What a fruitful time it has been! On the first Friday evening of September, and again in October, the young women of Sacred Heart and St Columba have gathered to share not only a meal, but their faith and friendship. This is a monthly event that we hope to continue into the New Year, focusing on a particular faith theme or topic for the season, nuturing our youth in community, faith and formation.
Each evening the guests arrive early with gifts of food in their hands and leave in the night with gifts of hope and joy! Together we pray, share and reflect on a topic led by our youth minister, India within our Spring/Summer theme "Full of Grace".
For our first evening in September the talk was on our Mother Mary and how we too can give a Marian 'yes' to God. We also shared how she leads us closer to her son, our Lord and the loving relationship we have with her as our mother and protector. It was a blessed night forming new friendships that joined together on Sunday at mass and caught up for lunch afterwards. The next dinner doubled in numbers!
For our October night the theme focused on St Mary Magdalene and her search for Jesus at the tomb - reflecting on when we too search for Jesus when we feel lost and how God calls us each by our name. Again, we had a prayerful time and reflection on how we identified with Mary at the tomb. Everyone stayed back to help pack up, borrow books from our library, talk more and offer a new friend a ride home. We now gather excitedly at mass and have since had more women approaching our youth minister, eager to join - both hungry for our Lord and for community. God is surely working amongst us, "for where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them".
I’d like to extend an invitation for all young adults in their 20s and 30s who would like to join us again on Friday November 1st @ 6:30pm where we will have a special guest - our Parish priest Fr John! He will be leading us in prayer and reflecting on the story of Mary and Martha.
There are sign up sheets in both churches, or you can talk to our youth minister over a cup of tea after mass.
So far women have signed up, therefore we have catered for that call. We pray more young men that come to our Parish or visit will be interested to join us. A resolution for the New Year!
A special thanks to the Parish Leadership team for their support, the young women themselves and all parishioners who have been supporting us in their prayers! May the blessed Virgin Mary intercede for us and protect the young of our church!
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