The Anam Cara group would like to welcome everyone to our covenant Mass at the Shrine on Friday 18th May 2012 at 7.30pm .The theme of our Mass is:  ‘The Covenant of Love – The Roots and Foundation of our Family Life’ In our families, our parents and grandparents are our role models, our teachers, our guides and our security as we grow from children and mature into adulthood. Most importantly, they pass on to us the gift of faith. In our Schoenstatt family, we are blessed with a spiritual parent in the person of Mary, our Blessed Mother who  challenges us to live this faith every day in our own lives. (more…)

Over 40 members of the St Ethelbert’s Parish, Deane in Bolton visited the Shrine this weekend with their Parish Priest, Fr. Duncan. They had time to pray in the Shrine and time for one another while they shared light refreshments prepared and served by the Team of ladies from St John Fisher’s. Even though it was a cold but sunny day the brave and courageous took time to look around the grounds, visit the Cottage and have quiet time in the Shrine. he few hours in the afternoon passed very quickly and everyone enjoyed their day and they are looking forward to coming again next year. If you would like to download a copy of the report click here

Today we had the first of the Parish Shrine Days.  34 Visitors came from St Kentigern’s Fallowfield and St Edward’s Rushholm Parish to spend the day at the Shrine. They were welcomed by the St. John Fisher’s team of ladies who looked after the pilgrims.  The day was very successful and both young and old enjoyed there stay and hope to come again. If you would like to read the report on the day then download this news report. The group were happy to get to know the Shrine.  Nine teenagers took part and they had their own programme in the newly renovated Cottage. Some of the young people had been there with their school for an Amigo Day or for one of the programmes for High Schools. They had time in the Shrine and time to enjoy one another’s company. Fr. Bryan gave a talk on the meaning of the Shrine – a holy place where we can live in God’s presence and search to do his will. The group found out a lot about Schoenstatt and enjoyed being looked after by our team from St John Fisher’s. They hoped to come again and we look forward to welcoming them.

At the beginning of our Covenant  Mass in April Father David  blessed the foundations of the future Mosaic Prayer Garden. Since September last year a group centred around Paul McEvoy have worked to put in pathways and the foundation for the Mosaic Prayer Garden. This Mosaic, designed by Paul Cooper, portrays the Prayers of the Office written by Fr. Kentenich while he was a prisoner in Dachau. His response to this most difficult situation was to believe in God’s care. Let us pray together:

The sun makes ready for the night and invites us to enter the Cenacle.

There you implored the Spirit for the Church who freed her from the scourge of half-heartedness, guided her to the teaching of Christ and enkindled in her the spirit of the apostles and the martyrs.

That is how you want to work in our shrine: strengthening our weak eyes of faith so that we might see life as God sees it and always walk by heaven’s light.

In this light of faith let me see how the Father’s love wished to accompany me today. Let loyalty to our mission be my thanksgiving for the boundless gifts he has showered on me in love.

Glory be joyfully given to the Father through Christ with Mary, highly praised, in the Holy Spirit full of splendor from the universe now and in all eternity. Amen.

Speaker: Fr. Duncan McVicar
Theme: Talk 3: Here I am, Lord!

Talks will be transmitted live on the Internet at: www.schoesntatt-tv.de

These Talks are all about giving God your time – we give our time to the people we love. Let God speak to you, challenge you and change you. These talks are all about finding the meaning to our lives again – becoming more aware of the meaning to life. What is the meaning of life? To know, love, and serve God in this world  and to be happy with him in the next.

Do we really know God? Do we really know Jesus Christ? Chatting to teenagers – Prove that Jesus is God for you? Miracles, the Bible, he died for us? And then they get close – he rose from the dead? Jesus is God because I know him, I have experienced him in my life. He is a real person. If someone said to me my dad didn’t exist, I would find that laughable – it is the same with God. We have a real relationship with him – we know he exists,. We know him

We can know a lot about Jesus, but not know Jesus. We can go to Church, we can be brought up in a Catholic School and not know Jesus.

We must be formed in the faith so that we can know Jesus better – establishing and deepening a personal relationship with him in order to be his follower and his friend.

Speaker: Fr. Duncan McVicar
Theme: Talk 2: God’s Love Story with Us

Talks will be transmitted live on the Internet at: www.schoesntatt-tv.de

The mariner of Brittany prays to God as he puts to sea: “Lord, your sea is so great and my boat is so small”. Although we feel so small and insignificant in the great scheme of things, God holds out little boat in his hand. This is the belief of Divine Providence.

Knowing what God wants for you and releasing his will is the essence of the Christian life. It is the essence of what it means to be holy. We say to God; Father, I want what you want. God’s will and my will become one.

Speaker: Fr. Duncan McVicar
Theme: Talk 1: God’s Will For Me

Talks will be transmitted live on the Internet at: www.schoesntatt-tv.de

What we are taking about in the “God of Life” Series is really the key to a mature Christian life.

The faith that we need today is another faith that suddenly becomes very enthusiastic and then quickly burns out and fizzles out. We could imagine this in two images. Imagine that we are a  “faith oven”. We can either be heated with peat would coal. If we are heated by peat, then we have for a short time a bright burning fire, but there is little heat and the fire does not last long. However, if we heat the oven with coal, then we have a long-lasting, warm and glowing heat. “Faith of them is” that are continuously heated by coal out images of the mature Christian, the mature individual — calm, thoughtful, deep strong and youthful. What is the point of being suddenly enthusiastic and wanting to do this or that, here and there, it afterwards there is no warmth and everything becomes cold again.

What is Divine Providence? It is the activity of God when he cares for you and me. He cares by realising his Plan of Love in our lives and he will see this plan through to the end.