means ‘holding hands.’ It is small centre, with only eighteen beds. On the weekend we visit one person has died and two more patients have been admitted. What is important here is the quality of care. From the food prepared in the simple kitchen, to the grounds where the patients sit out on warm days, to the gentleness of the nurses, there is a sense of something special happening.
Tshwaranang is a place where the Gospel message is very much alive. It’s not enough to treat the sick because they are in need of medical attention or even because they are our brothers and sisters. In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus tells us the mark of a Christian will be their ability to see the divine in the poor, the imprisoned, the refugee and the infirm and to treat them as they would treat Christ himself. This is an essential part of our truest vocation and the greatest challenge of our faith, to see the divine spark in all people, especially those at the margins.
May 4, 2012
The Eucharist Congress Bell has travelled all round Ireland
There’s an App apparently for everything. There is no aspect of our lives, no matter how obscure, how bizarre that doesn’t have an associated smart phone feature that can make our lives more hassle free. Today I found out that these handy features now extend to our upcoming Eucharistic Congress. Fair play to Dominican Friar Luuk Dominiek Jansen and the Congress team for all their work.
There is a real sense of anticipation growing about the upcoming Eucharistic Congress. The line up of speakers and workshops is impressive, with a range of themes and topics explored. Pilgrims are traveling to Ireland from all around the world, not just from England and Europe, but from North and South America, Africa and Asia. There are expected to be 20,000 people attending each day, with a total of 80,000 attending for the final Mass in Croke Park. It will be an opportunity to experience the true universality of the Catholic Church and to celebrate it in prayer, song and fellowship.
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On Thursday there’ll be a special focus on vocations to priesthood and religious life and the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart will be there in force for the week. If you around drop in to Stand 71 and say hello. If I can borrow a Nespresso machine in the meantime there may even be a coffee on the go! For more information on the Eucharistic Congress check out their website http://www.iec2012.ie/
Apr 7, 2012
When the women went to the tomb early on that Sunday morning one can only wonder what was going through their minds. Only a week earlier Jesus was welcomed into the Jerusalem with cheering and acclamation, as the long awaited Messiah. Now his body was left bruised and broken, hastily buried in a nearby tomb. They must have felt fear, for we are told they traveled early in the morning, just as the sun was rising when no one would be around. They were surely apprehensive at the task ahead of them, as they prepared to anoint the corpse of one they had loved so dearly. What they encountered was beyond their wildest hopes and has changed the course of humanity forever.
We are called to be Resurrection people. We are invited by God to live out our vocation as people filled with the hope of Easter. In the sacrifice of Christ on Good Friday we witness a power stronger than death, a love so profound that it is beyond our comprehension. It’s this love we are challenged to live out each day of our lives. If we look at the women who journeyed to the tomb that Easter morning almost 2,000 years ago we see something of that witness. Their faith, we are told in all four Gospels, is rewarded by making them the first messengers of the Resurrection.
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This Easter let’s follow the example of the women, who didn’t keep the good news of the Resurrection to themselves but shared it with everyone they knew. For this sharing of faith is what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ.
Aylesford Friary, in Kent, was alive last weekend with music by the MOBO nominated Jahaziel and Indecisive; workshops on a range of issues relevant to young people today; and a sense of celebration that has to be experienced to be believed. Each year hundreds of young adults gather from all over England and beyond for the Brightlights Festival to celebrate and share their faith. The tone of the three days is always relaxed and there is something for everybody. This year’s theme was 12: Ears that hear, eyes that see, focusing on discipleship. It was about a invitation to journey, beginning with the Feast of Ss Peter and Paul, and listening to where God was calling you in your life.
In addition to all the craic there were gentle and reflective liturgies throughout the three days. In addition to morning and night prayers we celebrated a number of liturgies of the Eucharist, as well as the Sacrament of Reconciliation. These experiences were enhanced by the work of the RISE Drama Group and the composition of original music for the occasion by Edwin Fawcett.
This is all part of what it means to come to Brightlights. There is an atmosphere here that is truly unique. It’s about building community and recalling that each of us have unique vocation, but also a common calling. It reminds us that we have a phenomenal message to share with the world if only we have those ears to hear and eyes to see. It is an event that the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have been delighted to support and hope to continue into the future.
