Happy Christmas

The Community and Retreat Team at De La Salle Pastoral Centre would like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful and Joyful 2011.  Thank you for your continued support! God bless.

Christmas Cards from St. Bride's

What a lovely surprise it was when the postman delivered a large envelope containing some beautiful Christmas cards created by the pupils of St. Bride's Primary school.  We were delighted by this thoughtful gesture, so thank you and a very happy Chistmas to all the Primary 7 pupils.

St Bride's Primary School

We had the Primary 7 classes from St. Bride's primary school in with us last week. They are preparing for their Confirmation in February and so their Retreat Day helped them to reflect on what Confirmation is and why we make it.  We explored this through discussion, games, art, meditation and prayer.  Below you can see some of the work that was done on the day and read about the things the young people chose to include in their Prayer Services and why???

Focus:

We did this to show that God created all of us and He created the whole world.

Music:
Shine by Take That:  because we all need to shine.
You've Got The Love by Florence and the Machine:  because God has the love and he wants us to love others.

Dear God,

Thank You for being there always

and for helping us when we need help.

Amen

Dear God,

Please help all the sick people to be cured

and help all the people in desperate need.

Amen

Dear God,

Thank You for all the things we have

like, food, water, homes and education.

Amen

Focus

Our focus represents our world and the colours represent religions.

The candle represents God's light and our own

The kites are our work today and our hands represent our light.

Shine by Take That: We chose this because we need to shine our light to people

You've Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman: because we need to stay together, be friends and not leave anyone out.

Focus:

We used the sun because God is our light. We used the dove because it is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. We used a green cloth and a blue cloth to represent our world, which we are fortunate enough to live in. We used the candles to represent each one of us, because our light can make a difference in the world. we used the hands and kites to show how we can show love and friendship.

Music

You Raise Up by Westlife:  because this song is about strength and confirmation has the word "firm" in it which means strength.

Hero by Mariah Carey:  because you are a hero if you help someone or give them something.

Dear God,

Please help people in poor countries

who can't afford anything nice this Christmas.

Bless people whose families have been separated

because of wars and natural disasters.

Amen

Dear God,

Please help the homeless and the poor this Christmas.

May they get the support and the help they need.

Amen

Dear God,

Please help the sick people to get better,

to enjoy Christmas.

Bless their friends and families

and help them get through the sadness.

A special mention to my Grandad who is very ill in hospital.

Amen

Focus:

This is our candle of light.  The colours you see coming out of the flame are to unifiy the uniqueness of the world and the people who live in it.

Music:

Shine by Take That:  we picked this because the light shines through you always and the light will never fade.
You've Got the Love by Florence and the Machine:  we picked this because God is always with you. Even when you are on your own, you've always got the love inside

Dear God

Help us shine our light

and keep elderly people safe in these cold months.

Lord hear us

Dear God

Remember those who have died.

Help them in heaven, stop them being sad.

Lord hear us.

Dear God

Help all the people in poverty who can't afford vaccines, food, drink and proper homes.

Lord hear us.

Dear God

Help world leaders to make good decisions

especially for people who aren't as lucky as us.

Lord hear us

 

We wish all the Primary 7 pupils a very Happy Christmas and wish them well as they make their Confirmation in February.

St. Columbanus, Years 13 and 14

This focus represents the River of Life. The young people in year 14 had time to reflect on their lives thinking of significant people and the moments in their lives that have influenced who they are now. This was followed by a scripture meditation focusung on their future (Jeremiah 29:11)

The songs that were chosen by the Year 14 groups were:

Lean on Me - Glee Cast: to show that each one of us has God to lean on.
Don't Panic - Coldplay: to show that even in the midst of all of the doom and gloom in the world it is still a beautiful world and we can make it better for one another.
Beautiful Day - U2: Because we can make each day beautiful for each other.

The Scripture Readings that were chosen by the Year 14s were:
I know the plans I have for you: Jeremiah 29:11
The Good Samaritan: Luke 10:25-37

The Year 13 groups were reflecting on the things they value in life.  For their prayer service they chose the following...

Music
One Love - this is the love of God, coming together as a group and giving thanks and praise to the Lord.
I Will Follow Him - It's about the following of God

Scripture - The Lost Sheep

We have chosen this as it shows a asign of forgiveness and shows us that God is still looking for you even if you have wondered far from his faith. So it shows us that God will never give up on you.

We gathered all our prayers of intercession and thanksgiving offering these and all our needs to the care of God.

Music

Lean on Me - We chose this song because we are one year group, a unit. We are here for each other. We can "lean on" each other. We are all friends. We are a close year group and we love each other. These lyrics are meaningful to us. Also, it's a good song.

