2nd Friday Sessions: Mary – a bible study

A young adult writes:

Every time I go to a Second Friday group meeting at St. Michael’s Church in Birmingham I find myself refreshed. Not only do these meetings provide an opportunity to meet with like-minded young Catholics from across the diocese, but also a constant challenge causing me to think more deeply about my faith. Our meeting in May was no exception and it was really great to see many new faces.

 Taking our inspiration from the association of the month of May with Our Lady, we were treated to an enriching Bible study on Mary, the Mother of God. The session was led by a young adult from Birmingham, Louis Maciel, who guided us through a detailed examination of why, as Catholics, Our Lady holds such a key place within our Faith.

 The mood for the evening was set by the presence of a beautiful statue of Our Lady of Fatima. In the flickering candlelight we were given a brief introduction to the statue, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima and its associations with John Paul II. Following a decade of the rosary, we started the Bible study in which Louis was able to show us the biblical basis of titles used to refer to Our Lady, such as the Ark of the Covenant and the Queen of Heaven. He also used the study to explain to us the deeper meaning of those terms and the way in which the titles link the teachings of the Old and New Testaments.

 Everyone who took part in the meeting appeared to take a lot from it. I certainly felt enriched by taking part in it – it is often the simplest of things, such as being able to discuss a topic with friends, which leads to the greatest enlightenment.

May Feelings

Four years ago, a youth group from Spain started a new tradition: Every year during the month of May, it edits a short video titled “May Feelings.” The goal is to encourage people to pray the rosary. This year, the theme revolves around giving thanks to John Paul II. The Polish Pope was beatified on May 1st, the first day of the month dedicated to the Virgin.

2nd Friday Sessions: Mary

People outside the Catholic world often misunderstand Catholics’ devotion to Mary. This 2nd Friday, in the month of May, we will be reflecting on Mary and understanding why we venerate her as the Queen of Heaven.

We will also be discovering her relationship with the Ark of the Covenant and her description as the New Eve.

The talk starts at 8pm at St Michael’s, Moor Street. Bring a bible if you can.

Papal Visit Memories

Miss the reunion in April?

Why not have a look at a video of our September memories…

Birmingham Archdiocese Papal Visit from BCYS on Vimeo.

YouCat

 

Youcat – Catholic Youth Catechism Promo – exec I from Fr. Johannes M Schwarz on Vimeo.

This is a little clip to promote the upcoming Catholic Youth Catechism called YOUCAT

Due to be released today, YouCat, or Youth Catechism, is a Catechism of the Catholic church aimed at young Catholics from teenagers upto young adults to help them on their journey in Faith. A straightforward guide, YouCat addresses some diffucult questions that young people are faced with in the reality of life.

Pope Benedict won the hearts of many young people, during his visit to Britain in September 2010. During his visit, he beatified Blessed John Henry Newman, who called for an educated laity, to be more informed and clued up on our Catholic faith.

“Many people say to me: The youth of today are not interested in this. I disagree, and I am certain that I am right. The youth of today are not as superficial as some think. They want to know what life is all about….This book is exciting because it speaks of our own destiny and so deeply engages every one of us.” - Pope Benedict XVI

The book is published by CTS. Click here for more information.

2nd Friday: Reconciliation

A young adult reflects on April’s 2nd Friday session, on the theme of reconciliation:

“Do you remember your first confession?”  This  was with this question that Father Paul Moss, Vocations Director for the Archdiocese of Birmingham,  started us off on our exploration of the role of reconciliation in our lives as young Catholics. I found the meeting very inspirational. Not only is Father Paul a dynamic speaker who uses the questions he has asked himself as a means to explore an issue, but also because what he talked about really hit home for me. Many of the points he raised are questions I have asked myself over the last few years and so it was really great to attend a talk which brought them together and also took the ideas further.

Father Paul gave us some strong messages about the role of confession, especially about it not just being about absolution, but about developing three key relationships in our lives – with God, with others and with ourselves. Within this framework, the gift of reconciliation is not about not sinning – something that even the best of us cannot avoid – but about picking ourselves up after we have sinned and repairing the relationships. To be holy, means to be whole. To sin is to distance ourselves from God, from others and from even ourselves. By going to confession we are given the opportunity to analyse what we have done wrong and open ourselves to Jesus and the healing He brings. When we understand why we sin, we can change with the help of God. Confession, therefore, becomes one of the cornerstones of a healthy, mature relationship with God. It also becomes a central tool through which we live our lives through faith.

To many this might seem like a self-evident assessment of confession. If so, ask yourselves, when was the last time you went into the confessional thinking about why you had sinned, rather than simply being armed with the list of sins committed?

Happy St Patrick’s day!

Happy feast day all fellow Irish folk! Did you know that, as well as being the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick is also the patron saint of Nigeria and the Dioceses of New York, Boston and Melbourne?! He is also the patron saint of engineers! What a man!

Here’s a short and humourous video about the life of St Patrick!