[i] Leading a Group in Faith Sharing

 

Choose and book a suitable location. when and where. Let everyone know faith sharing so they can read it ahead

 

Make sure everyone in the group knows what the focus or gospel will be.

 

Your primary role is to lead the discussion. Although your own good sense will be your best guide in doing this, the following tips may help:

 

· The key purpose of these Faith Sharing sessions is exactly that: to share our faith. We must be respectful of all participants. It is important for all to have the opportunity to share. In a small group, a few strong, articulate individuals can sometimes dominate. Try to ensure that everyone has a chance to speak. Gently direct questions to the more hesitant participants A few people may not feel comfortable sharing their thoughts. Over time, given a supportive environment, this should change.

 

· At the first session, take the time to introduce yourselves saying a sentence or two about your background and why you want to go to Toronto and WYD 2002. If the entire group knows each other focus on reasons for going to Toronto. What are they looking forward to?

 

· You should decide how long your Faith-Sharing group meeting is going to last. Let everyone know that you will finish on time and be certain to do so.

 

· You may want to remind participants before you begin that this is not designed to convince others of any particular view. There are no correct answers.

 

· Be prepared for your meetings. Use other people as guest speakers to present information and lead the evening.

 

· Some excellent discussions may arise from the meeting topics. Recognize that you may not have all of the answers to questions that may arise. Tell the group that you will find that answer and get back to them with it at the next meeting. Or have one of the group find the answer and report back to everyone.

 

· Have fun! Remember the event that you are preparing for, WYD 2002 is a joyful celebration.

[ii] Tips on Leading a Meeting

 

Preparation

·         Choose and book an appropriate location.

·         Make sure everyone in the group knows where and when. (You may need signs)

·         Give the starting and ending time of the meeting and stick to it.

·         Give people an agenda ahead of time.

·         Let people know if there are extra materials needed for the meeting.

·         Set up or make sure someone else sets up refreshments.

·         Arrive early and welcome others as they come.

 

During the meeting

·         Start on time, even if some are missing; get in the habit of being punctual.

·         Make sure everyone is comfortable.

·         Start with an opening prayer. (Sample prayer service in this package can be
used. It should take 5 - 10 minutes.)

·         Go around the group and have each member introduce themselves. Especially important if you have a guest present.

·         Choose a recorder to take notes.

·         Review agenda.

·         Establish the goals of the meeting.

 

During the discussion

·         Listen to people carefully; avoid interruptions.

·         Stay on topic. (If other issues evolve put them on a note to be discussed later.)

·         Watch the flow of the group’s discussion; avoid repetition of points keep the discussion moving forward.

·         Make sure everyone has an opportunity to speak; be gentle with those who are shy.

·         Bring conclusion to a topic by summarizing the points made

 

In Conclusion

·         Summarize the main points of the meeting; stay objective.

·         Review the actions that have been agreed to from the meeting – especially concerning social service programs and commitments.

·         If possible set date, time and location for next meeting.

·         Thank the people for participating

·         Have a final prayer.

·         End On Time.

 

[iii] Sample Prayer Outline

 

Leader: Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." (Jn 8:12) Lord, you also said that where two or three come together in your name, you are here with us. The light of this candle symbolizes your presence here among us. We begin our meeting (make the sign of the cross) in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

 

All: Blessed be Jesus Christ who was, who is and who is to come. Bless the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

 

Word of God

(Since we believe that the Word of God we hear is an empowering Word and that Christ himself is present, great care must be taken to proclaim the Word with due reverence and in such a way that invites all to hear what God wants us to hear today.)

 

Option 1: Use the Gospel readings for the following Sunday.

Option 2: Use a quotation from themes for past World Youth Days.

 

(A period of silence follows. All are invited to re-read the gospel.)

 

Faith Sharing:

 

Option 1: The leader invites all to share by using the following questions:

1. "What did you hear?"(All should be invited to share a line a phrase, or a word that "touched them"- What sticks out for you? Recount the story in your own words.)

2. "What does this mean to US?" (What is the message for us? Sometimes this can be helped by seeing what Jesus did (e.g., healing the blind man.)

3 "What can we do?" (Invite all to move beyond personal meaning and to application)

 

Option 2: Use the questions provided with the World Youth Day themes.

 

Prayers of the Faithful:

Leader: "My sisters and brothers, let us entrust our needs to the Lord...

 

"Let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.

 

Leader: "Gathering our prayers and praises into one let us offer the prayer Christ himself taught us, saying: (With hands outstretched.)

 

All: "Our Father..."

