What's Up at St Gerard's: school of missions

Showing posts with label school of missions. Show all posts

Friday, July 8, 2011

Goodbye School of Mission 2011! Hello New Adventure with Jesus!

GLORY TO GOD

FOR HE HAS DONE WONDROUSLY

IN THE LIVES OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE!

SCHOOL OF MISSION 2011, NEW ZEALAND

It has been an awesome 5 months of School of Mission 2011!

Participants with Father Peter who celebrated the Closing Mass and Ju, the SOM leader.

The scripture from Revelation 21:5, “See I make all things new!” rings true for every participant as they have experienced being loved by God into personal healing and restoration, challenged and empowered by the Spirit to overcome language barriers, fears and self-doubt to boldly and creatively proclaim the Good News to prisoners, school kids, college teenagers, teachers, strangers on the streets, parents and grandparents, etc.

For many of them, the parish mission in Hornby, Christchurch was especially significant as they learnt to walk by faith, trusting in God’s protection in the earthquake zone, and thankful to have been sent by Him to bring His message of hope and peace to His people.

We are thankful for the doors opened to us in the schools and colleges in the Wellington area, namely St Patrick’s Silverstream, Viard College, St Catherine’s College, St Francis de Sales Island Bay, St Francis Xavier Tawa and St Benedict’s Khandallah. It was a definite boon for the kids and young people that we have 14 vibrant and dynamic young people on our mission team. God does all things well!

Words cannot fully express our awe and gratitude at seeing the magnitude of God’s transforming power in each of these 14 participants’ lives.

As you read this, please lift up a prayer for them as they move on from here, that they continue to seek God first above all else and let Him direct their lives for His glory.

Each of them has a beautiful testimony and here are a few excerpts of their testimonies. May you be encouraged wherever you are, to keep trusting in the Lord who never fails.

- Helena, Korea -

During the school God touched my past which had made me shameful and guilty. He has removed the negative voices that said that I was not good enough and not worthy to be loved.

I have come to accept the truth that my value and security is in Jesus and Jesus is my only Saviour. I realize that through my struggle to speak and understand English, God has been teaching me to rely on Him and be a humble servant and to thirst and hunger for Him. He has filled me with a deeper desire to seek and know Him so that I can evangelise and serve others.

This 5 months journey has been an awesome experience that I will never forget. I will step out in faith like a child trusting in God. Jesus is the purpose of my life!

Kyle, USA: God has radically changed my view of Him. He is not only a powerful God far off in heaven, but a loving Father here with me always, caring about everything in my life.

One day I was given this revelation for my life on faith, which for some reason never occurred to me; back home I used to say "Hey God...do something!", to which He replied with silence. I have come to find that His silence speaks very clearly, and is translated "Hey Kyle...believe I can!".

Faith is now not just a thing in my head to which I say "sure" but don't believe by word or action, but it is now a proactive love for God and for His people. The School of Mission has changed my life without question. If anyone was to ask me if they should attend the program, I would tell them that Christ works here in this place and changes lives...so, absolutely!

Bona, Korea:

I experienced His love overwhelm me. It was as if He was breathing new life in me. He was giving me a second chance and he continues to give me a new chance every day.

I am beautiful,

I am precious,

I am loved.

I don’t need to get every worldly value to compare with others.

Jesus is enough for me.

I am not afraid anymore to be alone,

slower or weaker than others

but I am grateful to God when I am able

to be faster and stronger.

I believe He is my almighty God

who really knows everything about me,

and he will give me what I need

at the time I need it the most.

As I journeyed in ICPE School of Mission, I have come to realize that I am more than just a pharmacist. I am a son of God, His precious creation. This has also helped me after losing my earthly father in 2005. – Adri, Indonesia

A testimony on the power of prayer:

Without prayer I was successful but I was a completely blind man. So, the first marvellous thing given by Jesus to me through the regular personal prayer was to clean my past from the dust and to start a new life in personal freedom.

I received a big peace into my heart, peace that I had never got through all activities I did before. I never understood people as deeply as I understood people with whom I prayed.

After all this, I know that praying with my heart I will not be lost in my life as I was before. Through prayer Jesus acted in my life very tangibly. He made me grow as a person as well as a man. During the last 2.5 years of living a life of regular prayer, I received from Jesus so many good things that I didn’t managed to get myself in all those 30 years before.

If you want to experience anything similar, it is very easy. Just do it, just start praying and building a relationship with God and see your life change. – Pavel, Czech Republic

ALL GLORY TO YOU KING JESUS!

YOU ARE THE ROCK ON WHICH WE STAND!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Highlights of our first week of life together....

Celebrating with JOY her 20th birthday!

More of Jesus in my life, more of Jesus so I shine Your peace on earth...

come let us go up to the house of the Lord!


Rockin' for the living' One!

finding common ground and loving it!

The ice has definitely been broken!


Define and defend your prayer time and see your life change!

