Rejoice, again I say rejoice!

Howdy from Halifax! Lots has been happening in over here and not just in Saint Benedict Parish! Our team just put on a Diocesan Youth Rally based around Palm Sunday with John Stevens, the Youth Coordinator for the Diocese of Halifax-Yarmouth and I have to say it was fantastic! Despite little things that tried to make things not happen like batteries failing, the projector screen put in some corner it never would be put, the church alarm going off during the Bishop's talk, and some interesting characters barging in during the rally, it really went so well! About 200 people came to the rally before Mass, and about 500 for the Palm Sunday Mass, which was a lot more than we planned for, but I guess that's a good problem to have, hey?

Probably one of the most powerful moments of the whole rally would be the Personal faith stories that were added into Mass. Kyley gave her testimony before Archbishop Mancini's homily. As I looked around the church, I saw how much people could relate to her story and how struck they were by her encounter with God. Erin gave her testimony at the end of Mass and it was very apparent that both of their testimonies connected with so many people in the congregation and it was truly beautiful.

Until next time, may God bless you and keep you always!
Lauren (iNFUSE Team 3's blogger)

"We cannot keep to ourselves the words of eternal life given to us in our encounter with Jesus Christ: they are meant for everyone, every man and woman...It is our responsibility to pass on what, by God's grace, we ourselves have received." - Pope Benedict XVI Verbum Domini 2010

And also...your spirit?

Hello again from the beautiful city of Halifax!

It's Lauren here, and I'm just going to fill you all in on what's been happening over here in Nova Scotia. As we all know, the Church switched to the New Translation of the Mass at the start of this Advent season, and I have to say it's been pretty funny stumbling through the Mass with everyone else. I don't think I've successfully said "and with your spirit" through the whole Mass. Then again, I'm not sure if anyone has. All I know is, it's been pretty interesting and quite entertaining, but putting humor aside, I am seeing the fruit of this change already. There is a deepened sense of reverence for Mass and what we say during the Mass and how important it is. It's been really amazing to see this change happen.

Ministry has been going very well as well! We've been focusing on parables with our Beyond group in the past few weeks and it's been really fun to teach the youth about parables and their importance. One of the highlights was when each of the small groups created a skit that reflected the message of the parable. With S.H.Y.G., our High School group, we had a night about God's Reckless Mercy and at the end of the night, we had confession available to the youth and every single one of them went. It was such a powerful night for them and we were all really blown away by how much the night impacted them.

Since it is the last week we have here in Halifax before we head back to Ottawa for December Retreat, we had a Christmas themed social night for S.H.Y.G. that included Gingerbread Houses, Christmas music, and Christmas games. The "Guess the Christmas Carol" game turned out to be quite intense, and probably the favorite part of the night. All in all, looking back at our first half here in Halifax, it's been amazing! We've met so many wonderful people and have seen God do some pretty awesome stuff too! We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and look forward to sharing with you more Days in the Life of iNFUSE Team 3 after the break!

God Bless!
Lauren

(iNFUSE Team 3's Blogger)

From home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another

The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other. - Anonymous

Behold, He makes all things new!

Greetings from iNFUSE Team 3's blogger, Lauren!

We've been in Halifax now for a full two weeks and I have to say, it has been amazing so far! Our office has becomes more our own each day as something new is put up on our door or our board. Being more acquainted with the staff (including Father's dog, Monsi and one of the other staff member's dog, Biff), Saint Benedict is feeling more and more like home!

The first weekend in Halifax, Saint Benedict hosted a workshop on the New Evangelization with a guest speaker Tom Quinlan. The first half of the day was really wonderful because Tom referred to Archbishop Mancini's pastoral letter that focuses upon the New Evangelization. When we read this letter as a team, we were all so excited for how on fire Archbishop Mancini is about the topic and how hopeful he is for the future of the Church. The second half of the day, we sat down with the rest of the parish leadership committee and again, we were just blow away with the desire everyone seemed to have to work towards strengthening the ministries they have already established in the parish, but knowing that there is so much more to work towards, and being such a new parish, they know that these steps will be difficult, but necessary, and certainly fruit-bearing in the near future! It was really great to see where the parish is at and knowing that everyone is so willing to work towards a great future in the Church!

This past weekend, after a good bit of planning, we had our first youth nights here at the parish. They were all social nights, so we could meet the youth and have a bit of fun, so the nights' theme was Idol Chef. They got to make their own pizzas in teams and come up with a song and I have to say, some of the pizzas were very inventive! After our high school night, which was a Confirmation Reunion, was over, we got to talking with the Confirmation Coordinator and she mentioned how most of the youth that came to that night really went through incredible transformation during their confirmation year. Many went from a place where they doubted God's existence to a place where their faith was truly growing and forming. I truly look forward to getting to know the youth better and seeing them grow even more in their faith this year.

We look forward to getting more and more into ministry and seeing God work in this parish day after day!

God Bless!

Lauren

(iNFUSE Team 3's Blogger)

iNFUSE Team 3: Back Row (L-R) Kyley Drach, Brandon Grimard, Katie Troutman, Braeden Mann, Adam Desjardinis; Front Row (L-R) Liane Beaulac, Lauren Jones, Erin Lindoff