 

Closing Prayer:

Leader: "Let us Pray." (Pause for silent prayer)

 

"God of Mercy, Pour forth upon us your spirit of love, that we who have been nourished by your Word, may be one in mind and heart. Grant this through Jesus Christ our Lord"

 

Dismissal:

Leader: "May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life."

 

Sign of Peace (Leader invites all to exchange the sign of peace)

Leader: "As we go in peace to love and serve the Lord, let us exchange a sign of that peace.

 

[iv] Faith Sharing and Program Design

 

 

In our baptism we are united as Children of God. We are called to live as community, sharing our lives in Christ. As leaders in your parish community you need to model prayer and community.

 

We are strongly recommending that your group meet on a regular basis to share your faith. Begin all your meetings with prayer and share how God has worked in your life that day or week. Set up a regular time for meeting weekly, biweekly or monthly, whatever works best for your schedule. Try to make a commitment to meet weekly for Lent. Model your WYD 2002 group after the early Christians in Acts, as they shared their hopes.

 

You will find outlines for nine meetings in your folder. Each is designed to take I.5 - 2 hours to complete, it should not exceed this. You can use this program in many different ways:

 

Option I

 

Follow the meetings as outlined using the suggestions and information provided for you.

 

Option 2

 

You can take the gospel from the upcoming Sunday as the source of your reflection. By reflecting on the gospels of Sunday, you will be preparing to participate fully in the Celebration of the Eucharist. The prayer services provide questions to help guide your reflection but are not meant to restrict the direction of your sharing.

 

Option 3

 

You can take the themes from the past World Youth Days and the commentary provided with them as the source of your reflection. This is a great way to enter into the spirit of World Youth Day. The themes are rich and directed to youth and young adults. There are questions provided for each theme to help guide your reflection.

 

Option 4

 

You may have another resource that you have used in the past or are presently using. Please feel free to create your own material for reflection. Sources can include, your favourite song, movie, book or poem. If you do try other sources to help your faith sharing, please let us know what it is and how it worked. This will be helpful for us as we create more resources for you and the others preparing for WYD 2002.

 

 

 

A

 

 

Outline for All Sessions:

 

Structure Strategy

Materials and things to remember

Pilgrimage Preparation Meeting

 

Structure Strategy - what this meeting might look like:

 

1. Opening Prayer. This section can be led by anyone in the group. There is a prayer provided, but it can be changed or intentions and reflection time can be added as well. At this point, a candle should be lit and kept lit somewhere in the room with an open Bible.

 

2. Icebreaker: This is an activity designed to let the group members get to know each other. The icebreaker for the first meeting will require some before-hand preparation. You need to write down the names of famous people (actors, Bible characters, singers, cartoon characters) on nametags. As people are introducing themselves in the second part of this icebreaker, let people make a nametag for themselves.

 

3. The topic of the night: For the first meeting, the topic is pilgrimage. Please read through the material before the meeting so that you're familiar with it.

 

4. Prayer Journal Activity: There are some reflective questions provided or a specific activity for each person to do individually in his or her prayer journal. The purpose of the prayer journal is to trace one's spiritual pilgrimage over the next year.

 

5. General Outline of Events: This section gives everyone an idea of what activities will be happening in Toronto and in our diocese.

 

6. Practical Section: This is where you will record names and phone numbers.

 

7. Questions and Answers: This is the part of the evening here the people in your group can field questions and concerns that they may have about the coming year and the activities in Toronto. If you don't know an answer, you will have everyone's phone numbers and if need be, you can call people with answers.

 

8. Closing Prayer: This prayer remains constant throughout all 9 meetings.

 

Materials needed for this first meeting and things to remember:

 

1. Name Tags: Each person will require a name tag for the ice-breaker activity as well as for their real names.

 

2. Candle, Matches, and Bible: To be lit and left on a table for the duration of the meeting. These are to help keep the minds and hearts of each person focused during the meeting

 

3. Journal books: You should have a rough idea of how many people will be attending your meeting. Be sure to supply enough pens or pencils as well.

 

4. Volunteering book: This will be to record who your volunteers are for the Practical Section of the meeting.

 

5. Avs: If you are going to use any extra materials, but sure to ask about Audio Visual machines.

 

6. Announcement: Make an announcement in the church bulletin and/or phone people to remind them to come. Include the time, location, and duration of the meeting.

