Newsletter - 9 February 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
For the past 5 years, we have been running the Timothy programme for children from 8 to 10 years old, and our weekend event is coming soon, on the 15th and 16th March.
The Timothy programme was launched a decade ago in Brazil, by brothers and sisters of Chemin Neuf Community, to develop our children’s faith and to empower them to proclaim the Good News with others.
At the heart of the pedagogy of Timothy is knowing the Kerygma which is the Greek word for “the Proclamation”. It is the proclamation of the joyful message of the Gospel in John 3:16, “God so loves the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We want our children to know more about Jesus, about his plan of salvation for us so they can be witness of faith and not be afraid to share it.
Pope Francis reminds us that the Kerygma should be the centre of all evangelisation efforts: “On the lips of the Catechist, the first proclamation must ring out over and over: Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you.”
The kerygma is described in four essential elements:
- The loving plan of God for humanity.
- Sin separates us from God.
- God sends his only Son to save us to bring us back to him.
- The transformative power of believing in Jesus, being filled in the Holy Spirit and being followers of Christ in the Church.
You may wonder why the programme is called “Timothy”! Timothy was a young disciple who helped St Paul spread the Good News to the Gentiles. In the same way, our children, who are the future of the Church, by learning more about their faith, can become witnesses and proclaim the Gospel. Sharing the Gospel is a joyful call for all Christians.
During the weekend, the children will have the opportunity to explore the elements of the Kerygma in a fun, engaging and friendly environment with activities, crafts, games and music. It is a great opportunity to meet new friends too.
We invite all the children preparing for their first Holy Communion but also all other children from the parish and their friends who would like to know about Jesus.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Eleonore Sande
Focus of the Week
TIMOTHY WEEKEND
A great time for children aged 8 to 10
Talk about Jesus!
Great activities and crafts!
Music and dance!
A cool atmosphere to learn
more about our Christian
faith and share it.
15-16 March 2025
Saturday 2.30pm – 7pm
Sunday 9.45am followed by mass
Please register with the Parish Office.
PRAY AND PLAY
The next Pray and Play session is this Sunday, 9 February starting with the 11:00am Family Mass followed by games and activities in the small hall. There will be football and/or board games (depending on weather), as well as some fun crafts on the February themes of Candlemas (2 Feb) and the feast of St. Valentine (14 Feb).
This is for children of all ages along with their parents.
