May 2014
News
Tricia Kane
Finding God in everyday life as developed in the exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola was brought to the New Zealand context in March when representatives of Christian Life Community groups in Wellington and the Manawatu met at the Home of Compassion in Wellington.
A recent CLC gathering in Australia where members discussed a simpler form of the Ignatian exercises, The First Spiritual Exercises (FSE), informed discussion on how to relate this way of daily spiritual reflection to those starting out.
CLC members heard discussion on the three pillars of CLC – spirituality, community and mission – then had an opportunity to tease out in small groups what these might mean in individuals’ lives.
The movement has grown in other parts of the country and members heard reports on new outreach in Dunedin and Auckland. The Manawatu growth reflects their good fortune in having a designated diocesan worker, Rex Begley.
Palmerston North has already begun training guides for this apostolate. In Wellington the first part of the FSE will begin in July.
The assembly appointed a small group to coordinate the activities of CLC groups in the two dioceses and to be a point of contact for new groups in other dioceses. This is an important step towards establishing a national executive council to negotiate affiliation with the World Christian Life Community.
Those appointed were Sarah Dench and Simon McLellan (archdiocese) and Nicola McCarthy, Ian and Josephine Bailey (Palmerston North). We are full of hope for the future, as Pope Francis encourages us in Evangelii Gaudium.