|
WALKIN' HOPE New Catholic family Conference for the North East Clare Pickthall shares how her faith was brought alive in a new way through attending the New Dawn conference in Walsingham, and about the Catholic family conference she is helping organise this summer in the grounds of Minsteracres, the Passionist retreat centre in Co Durham.
|
|
I have always considered myself a pretty committed Catholic, so I was pleased when a friend asked if my daughter and I wanted to go to the New Dawn conference with her and her daughter and son at the marian shrine at Walsingham in August 2002. It sounded like fun and we had a great time buying tents, camping stoves and other bits and pieces. I packed my rosary beads and a couple of books, expecting a traditional sort of retreat, so I was rather freaked out when I came into the big marquee and found 3000 people singing and praising with their arms in the air. I had never had any experience of charismatic renewal and was rather scared by it all. The kids loved it, however, and as the week wore on, the atmosphere started to get to me too. Just seeing so many people full of life and joy, who seemed to smile all the time and were genuinely interested in you, really touched me. Who was I? A single mum with no money and no experience of Church things, but I kept thinking of Mother Teresa’s words “Do Something beautiful for God.” The catalyst for me, however, was one of the workshops I went to, given by a Franciscan Friar called Fr Stan Fortuna, who spoke about Pope John II and World Youth Day in Toronto in 2002. All I can say is, if you have ever been “Stan’d” you’ll know where I’m coming from. I had never heard anything like it before. He talked about the Pope’s teaching relating faith to the youth through their cultural references. He rapped, he stomped and he sang like an angel. It was clear that he was totally God’s man, and loving Jesus was all that he lived for. And that was just the first workshop. I was eager to hear more and went to all Father Stan’s talks. He didn’t skirt around difficult issues, but addressed them head on. He asked what we were going to do about contributing to our faith, to help the poor, to combat the troubles of the world. He asked us to take time to listen to Jesus and to pray. Not only was I “Fr Stan’d,” I could see all the young people were as well. They flocked to listen to him and he was able to keep their attention, because he was so “for real”. He didn’t water down Catholic issues, he explained them and he presented the Gospel in a way wholly accessible to young people – and not so young like me. I wished when I was teenager, I had heard a priest like that, that someone had explained to me the theology of the body and maybe I wouldn’t have made the choices I did. Then I would have understood why the church teaches that sex is for within marriage only. I left the conference a transformed person. I have always trusted God, who has helped me through many difficult times, but I feel now that I’ve somehow stepped up to a new level of faith and prayer, something I never thought possible, if you are just an ordinary person like me. I am a paediatric neurology nurse specialist working with children with diseases and injuries to the brain and nervous system. When I got back to work, people even there kept saying to me “What’s happened to you?” They could sense the difference in me. It has also given me a huge urge to evangelise. I wanted others to experience what I and my daughter had. I had never heard of New Dawn before I went, and I felt we needed to organise something similar in the North East, for people who won’t travel long distances. It was crazy really. Who was I? A single mum with no money and no experience of Church things, but I kept thinking of Mother Teresa’s words “Do Something beautiful for God.” I prayed that God would show me the way. Somehow I had to get Fr Stan to come to the north east so he could preach to the young people and inspire them for God. Although I had never done anything like this before, I have organised mini conferences at work, and I have lots of enthusiasm, so I just decided to step out and see what happened.
After that, doors just seemed to open and suddenly we had a whole team on board to run the event, including the Minsteracres retreat team and the Hexham and Newcastle Youth Ministry Team. The dates are 9th-11th July, and as well as Fr Stan, Myles Dempsey, the founder of New Dawn is coming, and Steve Murray the mime artist, as well as some of our local dance ministries like Kingdom.com and Beyond the Barricades. I know it’s going to be great, so why don’t you come and bring your friends? For further information check out the website
www.walkinhope.org.uk or send an SAE to WALKIN’ HOPE, 10 Morrison
Terrace, Acomb. Hexham, Northumberland NE46 4QE
|
First
of all we needed a location. I had a few doors closed, but eventually
Minsteracres, the Passionist retreat centre came into my mind. I felt
it would be perfect, but would they agree? Amazingly Fr Mark White,
the boss, said yes and that the young people could camp in the grounds
too. Now I just had to persuade Fr Stan. After endless emails to Francesco
Productions he agreed. Boy did our children dance round the living
room when they heard the news.