Castles in the Sky - we choose this because it is up-beat and cheery. The lyrics are meaningful to us. Why don't we make life realistic? We day dream and we get caught so much in our dreams that we are not in the present moment.

We wish all the students from St. Columbanus' College every blessing as they continue on life's journey. It was a pleasure to work with them.

The Season of Advent

The LORD waits to be gracious to you;

blessed are all those who wait for him.

Is.30:18 

The season of Advent is upon us again. Advent gives us an opportunity to reflect on our lives and to re-prioritise the important things.  With the busy lives we lead and the many demands that each of us have for our attention, it can be easy for the important things to get lost in the middle of all the other "stuff."  Advent allows us to re-centre ourselves.

As usual here in the De La Salle Pastoral Centre, we will be providing you with an opportunity to take a pause in the midst of all the preparation for Christmas to reflect on the true meaning of the season, Christ!

If you and your family and friends would like to avail of this opportunity, then please come along to our annual Advent Evening of Prayer and Reflection.  Come along, everyone is welcome.  Light refreshments will be provided.

Wednesday 15th December

8.00pm

De La Salle Pastoral Centre

141 Glen Road

Belfast BT11 8BP

Click here for directions.

St Mary's CBGS Year 11

Our neighbours St. Mary's CBGS have been sending their year 11 groups to our Centre this week.  It's been great to see these boys again, all a lot more grown up than when we last saw them in Year 8.  For some of these boys, depending on what primary school they went to, it can be their third our fourth visit to our Centre.  This is great for us as a team because we usually remember the faces, if not always the names and it's great to hear how they've been getting on since we last saw them. 

Even though some of the boys are very familiar with our Centre, each Retreat Day they have attended will be very different.  The year 11 programme looks at the world we live in, our place within it and where or whether we find God in all of that. 

What can WE do in our own lives to make the world a better place???  There isn't much point in complaining about the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere if we allow our own little wars to fester in our own lives.

This retreat is all about looking at ourselves and what we can do.

In this post, you can see and read the artwork the boys created when exploring their thoughts about God.  Also, the Prayer Service contributions that the boys made, including Music choice, Focus, Prayers and Reflections.  Enjoy!!!

26th November 2010

Focus

We created a circle and a cross of lights to show that Jesus died for us

Music

Shine - we chose this song to show how we can let the light shine through in people

Hero by X Factor Finalists - because you can be a hero in day to day life

Dear God

We pray for those who find it difficul;t to let their light shine through,

also those people stopping others from letting their kight shine

Amen

Dear God

We pray for those who try to make a difference in the world

and we thank you for those who, by their courage, have

made the world a better place

Amen

Dear God

We thank you for giving us the things we have,

but please bless those less fortunate than us who are

living in poverty and hunger

Amen

25th November 2010

Focus
This is the calming of the storm and Jesus fixes it. When we have storms and trouble we should turn to Jesus for help.

Scripture - The Good Samaritan
We have picked this story because we want to show that although there is hatred in this world everyone can still get along.

Dear God

Watch over my granny who is not well at the moment.

And I want to thank you for all my friends, family

and for all the people who have been kind to me

Amen 

Dear God

I would like to thank you for my successes in the past

and would like me and my class-mates to do well in our tests.

Amen

Dear God

Thank you for looking out for me in the past years pf my life

and I pray that you will help me do good in my up coming football matches.

Amen

Dear God

I want to ask you to make me and my class mates

have a good and happy life.

Amen

Dear God

I wish for you to look over me and my class mates while doing our GCSE's

and to help us all do well in them

Amen

Dear God

Thank you for looking over my family by giving them lovely homes and a healthy life.

Amen

23rd November 2010

Focus

We did a cross with candles on it to show that God is present.



Music

Hero by the X-Factor Finalists - because we can be a hero to someone else.

You've Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman - because we all have a friend in each other.

Scripture - The Transfiguration

We chose this story because it illustrates one of the great mysteries of our faith, that Jesus IS God.

Dear God,

Please help the under-privileged in our society.

Amen

22nd November 2010

Focus
We chose the word JOYFUL because we all had a happy and joyful day and we learned new things about our faith.

Scripture - The Baptism of Jesus
We're reading this story because the Father says he is well pleased with Jesus. God is pleased with us too.  Just as the Holy Spirit gave Jesus the strength to withstand the temptations he suffered in the desert, the Holy Spirit can strengthen to help us face the difficulties in our lives.

Music
One by U2 - because we are all connected by one thing.
Fix You by Coldplay - because we can help to fix people's lives by giving money to charity, clothes to the poor, something to eat to someone who is hungry, or simply by changing our attitude towards someone.

Dear God,

Please help those who are ill and sick.

Help the families for them.

Amen

Dear God,

Please help the miners in New Zealand

who are trapped underground by an

explosion which caused the mine to collapse.

