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Let Us Journey Together
Bishop John Hine, Chair of the Committee for Marriage and Family Life, a committee of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, was the keynote speaker at the recent weekend Gathering of the Transatlantic Super-Region of Equipes Notre Dame.
The Transatlantic Super-Region covers a number of English-speaking countries including Great Britain, Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, South Africa and Malawi. On the weekend of October 8th to 10th, 76 couples and 9 chaplains met in the Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, for the second Super-Regional Gathering, together with guests from USA and Australia. 7 couples came from Trinidad, and 2 from South Africa, but sadly the Malawi representatives were refused entry Visas. A lively programme was also provided for 23 children who accompanied their parents to the event.
Bishop John spoke on the topic of "Journeying as a Christian Couple in the Modern World", and noted that the theme of the Gathering "gives a great picture of the whole church, all of us, united on our pilgrim journey through life, helping each other along the way, and in this way constitutes a clear challenge to a culture which is riddled with individualism and competitiveness, with all the problems this raises for the whole notion of marriage." Turning to the couples in the hall, he noted that, "You are the ones who live the intimacy of marriage day by day, and as teams, you reflect on your experience, on the joys and agonies, on the growing pains involved in the stages of marriage as well as the freedom it can bring of living in the truth of an honest relationship where pretence and protection have become irrelevant."
The programme over the weekend also included reflective liturgies, talks and workshops. Peter and Di Wordsworth, former Regional Couple for Northern Britain gave a practical talk on Team Life - "Down the Garden Path", comparing Teams Life to the jobs and seasons in a vegetable garden - preparing the soil in Spring is like spreading the news of Teams, sowing the seed is like piloting watering is like liaison - they concluded that the compost heap was equivalent to the teams review meeting at the end of the year - messy, but vital for getting good spiritual growth the following year. On Sunday, Canon John Udris, Dean of Northampton Cathedral spoke of St Therese of Lisieux and her way of prayer, which, in her own words, ‘For me prayer is a surge of the heart, a simple look turned towards heaven, a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial and as well as joy.' Making comparisons to the teams endeavours for prayer, he concluded by suggesting that St Therese would ask each one of us, ‘why should this treasure not be yours?'
The weekend closed with a joyful Mass after which Paul and Helena McCloskey, and Father Ken Payne, who celebrated 50 years as a priest earlier this year, handed over responsibility for the Super-Region to Antony and Janet Denman, and Canon John Udris.
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T.O.O.L. - Satellite Team "old teams and old team-members"
The satellite team "old teams and old team-members" met in London,May 23rd and 24th 2009 in the presence of To and Ze Moura Soares to give a progress report on its work. The team compiled a working paper with use for persons in charge of the Movement on the old team-members and the way of giving them all their place in the Movement. This document was given to the College of Rome last January and it is under examination by the Super-Regions. A final version will be prepared for September 2009. The team also started its thinking about the ideas to be proposed for the teams having already a certain seniority and wishing to go further in their life of faith and charity as for those who want simply to return to the sources of the charisma of the Movement. It will be based on the experiments already known in this field, in particular the years of deepening and the old teams which existed in the years 1960-1980. Its work will lead to the drafting of a working paper at the end of 2009.
MEETING OF THE SATELLITE TEAM FOR TRAINING,
VERONA, SEPTEMBER 4-5, 2009
The Satellite Team for Training, consisting of four couples from three different countries, with its leaders, To and Zé Moura Soares, met in Verona, Italy, in the first weekend in September. Over these few days of intense work, the exchange and familiarity between us grew and strengthened the work already developed throughout the whole year. During this second meeting, we revised the general document on training, together with various specific training files within the Teams of Our Lady framework. Afterwards, we put together a work plan for the next year concerningpermanent training and a dictionary in 5 languages of the terms most used in the Teams of Our Lady. It is terribly important to realize that the work method accentuates good communication between the Super Regions and the ERI (International Leading Team), so that there is a fruitful exchange about the various documents worked upon. It is a service that ought to answer the Super Regions' needs and ought not to be felt as a burden. The idea is to see training as a continuous and continual way for team members to grow and mature within the Teams of Our Lady movement, so that they realize and understand their calling to holiness and to serve others. It is also important to understand that the international aspect is always present in these documents, since they are propositions made for the intention of all countries where there are teams. In addition, the goal of unifying the movement and being faithful to the charisma of the Teams of Our Lady is essential. Finally, despite the fact that these documents were the primary concern of the couples participating in the Satellite Team for Training, the wonderful, warm hospitality of the Verona team members must be remembered and thanked.
EDUCATIONAL SATELLITE TEAM (ESP1)
The third meeting of ESP1 was held at the Social Centre of Saint Mary's Church, in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, USA, from July 31st to August 2nd, 2009. All members of this team, together with the Spiritual Counselor Father Ricardo Londoño, and To and Zé from the ERI (International Leading Team) participated. A new couple, Lourdes and Sobral from Brazil, were introduced to the Team. They will replace Cida and Raimundo, who have been nominated to take up the leadership of the Brazil Super Region. At the beginning of this meeting, To and Zé, who are in charge of the Satellites Teams' work, presented a synthesis of all that the Satellite Teams have accomplished, and then set out the directions and end goal for the new document that the ESP1 will produce, a second Study Topic. During this meeting, we developed the first document produced by ESP1 in view of its publication; we evaluated the final text of the second piece of work, the Study Topic, that is already finished; and we drew up a plan for the next piece of work, in line with the directions and end goal presented by To and Zé.
ESP1's various pieces of work should be finished for the International College of International Leading Teams (ERI) in 2011.
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