Animate... Inspiring Life and Soul

Animate was set up as a response to people in the Diocese naming youth ministry as one of their top 3 priorities to be addressed.  It was decided that the best way to address Youth Ministry in our diocese was to set up a team of young people who could minister to young people. Animate is currently in its eigth year, and seventh year of having a team of volunteers who offer a year or more of their life to live in community and to work with young people in the diocese. Each year we are successfully working with over 9,000 young people from the diocese through our work in schools and parishes as well as through the youth section of the annual Lourdes Pilgrimage, Youth Alive Masses every month, Retreat work and much more. The development of animate over the last eight years has led to the conversion of the lower hall at our neighbouring St Mary’s Church. It has transformed from an unusable ‘storage’ space into our new Life and Soul Café. This development has led to animate being able to deliver youth ministry in a purpose built setting that has also provided the perfect setting to start our weekly Youth Café night – TGI Friday - in May 2009.

Why we chose the name ‘Animate’

Animate comes from the Greek word pneuma which means spirit, breath of life, to revive, to enter your soul, to inspire your heart, to bring new character to you.  We thought that this word, which is used many times in the New Testament, was appropriate to the work that we aim to do.  Here are a few examples of where the word pneuma is used in the New Testament:

In Luke’s Gospel when Mary visits Elizabeth after hearing the News from the Angel that she will be the mother of God’s son

 “My spirit exults in God my saviour.”  Lk 1:47

In John’s Gospel Jesus talks about how true worshippers will “worship the Father in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23
In John’s Gospel Jesus also talks about the importance of being “born of water and the Spirit” John 3:5 and he looks forward to the day when “the Spirit of truth comes.” John 16:13
In his second letter to the Corinthians St Paul says that “the Spirit gives life” 2Cor 3:6

As the Youth Ministry team for the Diocese we believe that our job is to ask God to bring this Spirit and new life and to inspire the lives and souls of ourselves and all the young people in the area with whom we work.

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Come and See Conference, Southport

It was fantastic to be able to go to this year’s Come and See conference run by the Irenaeus Project. It welcomed a number of national and international speakers and workshop leaders with Sr Helen Prejean the keynote speaker for the event. Sr Helen is the nun behind the book and film ‘Dead Man Walking’ that are about her experience walking with inmates on death row. She spoke of her experiences with those on death row and also about her time spent with Pope John Paul II talking about the injustice of the taking of human lives in cases of both abortion and those on death row. Complementing the keynote addresses, there were a number of workshops around The Gospels, Celtic Prayer, Youth Ministry, the Sacraments, Pottery, and much more.  The weekend was a huge success and ended with the celebration of Mass with the music supplied by Jo Boyce and friends.

 

Ireland

At the end of May the team had a few days to spend together over the sea in the wonderful surroundings of County Kildare and Dublin. After a half term of hard work it was a great chance to chill together and at a bargain price (partly due to a 4:30 start on the Monday MORNING, and also the kindness of Gav’s family over there who sorted us out with accommodation)! Although we live and work together it was nice to be away together and to relax ready for a new half term.

BBC Radio 4

Young people from the diocese will led Sunday Morning Worship on Radio 4 on Palm Sunday, 28th March at 8.10 am. The focus was on Barabbas and was the last in the series of looking at people on the edge of Jesus’ pain. Jo Boyce, Mike Stanley and crew were wonderful as ever. It was a great experience for all involved. Many thanks for Ann Mare Harrison, and young people from De La Salle school and everyone who made it a great success.

Celebrate

Celebrate is a Charismatic Catholic Conference held in Ilfracombe, Devon. The team all went down on Easter Sunday for the week and had great fun. The conference involves talks from various speakers, praise and worship, daily mass, workshops, activities, evening entertainment and more! It was a packed week but we were all able to get something from it to help us on our faith journey. During the week we were able to chill together too having our meals together in our chalets and having a day out together on the Wednesday where everybody got to shop off their driving skills at go-karting and their skittle-tumbling skills at bowling as well as fitting in time to visit Barnstaple for an hour! A great way to end the term!