Spiritual food in the parish

We have had a ‘Going Deeper’ group in our parish for several years, but it has not flourished.  We have a couple of very devoted members who do get a lot out of it but that is not really sufficient.  We do a ninety-minute shortened version of a Secular meeting – Evening Prayer, study of a Carmelite text, silent prayer.  I thought the ‘going deeper’ title would encourage people to come who wanted to draw closer to God, to learn more of the beautiful riches of our faith, but that has obviously not worked.  It is possible that my leadership hasn’t been appreciated – one must always take account of one’s own failings – but it’s always hard to figure out the truth in such things.  Anyway, I was just wondering in bed last night if we should change the title to ‘Spiritual Reading Group’.  People are accustomed to the idea of Reading Groups and we could explain that there is a prayerful element along with the reading.  The problem with that would be if people approached the reading as an ‘academic’ exercise rather than a prayerful one.  Anyway, I plan to run the idea of a new title at the next meeting.

 Intercessions:

Cancer: Brian Davis, Bernard (and wife Angela caring for him), Jacqui, Theresa K, Fr Jon Bielowski (Plymouth Diocese), Catherine, Alex (43 with five children), Marie

Illness:  Katy Keeling

Siena, Elara – sick children

David OCDS – housebound

Sophia – blind infant

Grace – troubling ailments, job difficulties, family (deceased mother and health of father)

Lucia – Overwhelmed by weariness

Mark – brain infection

Michael – youngster with occult influences

Defence of the unborn and the elderly

RIP Roy Seymour, Richard Parker, Joy Smith OCDS, Dr Alan Rodgers