As I mentioned, we had a WONDERFUL day on Saturday… what a buzz! The catechists and clergy who were present were mainly from our diocese, although there were a few from Westminster, Southwark and Plymouth too. After a beautifully-rousing rendition of Be Thou My Vision and time of prayer, Sr Hyacinthe and I presented part of one session to the 85 catechists who were present, to give them an experience of what it was like. Then I explained the background to the programme, why I wrote it and what principles I used to decide how to do it. The fantastic Xanthe gave her testimony of using it, and Sr Hyacinthe and I explained both the structure of the full programme, and the structure of each session. We then turned to a more practical exploration of how it can be implemented in a two-year model – the new model within the Diocese of Portsmouth.
In the afternoon, we had a presentation on the liturgical guidelines for all the Confirmation Masses, followed by an inspiring talk by John Withers on the role of worship in evangelisation of young people. We wrapped up with a general Q&A panel on the evangelisation and catechesis of young people.
It was an uplifting day… mainly because the participants were fantastic, with plenty of ideas and enthusiasm, and buckets of wisdom to share. There was a great sense of atmosphere and community-building among the catechists of the diocese.
Check out the pics below!
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