Over three days, 120 people of all ages and many nationalities enjoyed outings together, workshops, moments of prayer and reflection and nightly family entertainment at the beautiful Gold Coast complex. The weather was not kind, but an atmosphere of joy and community helped participants rise above the rain.
The spring gathering’s theme was ‘We are called to love and….. go out into the world’. Saturday’s programme focused on the ‘Cries of Humanity’, in particular those of the homeless and drug addicts. Since 2016 a partnership has been forged between Focolare and Merchant’s Quay Ireland through a Christmas backpack appeal. Its CEO, Eddie Mullins, used the occasion to thank Focolare, before addressing the issues of homelessness, poverty and addiction. Poverty is a complex problem, he said. We have become a very judgemental and polarised society where people sometimes step over the bodies of those sleeping rough, “It is very important to acknowledge people on the street and show them they are not invisible.”
He appealed to those present to be “more open minded and less judgemental. Every life is valuable.” In his eight months as CEO of Merchant’s Quay, he was “taken aback by the level of need among the users of MQI.” On the drug problem, Mullins said it would take “a generation to fix” and simplistic as it might seem, the answer was to “break the cycle for the next generation through education”. His 32 years working in prisons showed him the intergenerational nature of crime and drug use. MQI can get people on the recovery journey, but “long term results has to be getting through to younger generations”.
Sunday’s focus was on ecumenism. Bishop Brendan Leahy and Dr. Joan Back reported on the 40th Ecumenical Conference of Bishops friends of the Focolare Movement which took place in the historic city of Augsburg in Germany last February. There were 60 participants from 26 nations, representing 29 Christian Churches. Five Bishops from
Ireland attended: Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh – John McDowell, Catholic Bishop of Limerick – Brendan Leahy, Bishop of the Moravian Church – Sarah Groves, former Church of Ireland Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe – Trevor Williams and former Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh – Richard Clarke. Bishop Leahy commented on the way relationships of sincere affection develop between the participants, based on a pact of mutual love in which the Bishops commit to loving one another as Jesus did and to loving one another’s diocese as their own, which means staying in touch, sharing joys and sorrows and praying for each other.
Sunday’s programme also included a presentation on the ‘Join the Dots Together’ – a project bringing together 60 civil and religious organisations in Northern Ireland to share information about activities related to climate justice and by working collaboratively to make a greater impact on this grave and urgent issue. Its first significant event was a conference in Ulster University in January at which Dr. Lorna Gold, Chair of the Laudato Sì Movement gave the keynote address. Lorna commented that the representation at the meeting was a “testament to the vibrant civil society and faith groups in Northern Ireland” with people from the Inter-Faith forum, the Baha’i community, the GAA, the Mothers’ Union and Trocaire as well as several non-faith groups such as Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful. Juanita Majury, member of the Join the Dots Together Steering Group underlined the project’s focus on raising awareness of the urgency of climate justice and the importance of working together saying, “Future plans include the launch of an online calendar to keep people in touch and informed as well as a seminar in Belfast on 21st September which is International Day of Peace”.
Summing up the Spring Gathering event in Dungarvan, Paddy Daly from Athlone commented “Meeting everyone like this is like a piece of heaven opening up.”
by Susan Gately
