Each year, as part of the Parish Confirmation Programme, the candidates and their parents come together for a Day of Recollection. This year the venue was St. Mary's and the Ladyewell Shrine.
The event began with the celebration of Mass at St. Mary's; this Mass was punctuated by Father Loughran giving an explanation of that particular part of the Mass. It started with him vesting and explaining the significance of the various vestments, and ended with Father asking the boys and girls to 'catch' the blessing and take it home with them and give it to everyone they met.
The venue then moved to the Ladyewell Shrine where, after a packed lunch, the boys and girls split from their parents and worked with the Catechists on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Meanwhile the parents had a session together with Father Loughran exploring what Confirmation was about and talking about Holiness and Building the Kingdom of God.
The parents then rejoined the children who gave an exposition of the work they had been doing in the afternoon. The Day of Recollection ended with an Evening Service in the Martyr’s Chapel and an exploration of the Shrine. The parents expressed their thanks to Mrs. Cywinski who leads the Programme and to Mrs Scales and Mrs Armstrong who support her.
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