Holy Week in Two Minutes.

Holy Week is my favourite week of the year. The Liturgy, the dramatic events we recall and the prayer that sustains the week just draw me in. No Holy Week is the same, in fact, they just seem to get better.

Have a wonderful Holy Week

Holy Week - Student Cross

Pilgrims across the country are beginning their final preparations before the annual Easter journey on Student Cross to the shrine to Mary in Walsingham, Norfolk.

On their way, they will provide many parishioners and people who see them as a reminder of the true meaning behind the Christian festival.

Ali Hodrien, national director of Student Cross for 2012, said: “For most people, Easter is more often represented by the chocolate eggs that have lined our supermarket shelves since January. For the pilgrims themselves, it is a reminder to themselves and the people we meet that Jesus’ sacrifice and his message of love is more important than ever.

From 31 March to 8 April, around 250 pilgrims of all ages and diverse backgrounds will experience a week of fun, friendship and freedom, with the occasional blister thrown in for good measure. Six of the 11 groups – or ‘legs’ will walk up to 130 miles, staying overnight in church and village halls, while two legs walk a shorter week for those unable to make this larger commitment.

In addition, there are three family legs which include a new group for teenagers and their parents, walking for the first time this year. Each leg carries a large, wooden cross and the arrival of these 11 crosses at the National Shrine to Our Lady in Walsingham, on the afternoon of Good Friday, will mark the beginning of the pilgrimage’s unique celebration of Easter.

Mrs Hodrien added: “Pilgrimage is actually a fantastic way to put our modern lives into perspective, and gives us the opportunity to reflect on those things that really matter to us. With the basic requirements of food and shelter met, we are freed from the everyday pressures of work or study, and able to relax into friendships old and new, while enjoying the beautiful countryside that we are privileged to walk through, and reassessing our relationship with God.

“One of the most touching things about the journey is meeting those that help us on our way. Their generosity – both practical and spiritual – is what makes our walk possible, and being welcomed by familiar faces who value our presence as a key part of their Easter preparations is a genuinely humbling experience.

“However many times a pilgrim joins us, they will always find their experience unique. Although we are only together for a short period of time each year, the experience reaches far beyond that and for many people is genuinely life changing. Although we only carry the cross for a week, we carry the experience in our hearts throughout the year.”

There are still places available for the pilgrimage. Visit: http://www.studentcross.org.uk for more information or email co-ordinator@studentcross.org.uk

Flame Congress ~ Stef Reid

I am so thankful everyday that I get to live out one of my dreams – to be a professional athlete. I have wanted to do this since I was five and competed in my first sports school day. I played everything from basketball, to cross country, to swimming, to ballet, and then at 12, I fell in love with rugby. It was my goal to play internationally. Things were on track and looking good, and then one day, when I was 16, everything changed forever.

I was at my friend’s cottage for the weekend, and we decided to go tubing – that is when you attach an inner tube to a speed boat and get pulled over the water at high speeds. I had fallen off the tube and was waiting in the water, but the driver of our boat didn’t see me, and I was accidentally run over. I got caught in the propellers, and had deep lacerations to my lower back and leg. I was scared. I could see it in everyone’s face that it was bad.

We were hours away from the nearest hospital, and there was just too much blood. I remember lying in the ambulance, just praying. I was terrified to die because I knew in my heart that my life had not been pleasing to God. I didn’t really know him. I had never even asked him what his plan for my life was. My life was all about me. I prayed for a second chance. God heard that prayer. He saved my life, and I was incredibly grateful…until I found out that there was a catch. In order to save my life, the surgeon had to amputate part of my right leg. My thankfulness quickly dissolved – I was absolutely devastated. I didn’t want to live if I couldn’t pursue my dream. I didn’t want to always look differently from everyone else. But I gave God the benefit of the doubt, and through my grief and devastation, I trusted him. But it was confusing. Why would God bless me with passion and ability for sport, only to take it away? How was I still going to be me? Would I still enjoy life? Over the next few months and years, God revealed to me that he put my drive and love for competition in me for a reason. I didn’t need to change, I just needed to apply it in a different way. So I put my energy and drive into my schoolwork, and earned a full academic scholarship to university to study biochemistry.

