This has been a busy summer for the young people at St. Clare's. They have taken part in two 'projects.' Three of our young people went to Lourdes on the Diocesan Pilgrimage and ten young people went to the Hodovo Project coupled with the Medjugorje Youth Festival. On Friday evening they reported back to the parish.
The young people who went to Lourdes were the first up and they gave an account of their time at the French Shrine and how they cared for the 'VIPs' - the sick and elderly. They also spoke of how this visit enhanced their faith and the great memories that they will keep of it.
It was a similar story with the the boys and girls who went to Bosnia & Hercegovina to work on the project to build a peace garden in the settlement at Hodovo which we have been supporting for some time. They built not just a peace garden but also lasting friendships with the young people who live there some of whom visited Preston in July. Besides the work in the settlement they spent time at the international Youth Festival together with about 50,000 other young people.
Both groups spoke of the blessing that these visits were and how their faith had grown. Thanks was paid first of all to the many parishioners who had financially supported these events, then to the adults who had accompanied the young people and guided and kept them safe. Fr Loughran marked out Fr Darren for special thanks for the tireless efforts he had put in to making these ventures happen.
The evening ended with thanks to our Blessed Lady for her contant motherly care of our young people; three Hail Marys were prayed in French, Croatian and English!
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