Our Church across the world is excitedly making preparations for the 2025 year of Jubilee. It will be year of great celebrations! Pope Francis, in order to help us to get ready and be spiritually prepared has decreed that we should begin with “A Year of Prayer” beginning this forthcoming Advent, and all dioceses are being encouraged to take part. You may agree, this heightened awareness will provide a great platform to encourage the faithful to a deepened prayer life, essential for discipleship maturation. This will be a great opportunity for each of us to make a real effort to deepen our prayer lives, and mature in our discipleship so that we can go forth and share the Good News just as Jesus commanded.
To help and encourage locally, our department of Evangelisation and Catechesis have produced a series of Prayer Workshops detailed below. The workshops are 2hrs each. The first hour of each workshop is dedicated to personal prayer for personal evangelisation. The second is that we may be equipped to pray with others in various ways and includes responding to the Holy Spirit, listening and accompaniment skills.
If you would like to book an initial workshop for your parish or discuss the content, please contact as detailed..
Workshop 1 ‘Pray Without Ceasing’ –
An interactive prayer workshop commencing in Advent and for the Year of Prayer.
‘Why should we pray?’ ‘Does God always answer our prayers?’
These two important questions are analysed and discussed along with tips to help us to pray. Contemplative prayer and imaginative contemplation are also explored with an opportunity to participate in an imaginative contemplation exercise with feedback and discussion.
Guided group work in helping people to pray with others.
‘Be still and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46)
Contact Julia.beacroft@prcdtr.org.uk
Workshop 2 ‘Praying with the Scriptures–
An interactive prayer workshop commencing in Advent and for the Year of Prayer.
‘How can I go deeper with Jesus?’ ‘How can prayer help?’
These two vital questions are addressed as we prayerfully immerse ourselves in the Word of God desiring to understand His plan for our lives. Our time together in this workshop will be practical and interactive as well as contemplative.
Guided group work in helping people to pray with others.
“For the word of God is living and effectual and more piercing than any two- edged sword; and reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit, of the joints also and the marrow: and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.
Hebrews 4:12
Contact michele.thompson@prcdtr.org.uk
Workshop 3 ‘The Lord’s Prayer – Roots and Wings’ –
An interactive prayer workshop commencing in Advent and for the Year of Prayer.
‘What’s really in the ‘Our Father’?’ ‘What did Jesus teach us?’
The revelatory answers to these questions were given to the apostles when they asked ‘Lord, teach us to pray’. We will ‘chew’ on the words that Jesus taught us, to uncover a little more of their flavour through the labour of reasoning, discussion and prayer. The roots are given through Scripture and the aspiration to fly from the Doctor of Prayer. This workshop will be practical, interactive and meditative.
Guided group work in helping people to pray with others.
“Lord, teach us to pray…” (Lk 11:1b)
Contact pippa.worth@prcdtr.org.uk
WHAT ELSE IS ON OFFER?
The Department of Evangelisation and Catechesis is directed explicitly to forming disciple making disciples.
Through a rich program of globally respected Catechesis and unique bespoke formation in Missionary Discipleship, you are invited to take a journey which will deepen your relationship with Jesus and come to a new appreciation of the life- giving gifts that we receive through the Catholic Church. Alongside the necessary interior journey, we equip you with the tools to share the faith sensitively and appropriately with family, friends, regular church going Catholics, the lapsed, and those who have no faith background. We encourage a missionary attitude, a missionary vigilance and missionary intention as a reorientation to living out discipleship more fully and authentically. The vision is to find in every parish, the cloud of believers necessary and foundational to full parish renewal and more, they will become themselves, disciple making disciples, going forth as agents of life and change to share the Gospel for the salvation of souls.
FOUNDATIONAL FORMATION
- The Genesis Mission – Mission Made Possible
Seven- week formation for Missionary Discipleship, personally hosted in parish groups or online for individuals: Michele Thompson for details
- Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Online Catechesis personally hosted in small groups online. Deborah Van Kroonenburg for details
PARISH WORKSHOPS
- Prayer and Desire – Designed to set us alight as we grow closer to Jesus. (Michele Thompson)
- Soul Listening – Learn Intentional Accompaniment. listen deeply, engage with the Holy Spirit, and have meaningful conversations that can lead others to Jesus. (Michele Thompson)
- Dynamic Discipleship – Living an integrated life. (Michele Thompson)
- Sharing the Good News – A simple proclamation. (Fr Jon Bielawski)
- Gifted to serve – Gifts and charisms. (Michele Thompson)
- Speaking Truth in Love – how to engage without conflict. (Michele Thompson)
- The Eucharist – Refresher training for Extraordinary Ministers or for new ministers (Julia Beacroft)
PARISH RETREATS
Discuss your ideas with our team and we will design a bespoke retreat to help you realise your vision. All will be rooted in scripture and can be tailored to the church season as appropriate.
PARISH MISSIONS
A tested and fruitful combination of spiritual formation and practical outreach designed to help set the parish on fire.
DISCIPLESHIP PATHWAY.
“Every member of the faithful is called to holiness and to mission” (Redemptoris Missio)
A two- year programme prayerfully discerned and compiled to encourage a new conversion in relationship with Jesus, interior growth, progress spiritually and mature in discipleship to hear and respond to God’s personal call on your life. And, by His grace, become a disciple making missionary-disciple. (Details Michele Thompson)