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Group in Fermoy undertake eight week programme of spiritual renewal

A group of 12 individuals in the parish of Fermoy has completed an eight-week programme of spiritual renewal. The programme ran from Jan 26th to Mar 15th earlier this year and those who took part report a tremendous refreshment in their faith and spiritual lives.

The name of the programme that was undertaken is Croí Nua, a creative programme of spiritual renewal which has been specifically developed for the people of Ireland, offering hope and new vision for faith communities and individuals who are seeking to enrich their lives. It is relevant for women and men of all age groups who are searching for meaningful faith sharing, either in parish communities or in small independent groups.

The Croí Nua programme consisted of a series of 8 sessions where the group gathered for reflective reading, group sharing and prayer rituals. The group met weekly in one of the participant’s homes in Fermoy (although the programme is designed so that a parish centre or retreat centre or any similar venue could also have been used). Each session ran for approximately one and a half hours and concluded with refreshments.

The programme, written by Hilary Musgrave and Monica Brown, draws upon the wisdom and tradition of our ancient Celtic Christian heritage, as well as contemporary theology and spirituality, with the richness and wisdom of Sacred Scripture woven through the programme.

The contributing writers of the Croí Nua programme are some of the most respected and visionary spiritual leaders in Ireland: Daniel O’Leary, Mark Patrick Hederman, Nellie McLaughlin, Michael Rodgers, Margaret Silf, Finola Cunnane, Pat Moore, Mary Kate Hagan, Hilary Musgrave and Monica Brown.

Themes that were addressed in the Croí Nua programme were: ‘Seasons of Life,’ ‘The God who Journeys with us,’ ‘The Grace of Suffering,’ ‘The Heart of Prayer,’ ‘The Healing Journey,’ ‘Living Faith.’

The programme consists of personal reading and reflection on the programme’s weekly reading resources; small group gatherings for sharing and discussion on the reading resources which include simple meaningful prayer rituals. A group facilitator was nominated to lead and oversee the sessions and a group host/hostess was nominated to co-ordinate and facilitate the group gatherings at the selected venue.

What made the programme easy to facilitate was that a programme kit was available to the group in Fermoy. This kit consists of (i) A very comprehensive Handbook for facilitators; (ii) An audio-CD of the reading resources and music for the prayer rituals; and (iii) A DVD of audio visual reflections to support the programme themes.

Written specifically for the people of Ireland, the Croí Nua programme promotes the opportunity for mutual respectful sharing and discussions that have focus and purpose. The prayer rituals provide a new appreciation for Sacred Scripture and ritual and draw people into the intimacy of meaningful prayer. The music and audiovisual reflections draw people into a reflective and prayerful spirit. Furthermore, the group gatherings foster meaningful relationships through genuine faith sharing that nurtures and builds real community.

Some comments from participants of the Croí Nua programme:

“This is an excellent resource …so timely for the people of Ireland.”

“The quality of the reading resources was excellent, very relevant and thought provoking….”

“This is a very well structured programme…it uplifted our group and many described it as extremely nourishing…..”

If other groups or parishes are interested in more information about the Croí Nua programme or in purchasing same please contact Emmaus Productions at 051-391784 or email emmausireland@nullemmausproductions.com.

If you are interested in speaking to someone who has facilitated the Croí Nua programme you may contact Noreen Joyce at 087 6534887 who was a participant in the programme that was run in Fermoy parish.

If you wish to meet the authors Hilary Musgrave and Monica Brown they are presenting an Advent Reflection at the Parish Centre in Fermoy on the 10th December 2016. Contact Noreen Joyce on 087 6534887 for further details.

[the photo of Celtic Crosses used as the banner image for this post is by Flickr user Neil Tackaberry]

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