 

7.                    Meeting Place: Be sure to book a room in the church (or hall) in which the meeting will be held. Arrive there early so that you can set chairs, tables, and such in the manner that you like

 

B Pilgrimage Preparation

Session One

 

Time: 1.5-2.0 hours

 

Opening Prayer:

It is good to realize that God is everywhere. In Him we live and move and have our being. His presence is manifested to us through His creation, and in our reflection and enjoyment of it we are in touch with Him. It is good to realize too that, at any moment, we may just rest in the thought of God's presence here and now. God speaks through His creation, but He speaks that silence because of the noise, which surrounds us, we must listen for it in ourselves. In that silence He may invite us to pursue a further search for Him.

-Intentions or Personal Reflection

 

Icebreaker: Name-Tags

1) Write the names of famous people on name tags.

2) Put one name on each person's back without letting them see their new identity.

3) Each person must mingle around, asking questions to others in the group. These questions must be phrased in such a manner that people can simply answer yes or no.

4) Continue asking and answering questions until everyone has guessed their identity.

5) After this activity is done, have the group sit in a circle and do self-

introductions. A guideline of questions to answer are:

a) name, age, occupation

b) reason why you want to go to Toronto

c) favorite pass-time

 

Topic of the Night: Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage can be defined as "A journey to a holy place". Often made to some place with the purpose of venerating it, or in order to ask for prayer or intercession. Pilgrimages evoke our earthly journey toward heaven and are traditionally very special occasions for renewal in prayer. For pilgrims seeking living water, shrines are special places for living the forms of Christian prayer "in Church". (Catechism 2691)

 

Early pilgrimages were undertaken to venerate places sanctified by the life of Christ or by the saints and the martyrs. Later on, people began making pilgrimages to places where there had been apparitions, weeping or bleeding statues, and miraculous healings. Entreaty and thanksgiving are two common motives for a pilgrimage. In both cases, the object is frequently physical health, just as it was for those who sought out Christ during His earthly life. Yet spiritual health is just as important. The idea arose that a pilgrimage could simply involve the honoring of holy places. However, John Chrysostom spoke of the effect of pilgrimages in arousing devotion. John Chrysostom and St. Augustine reminded their parishioners that they were to honor God through their hearts.

 

There are many Holy places for Catholics that are associated with pilgrimage. A few of the better known sites are: the Holy Land, Rome, Lourdes, Fatima, the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Santiago de Compostella. In Canada, we have places such as St. Anne De Beaupré, St. Joseph's Oratory, Canadian Martyrs Shrine in Midland and many Basilicas.

 

World Youth Day is a pilgrimage of faith! Hundreds of thousands of young people will journey to Toronto. Some will come for reasons of devotion; some for penance, and still others will seek intercessions. And some young people will come to World Youth Day because they are curious. The question we must ask ourselves is: What will they find? As a site of Pilgrimage, our Diocese must be a Holy Place. When the young pilgrims arrive, will they find Christ?

 

This does not mean our parishes need to be perfect and our streets clean. But we need to open our hearts to recognize that we too are a Pilgrim people. And our parishes need to be places where the stranger is received as though we are receiving Christ Himself.

 

As participants of WYD 2002, we must begin our pilgrimage now, preparing our hearts to receive Jesus and helping our parishes to be Holy Places - places worthy of pilgrimage.

 

In the summer of 2002, Canada will be host to the Holy Father and to more than 500,000 youth, aged 16-35, who will be pilgrimaging to Toronto for World Youth Day. This is a great time for our young people, no matter at what stage they are in their faith journey, to embrace an occasion to grow in Christian piety and spiritual life. Pilgrimages were often undertaken in order to form a better understanding of Jesus' life. In traveling to Toronto with our parishes and our fellow-Christians from all over the world, we will better understand the magnitude of the family of God to which we belong; we will learn more about our faith; we will encounter the Church, and we will engage in various missionary and service activities.

 

What are we doing here in the Nelson Diocese?

In 1984, Pope John Paul II invited the young people of the world to go on a pilgrimage. For the past 16 years, there has been a procession of youth, starting in Rome, then Buenos Aires, Santiago de Compostela, Czestochowa, Denver, Manila, Paris, Rome, and soon to be, Toronto. Every year since 1984, World Youth Day has been celebrated, alternating between local celebrations (which occur on Palm Sunday) and large international gatherings.

 

For many, WYD is an unforgettable experience. Participants have been impressed by the presence and preaching of Pope John Paul II, who has inspired them to follow their faith generously. They have also been able to meet with people from around the world who share the same faith and learn from each other.

 

We proceed from a mystery and we are on our way towards this mystery:

God. Along our journey, we are accompanied and illuminated by Christ: I am the way, I am the light. A renewed pilgrim spirituality can only bring us to understand more deeply one of the themes of the Second Vatican Council: we are a pilgrim church. Pilgrim spirituality teaches us that the meaning of life is not found at the end of the journey, but in the very journey itself.

