On 11 October, more than 50 catechists, mostly from parishes in North London, gathered with Canon Shaun Lennard for the second Jubilee Day for Catechists to be held this year. (The first Jubilee Day for Catechists was co-led by Cardinal Vincent and was held in July at St Gregory the Great parish in South Ruislip).
The Day for Catechists in North London was organised and led by the Agency for Evangelisation with colleagues from Caritas Westminster and Westminster Youth Ministry team. It was held at Our Lady of Willesden, the Jubilee Church for that area.
The theme for the day was 'Reawakening Blessed Hope'. Drawing from St John’s account of the Feeding of the Five Thousand, those present reflected on how God nourishes us and how we, in turn nourish others. In his reflection, Canon Shaun spoke of his own experience of catechesis and those who catechised him. He also helped us to compare catechesis from the 1950s and today, as well as guiding us actively through the Gospel reading so that we could consider how we would react had we been present.
This was the second of our four Jubilee Catechists’ Days, which will be held this year in the different episcopal areas of the diocese. The others are as follows:
· Saturday 18th October: A day for catechists from parishes in Central and East London with Bishop Nicholas Hudson at St Mary and St Joseph, Poplar, E14 6EZ.
· Saturday 15th November: A day for catechists from parishes in Hertfordshire with Bishop Paul McAleenan at Our Lady Queen of Apostles, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 3TP.
For more information about these forthcoming Jubilee Days and details of how to book to attend, please see here.