Introducing the Divine Office to the participants.

Please keep us in your prayers as we enter into intense weeks of lectures...pray for open hearts to receive the transforming word of God deeply....

“For indeed, neither herb nor application cured them, but your all-healing word, O Lord" (Wisdom 16:12)

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Is This What You Are Looking For?

Next School of Missions
14 February - 4 July 2010
Wellington, New Zealand

What is it?
It's a 20-week live-in course, chockful of rich and inspiring Catholic teachings topped with a month of hands-on missionary experience.

You'll be immersed in a multi-cultural, international community. Hello Malta, Singapore, Indonesia, Germany, etc under one roof. Hello to shared bathrooms, shared meals ranging from potatoes, pasta, rice and "etc.!"

You'll be in the lecture room and the hospitality room, there'll be worship times and wash-up times, quiet times and madhatter times, roll up your sleeves for projects and toilet-cleaning, or maybe a spot of tree-cutting. You'll know you are not alone as you journey with small sharing groups, a dedicated one to one accompaniment, and simply sharing life with a whole bunch of people that God has called and chosen, each by name.

[Participants of the School that ended in July 09]

Is God calling you to be a missionary but you don't know what to do with this call?

Are you a young Christian looking for something that will give your life a sense of purpose, challenge and fulfillment?

Do you have a desire to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ?

Do you have a stirring in your heart to make a difference in the world for Jesus?

"Do not be afraid to become holy missionaries like St Francis Xavier who travelled through the Far East proclaiming the Good News until every ounce of his strength was used up… Be prepared to put your life on the line in order to enlighten the world with the truth of Christ; to respond with love to hatred and disregard for life; to proclaim the hope of the risen Christ in every corner of the earth”.

- Pope Benedict XVI, Message to the Young People of the World,
XXIII World Youth Day, 2008

Right on! Do not be afraid! Do not fear when God calls you to draw nearer to Him than EVER BEFORE!

Check out the entries on this blog for more insight into our School of Missions. and contact us if you are interested to pursue this.

The crew at St Gerard's

SOM '09 - The Beginning and the End

In the beginning....there were these plain empty houses....

At their journeys' end, these have been transformed and filled.....

with the beauty of God's truths and graces received in the 20 weeks of the School! Praise God!!

On 5 July the School of Missions came to an end. The Closing Eucharist was celebrated by Archbishop John Dew in an atmosphere of great joy and thanksgiving. \o/

Jolene and Lacy shared their testimonies of how their lives have been changed inside out by the working of the Holy Spirit.

Jo likened her transformation to an old torn jersey mended with new wool to the extent that though it is the same jersey, yet nothing of the old remained. Cool!

Lacy and Jo were blessed to have their families present on the Closing day of the School, experiencing in part what they and the rest of the participants have been immersed in for the last 5 months.

Participants receiving the blessing prayed over them by the Archbishop at the close of the Eucharist.

"Go! You are sent! The School has ended but your journey to proclaim Christ has not!"

A happy flock with their shepherd

A happy school with their school leader!

The School, the Shepherd and the Community

How I would like to engrave this great idea on each one's heart:

Christianity is not a collection of truths to be believed,

of laws to be obeyed, of prohibitions.

That makes it very distasteful.

Christianity is a person,

one who loved us so much,

one who calls for our love.

Christianity is Christ.

- Archbishop Oscar Romero

SOM Shine in Hastings!

Do you know your true identity?

The girls from the SOM team shared the message about our true identity in God to many young women in Hastings. You are beautiful inside out, dear sisters! God's masterpiece, His work of art, His beloved daughters. Never forget who you are!

Ju, promoting our programme at Sacred Heart College, Napier

The youth gathering at Sacred Heart Parish was an evening of fun, games, fellowship and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit!

During our time in Hastings, we were blessed by the warm and generous hospitality of the people there, who fed us and accomodated us at their homes. Thank you!

We ran 3 evenings of parish seminars based on the themes of "Knowing the Gift", "Receiving the Gift" and "Being the Gift". They were Spirit-filled evenings. We thank God for the open hearts, eager to receive God’s word for them. People appreciated the variety of the programme and enjoyed the joy and love which shone through the team members.

Young and old came forward to receive prayer, for more of the Holy Spirit, for renewal, for deepening of their faith...the priests were amazed by the number of people who went for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Indeed, God’s grace abounds!

Experiencing the Father's welcome home

Let your light shine for Jesus!!

Using drama, teachings and testimonies, we proclaimed the Good News in St Mary’s Primary School, St John’s College, St Joseph’s Primary School and Sacred Heart College throughout the week.

What a grace to bring the Good News to the young!

Having completed our work in Hastings, we surrender all we have done back to the Lord, and we pray that He who provides the growth, will tend to the seeds sown and bring to completion the good work He had begun in His people. If the Lord wills, this will not be the last time we will see the people of Hastings! \o/

Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city, Amen!