| JOEL'S BAR
"If we live in the Spirit, let's walk in the
Spirit"
One hundred young adults from CELEBRATE’S Joel’s
Bar spent Easter Week with the twenty five Benedictine Monks at Worth
Abbey, exploring the theme of our spiritual journey - walking in the
Spirit. The invitation to hold the week at the Worth community had come
from Abbot Christopher Jamison, and after exploratory visits to the
Abbey, some practical discussions, and an on-site team planning weekend,
everything was agreed and a programme prepared which blended together
the riches of the charismatic renewal and monastic life. The leadership
team and an advance preparation party celebrated the Easter Triduum
with the monks, and Joel’s Bar arrived in force on Easter Tuesday,
including a group from Holland - the leaders of the young people‘s
stream at the annual Dutch CELEBRATE Conference. The members of St.
Patrick’s Evangelisation School based in Soho and representing
seven different countries, came to serve and to participate in the conference,
and brought a truly international flavour to the week.
After a bit of adjustment and accommodation, the rather unusual combination
of enthusiastic young charismatics and contemplative monks came together
beautifully, each being encouraged and blessed by the other. Enthusiastic
and up-lifting praise and worship combined with reflective times of
silence, the buzz and intimate atmosphere of the theatre where the main
talks were given, contrasting with the silence and spaciousness of the
Abbey Church where the liturgies were celebrated and wonderful times
of quiet prayer experienced. A good number of Joel’s Bar joined
the monks for morning and evening prayer in the Abbey Church, while
two of the monks played a full part in the conference and attended every
session. Abbot Christopher gave an excellent opening talk and was a
frequent visitor to the sessions, whilst other monks dropped in for
one part or another and the whole community had lunch with the attendees
every day.
The main speakers - Abbot Christopher, Michelle Moran, John Martin,
Noel Chircop (Malta) - brought challenging and encouraging messages,
while the daily tracks covered important topics which were supplemented
by the optional workshops and seminars. Fr. Paul Keane, the regular
Joel’s Bar chaplain, brought his usual combination of wit and great
wisdom in his homilies and the “ask a priest” sessions on
apologetics. All this was visually enhanced by the RISE drama group,
who joined us for part of the week and presented some of their excellent
new pieces. Most of the participants took full advantage of the opportunities
for celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and also received prayer
ministry at the main sessions. All this was rounded off with the opportunity
for sport in the early afternoons, and of course the late evening social
times in the bar, which included the very popular Caeli on the Thursday
night. The testimonies at the closing Eucharist were very moving, and
gave eloquent witness to the many ways the Holy Spirit had been at work
during the week. We left on the Saturday afternoon knowing that we had
been part of something very special, a particular moment of grace in
our spiritual journeys, and with the warm encouragement of the Benedictine
Community to return - “you are always welcome here, please come
back”.
CELEBRATE COMES TO COBHAM, GUILFORD
The first of the CELEBRATE WEEKENDS took place at Notre Dame School,
Cobham, on March 29th and 30th, and was attended by over 500 people.
A full programme of praise and worship, prayer, talks, workshops, dramas,
Eucharistic celebrations, prayer ministry, and children’s streams
was offered and enthusiastically received by the participants. Everything
was very efficiently organised by the local team lead by James and Mish
Harrison, so that everyone could enter fully into all that was on offer.
The key contributors - David Payne, John Vaughan-Neil, Charles and Sue
Whitehead, and the Mass celebrants - were supported by a full team of
workshop presenters, by the gifted worship leaders, by the inspirational
RISE drama group, by the team of prayer ministers, by the priests and
deacons, by the committed leaders of all the different children’s
and teenager’s streams, by Good News Books and other resources,
and by the stewards and organising and hospitality teams.
The weekend completely fulfilled the vision of the Celebrate
Core Team, in that CELEBRATE was made available to many people from
local parishes, who for a variety of reasons had never been to the annual
Ilfracombe Conference itself. Their reactions clearly showed how much
they had enjoyed and received from the two days in Cobham - it really
was the CELEBRATE experience everyone had been praying, planning and
hoping for. The happy, refreshed and inspired participants departed
with one simple request - please do this again!
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JESUS CAME TO BAPTISE US IN THE HOLY SPIRIT...
In GOODNEWS, we often have articles about the Baptism
in the Holy Spirit, and as we think of Pentecost we do well to
remind ourselves that it is the principal gift the Catholic Charismatic
Renewal brings to the Church. The grace does not belong to us
but to God, it is his to bestow as he chooses, so we must always
be on our guard against any impression of elitism. But it is still
fair to say that the CCR is proving to be an effective channel
for this grace, and today there are about 120 million Catholics
who have been baptised in the Holy Spirit.
I was very interested, therefore, when my attention
was recently drawn by Barbara Mason to the following two extracts
from teachings of Pope Benedict given in January this year:-
“Christ’s entire mission is summed up in this: to baptise
us in the Holy Spirit, to free us from the slavery of death and
‘to open heaven to us’, that is, access to the true
and full life that will be ‘a plunging ever anew into the
vastness of being, in which we are simply overwhelmed with joy’.
(Spe Salvi, 12).” Pope Benedict XVI (Angelus Reflection,
L’Osservatore Romano, 16/01/08).
“....Jesus was revealed as the One who came
to baptise humanity in the Holy Spirit: he came to give men and
women life in abundance (cf John 10:10), eternal life, which brings
the human being back to life and heals him entirely, in body and
spirit, restoring him to the original plan for which he was created.
The purpose of Christ’s existence was precisly to give humanity
God’s life and his Spirit of Love so that every person might
be able to draw from this inexhaustible source of salvation.”
Pope Benedict XVI (Homily, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, 13/01/08).
Pope Benedict makes it clear that this wonderful
grace is for everyone. Our calling in the CCR is to be channels
for the Lord - living it, proclaiming it, and ministering it,
as we faithfully follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in everything
we say and do.
Pentecost blessings,
Charles Whitehead
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