I competed on the trivia team, and the chess team – as you can imagine I was very cool – and I developed a new goal, to be a surgeon. I was happy, and I was fulfilled. Then, when I was at uni, I happened to walk by an athletics practice, and something inside of my just clicked – I wanted to know how fast I still was. I started off practicing once or twice a week, eventually progressing to full training six days a week. Opportunities to compete internationally kept cropping up, and finally, I had to make a decision, to pursue athletics professionally, or go to medical school. I couldn’t believe that God would have brought me this far in athletics to just walk away from it, so I decided to take the road less travelled. 12 years ago, lying in my hospital bed, being a professional runner was the last thing I expected of my life. But we serve a mighty God.

I know every one of you here has dreams and passions. Don’t ignore them. They are good, and God created you with them for a reason. The tricky part is finding out what to do with them. There is no formula for it, I can’t give you a 5 step approach. Everyone’s journey will be different, and you will have to work it out for yourself in prayer, and with wise council from your peers and elders. The best piece of advice I can give you is tobe open to God’s plan. He thinks on a bigger scale than we do, and he can see the whole picture.

So this summer, I hope you do watch the Paralympics and draw inspiration from it. God is not limited by things like physical disabilities, or social stigmas, things that we may see as limitations. Or, even better, get involved and experience the Games firsthand with opportunities like the Joshua Camp. It is my hope for you, that when you look at your life, what you will see are endless possibilities, and that you will have the courage and determination to pursue them.

Stefanie Reid

Be inspired. Be an inspiration!

Paralympic long jumper and sprinter

Nine Months

Tomorrow night the Ten Ten Theatre Company will be performing the play ‘Nine Months’ in the Leicester Square Theatre. I have seen this play countless times and led discussions on the dramatic events it portrays with hundreds of young people. It never ceases to move me. This description of the play is from the Ten Ten website.

“I thought about not telling you. I mean, I thought, it’s my own stupid fault, just go off to the doctors and have done with it. But then I thought I should tell you ‘cos, like, you’re my best mate, innit?”

August… Tasha and Gibsy, aged 17 and 18, sit on a beach, hands entwined, having the best summer of their lives.

 September… Tasha skips her period and takes a pregnancy test.

 October… they make a life-changing decision.

Charting a changing relationship over a nine-month period, Ten Ten Theatre’s new play asks challenging questions about the nature of relationships, love and life.

The play is written and directed by Martin O’Brien. The cast are people I am now glad to call friends – Stephen Newbury and Sarah Winn. The play is sold out. The Ten Ten Theatre Company take plays into schools that go to the heart of relationships. In the often confusing and pressured world that our young people live in, Ten Ten explore with the audience issues of friendship, sexuality choices and morality. The dramas are funny, deep, challenging and memorable. Many times I have been amazed by the response it evokes from the audience. Pray for the work of Ten Ten. It is a wonderful ministry and work. And having spent four weeks working with them I can only be amazed at the hard work that they do. The plays and the company deserve our thanks and respect

El Shaddai

This weeks inspirational song comes from one of my favourite singer songwriters, Michael Card.

More Flame

More of the celebrations on Saturday as 8500 young catholics gather to celebrate their faith.

Carmel at Flame 1

On Saturday 24^th March 7 Carmelite friars from communities across the UK joined 8500 young people in Wembley Arena. The reason Flame!

Our information stand with the prayer net

Team Carmelite
Damian, Severin,Neil, Paul, Kurt, Ged & Jacek

Flame Congress is inspired by the events of September 2010& by what is to come in Summer 2012.

September 2010 saw the historic visit of Pope Benedict XVI with powerful, memorable scenes in the Piazza at Westminster Cathedral, at the Big Assembly, Twickenham, and in Hyde Park. Thousands of young people joyfully celebrating faith and being affirmed in their voice and role in a vibrant Church.

Damian & Kurt being fraternal

Ice cream break!

Visitors at the prayer point

A view from the stage

Some of our friends joining in the flashmob

The Carmelites asked to be a presence at Flame and to invite young people into prayer. A net was cast for all those who passed us by to stop, talk and pray. Each was invited to write a prayer and place it in our net. The friars, Br. Ged, Br.  Neil, Br. Paul, Br. Jacek, Br. Severin, Br. Kurt and Fr. Damian were amazed and heartened by the people who came by and said hello.  Severin and Jacek were able to speak too many in Polish.  Fr. Damian was greeted by many young people he had met on his visits to schools around the country.  Each one of us got caught up in the atmosphere and left tired and thankful for the day.

We now look forward to welcoming young people to our own community in Aylesford for Brightlights 2012 at the end of June.

Hopefully we will see you there!

God Bless, some tired friars!