The Parish Council met this week. The meeting began with a visit from Murray and Aileen Straight who are the South Island co-ordinators of the Passionist Family Movement.
Eighteen years ago these family groups were launched in our parish. The immediate response at that time was overwhelmingly positive with around one third of our total Sunday Mass count signing up to join the groups.
People of all ages and situations took the ‘risk’ to become part of groups formed by the coordinators from the names of those who had signed up. This was a ‘stepping-into-the-unknown’ for most people. Arriving at the first small group house gathering many parishioners would have known only a couple of others in the group.
Eighteen years on we are a very different parish. The majority of parishioners were not here in the early ‘90’s. But many of the original groups still exist and are now groups of people who have grown to become good friends. However most groups no longer cover the spectrum of ages. Members have grown older together and their children have left home.
It is time for a rebirth.
At our Parish Council meeting Aileen and Murray outlined the process for the formation of new groups over the next couple of months. While some people may choose to stay in their existing group, the ideal is that new parishioners as well as those who might already be a part of a group, will drop their names into the hat in July. From these names new groups will be formed. The new groups will include the old and the young, people who are single or married, local and from afar. The diversity of these new groups will reflect the new age and cultural diversity of Our Lady of Victories parishioners.
Over the next few weeks further information will be available on the website www.olv.co.nz and at Masses.
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