Please bless their families.

Amen

Dear God,

I thank you for my family.

They are so good to me

and give me everything I ask for.

Amen

Dear God

Thank you for my friends who are always there for me.

Thank you that they are healthy and help them all through their lives.

Amen

First we talked about respect and how to treat people and how to make a difference.

Understanding this, we thought about how we treat others.

Now we have a different view of others in our society.

19th November 2010

Focus
We did the word LIGHT to represent The Light of the World, Jesus who can lead us through darkness.

Scripture - The Good Samaritan
We chose this story because it relates to the situation in the North of Ireland, where there is conflict between people who don't even know each other, just because of their religion.  This story teaches us to be compassionate to everyone we meet in our lives. No matter what our their beliefs people are still human beings and our words affect them.

(What do you think????)

Music:

Survivor by Destiny's Child - Because it shows that with courage you can come through difficulties in your life.

Talk by Coldplay - Because people can express their feelings and ideas through talking, like we did today.

Dear God,

I pray for the poor and homeless.

May they find help and hope.

I pray they may find a home and security.

I thank God that I am more fortunate than they are.

Amen

Dear God,

We pray for our families.

May they be healthy, happy and

caring towards us.

We thank you that we enjoy good health

and have people around us to look

after us when we are sick.

Amen

Hope was within us today

Everyone found enlightenment

Almighty is GOD

Very spiritual in faith of God

Everyone became closer to Jesus the Christ

No-one will forget this life-changing experience.

18th November 2010

Focus: The focus spells the word GOD.  We chose this because God was our main theme today.  We have used a variety of bright colours to show how bright and attractive God's creation is.

Music

Beautiful Day by U2: We picked this song because we believe that every day is a gift from God and also, this song is a great way of describing the day that we had on this retreat.

Where is the Love? by The Black Eyed Peas:  We picked this song because it features and covers a lot of the topics that we discussed in our groups today, about what goes on the world and that we can make a difference in the world to prevent these actions.

Let us pray for the sick, the recently deceased,

the homeless and members of the travelling community.

Lord hear our prayer.

Dear Lord,

We thank you for your love and for giving us life.

Bless our families and friends.

Lord hear our prayer.

Dear God,

Let us pray for our families, without whom we would not be here.

They raised us and accompanied us through the good times and bad.

Let us pray for those who have experienced bereavement in their families.

Let us hope that God will guide them through their grief.

Amen

Dear God,

Thank you for the day you have given us here at

the De La Salle Pastoral Centre.

Amen

16th November 2010

Focus:

The rainbow represents the diversity of God's creation.
The candles show that God is our light.
The tree represents life and growth.

Music:

What if God was One of Us - Joan Osborne: we chose this because God could be anyone and we wouldn't notice.

Hero - Mariah Carey: we chose this because God is our Hero!


Scripture: We chose Luke 9:46-48 because it show that everyone should see themselves as equal to others and not better that anyone.

Dear God,

Thank You for helping me and protecting my family.

Thank You for giving us a good life.

Please keep helping us through the rest of our lives.

Amen

Dear God,

We ask you to help the sick and the poor.

Help them to find health and good fortune.

Guide their lives.

Amen

Dear God,

We ask that you will help us and guide us through our GCSE courses.

Keep us safe and healthy throughout the year.

Thanks for the  good times we have had in our class.

Amen

15th November 2010

Focus
We chose to create this multi-coloured candle to show that God is our ever lasting light and to show that God will guide all of us through life through his light.

Music
One by U2 - we chose this because it has good lyrics which tell us to look out for each other.
What a Wonderful World - this is a peaceful song that gives a positive picture of our environment

Scripture - Lk.:19 - Jesus and Zacchaeus
We chose this story because it shows forgiveness and shows also how love can change a person

Dear God

Can you please help the homeless

and the poor have a better life

and I will contribute by giving them the things that I don't need

Lord hear us

Dear God

Thank you for everything you have given me

and everyone you have helped me meet

I hope you show your support for me during my GCSE's

Amen

Dear God

I want to thank you for the experience I have had today

Amen

Dear God

We want you to boost our faith so that we can fully understand what you are

and help us to be better people

Amen

Reflections

These are things we have done in our group and what we have learnt:

Helpful - it has shown us so many more ways of looking at God

Enlightening - it ha revealed that God can be seen in many different forms

Relaxing - allows us to think about family and friends and the meditation was relaxing

Motivational - motivates us to improve our relationship with God

Positive - helps us to think more positively of ourselves and others and also about our society

Life-changing - helps us to live our life to the full and to live happily

Enjoyable - gives us a better connection with God and any other God you believe in

Opening - get you open to all religion and gives you an understanding to all things good and evil.