 

Each WYD host country has seen Catholic youth take a renewed interest in their faith, as well as going more frequently to the sacraments in the number of men beginning the process to become priests, and of women and men entering religious orders. WYD is a chance for youth to deepen their personal relationship with Jesus Christ and as a consequence to bring peace and joy to their families, schools, work places and society. Our journey of pilgrimage starts today. Along the way, there will be high points and difficulties, but with preparation, struggles will be overcome. It is important to bring the right attitude to this event- it is a pilgrimage and not a holiday tour, our focus should be on God. And because of this, it should be stated here that there will be a code of conduct within our groups and our diocese. In brief, the expectations are that you will remain with the group with which you have traveled toToronto. You will behave in a manner appropriate with your faith and you will dress accordingly. Refusing to act accordingly could result in the end of your pilgrimage. More on this will follow.

 

The theme of this upcoming WYD is: "You are the salt of the earth.... You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:13-14). Each one will be discussed in upcoming meetings.

 

Activity: Prayer Journal

1) Reread the opening prayer.

2) Explain the purpose of the Prayer Journal: to record and to trace one's journey to Toronto.

3) The first entry will be a tracing of one's personal faith growth until now. Each person will be at a different level and these drawings may be very personal.

4) Once everyone is done, invite people to share with the group their pictures. This is optional.

 

General Outline of Events:

Days in the Diocese

The Days in the Diocese are an integral part of WYD activities which provide Canadian dioceses and parishes with the opportunity to welcome and host participants from around the world, and to share and celebrate their faith through activities that reflect the unique spiritual and cultural heritage of their region. Local Canadian Catholic communities thus anchor the 17th World Youth Day experience in the very people, places, and encounters through which faith is expressed and nurtured.

The program of Days in the Diocese includes spiritual, social, and cultural activities that compliment, but do not duplicate, the activities scheduled to take place in Toronto. Each host diocese is responsible for the development of its own program using the following guidelines set by the Vatican:

· hospitality in families and/or facilities which foster interpersonal relations with members of the community

· an encounter with the Bishop of the host diocese

· a celebration and a meeting with the community offering hospitality, preferably around the Eucharist

· a closing ceremony

 

The WYD office, in consultation with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Canadian dioceses and youth representatives, will provide suggestions of activities which dioceses may choose to include in their program. The activities suggested will:

· highlight, promote, support, and enhance the spiritual and cultural life of the local community

· involve members of various cultural and faith groups in the community

· involve a social service component

·        serve to maintain the momentum of past WYD experiences, act as a useful preparation for July 2002, and prepare the road for ongoing pastoral growth

 

The Toronto Program July 22-28,2002

 

On July 22 and 23, the young people will meet together in Toronto, where the remainder of the WYD events will take place. Similar to the Days in the Dioceses, participants will be hosted and lodged by parishes and families. Host parishes will be invited to hold spiritual, social, and cultural activities for the visitors throughout the week; it will be important that they complement, not duplicate, the main activities in Toronto.

The main activities in Toronto will begin on the afternoon of July 23 with the Opening Mass of Welcome presided by the Cardinal Archbishop of Toronto. On the afternoon of July 24, there will be a Welcome Celebration with the Holy Father.

From July 24 - 26, there will be catechesis sessions with the bishops, as well as penitential services and confessions in the mornings, and small-scale cultural and spiritual activities in the afternoons and evenings, ranging from social service projects to concerts and from artistic displays to panel discussions.

On the evening of July 26, a solemn celebration of the Stations of the Cross will take place.

On July 27, young people will begin their pilgrimage to Downsview Park, where they will hold an evening vigil with the Holy Father. The program concludes the next morning with Sunday's celebration of the Eucharist.

 

Question and Answer Session

This is the time where you can field questions, answers, and concerns about the upcoming year and the pilgrimage to Toronto.

 

Closing Prayer:

Prayer for World Youth Day 2002

Heavenly Father, bless us as we patiently await World Youth Day 2002. Help us make our hearts and minds open to your love as we prepare. Lord, give us strength and ingenuity to serve and make way for the visit of the Holy Father.

Make us ready for the challenges and sacrifices of this pilgrimage over these next months.

 

Allow us to grow in our love for you and as a community journeying together in hope.

 

Guide us, Lord, so that by your teachings we may be ready to prepare worthily. Bestow upon us your light so that we may follow your path and receive all your blessings.

 

Let us be filled with the Holy Spirit as we share our faith and love with our friends, families, communities, and all the people of the world.

 

Grant us the grace that we will forever be dedicated to you and follow you always. Amen.

 

 

Home Page