Jan 2, 2013
Vocations ministry in 2012 hit the ground running. From the launch of our website in February we’ve been around the world and back again and we’ve taken part in loads of exciting festivals, events and celebrations. 2013 however is going to be bigger, better and even more exciting!
We’ll continue with many of the events of last year. There’ll be a pilgrimage to Lourdes with the Irish Pilgrimage Trust after Easter. The exploreAway discernment programme will run through Spring, as six young people consider their call to religious life and priesthood. The Knock Summer Festival and the Brightlights WYD gathering are among the highlights of the summer. (more…)
Dec 24, 2012
Just a short blog today to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.
God bless,
Fr. Alan and all the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
“Dear Brothers and Sisters, let us turn our gaze anew to the grotto of Bethlehem. The Child whom we contemplate is our salvation! He has brought to the world a universal message of reconciliation and peace. Let us open our hearts to him; let us receive him into our lives. Once more let us say to him, with joy and confidence: “Veni ad salvandum nos!”
Pope Benedict XVI
Dec 19, 2012
Yes! It’s happening! The MSCs are going to Rio for World Youth Day 2013! We’ll join over 3,000,000 other young people from around the world next for two week this coming July. WYD is a fantastic occasion for people to gather together, to celebrate their faith, and have an unforgettable time.
The MSC group will include five young people from St. Albans, two from Princethorpe College, one from Liverpool and one from Drimoleague, as well as myself. We’re going to join up and travel with the pilgrimage from the Archdiocese of Westminster. During the course of the event we’ll also link in with other MSCs from Venezuela, Indonesia, Canada and of course Brazil itself.
Some of the young people from St. Albans, Phil from Westminster and Fr. Alan
The week is filled with activity and celebration, most of which takes place on the famous Copacabana Beach. There will be afternoons of catechesis, tours of local sights ( including a trip up to Christ the Redeemer ), volley ball on the beach, open mike and concert sessions, as well as creative liturgical celebrations culminating in the final Mass with the Pope.
For more information, as it happens, watch this space
Dec 6, 2012
It’s been a long time coming, but there a sense that the Vatican have really begun to explore the importance of social media in our world today. Pope Benedict XVI launched his Twitter account earlier this week and now has well over 500,000 followers, even though he hasn’t started tweeting yet. Tweets will begin on the 12 December to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and come every Wednesday thereafter to begin with.
More and more people are engaging with one another online through sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Linkedin to name but a few. These present fantastic opportunities for people to discuss, celebrate and explore their faith. They also enable us to share the Good News that we profess through our lives, which is of vital importance during this Year of Faith.
“Part of the challenge for the Church in the area of new media is to establish a networked or capillary presence that can effectively engage the debates, discussions and dialogues that are facilitated by social media and that invite direct, personal and timely responses of a type that are not so easily achieved by centralized institutions,” the Catholic church has said in a press release detailing the Pope’s decision to join Twitter. “Moreover, such a networked or capillary structure reflects the truth of the Church as a community of communities which is alive both universally and locally. The Pope’s presence in Twitter will represent his voice as a voice of unity and leadership for the Church but it will also be a powerful invitation to all believers to express their ‘voices’, to engage their ‘followers’ and ‘friends’ and to share with them the hope of the Gospel that speaks of God’s unconditional love for all men and women.”
Nov 30, 2012
Exciting news! Today marks the beginning of the exploreAway vocation discernment programme. Six people have begun the five weekend course that looks at how God is moving in their lives and inviting them to follow him. It’s a gentle, relfective time that gives space and quiet to share, pray and discern. The course will be facilitated by myself and Sr Gabrielle O’Farrell OLA. There’ll be inputs from members of a number of different congregations on areas like vocation, life journey, prayer, the vows and religious life.
We’d ask for your prayers for all those taking part in the course and for all those discerning their vocation at this time. We all have a role to play today in promoting vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Nov 23, 2012
Exciting doesn’t begin to describe it. It doesn’t do it justice. Are there even words to adequately explain what’s it like to have over 3,000,000 young Catholics sharing, exploring and celebrating their faith. A lot of the time people say, “You would have had to have been there.” This is one of those rare occasions when they’re actually right.
Next year’s celebration of World Youth Day in Rio promises to be one of the biggest youth gatherings in history. But it’s more than just a get together or simply a party. It about being a member of a universal Church, which includes people from all over our planet. It reminds us that, as Catholics, we have something to share and to celebrate. (more…)
Vocations ministry in 2012 hit the ground running. From the launch of our website in February we’ve been around the world and back again and we’ve taken part in loads of exciting festivals, events and celebrations. 2013 however is going to be bigger, better and even more exciting!
