Community of the Passion Autumn gathering at Hinsley Hall
Source: Passionists
On Friday 25th October 2024 to Sunday 27th October 2024, the Community of the Passion held its Autumn Gathering at Hinsley Hall in Leeds.
The Community of the Passion is a dispersed group of women and men, finding together a new way of being Passionist, under the auspices of the Passionist Province of Ireland and Britain.
Married and single (and including some vowed Passionist members), the Community engages in daily life in practical solidarity with the Crucified people. Committed to prayer with and for each other, we find God in our encounter with and commitment to all those who are poor, powerless and suffering. We support each other in our living out of our faith and our call to missionary discipleship.
One way in which we offer mutual support is through regular meetings, via zoom and in person. Most of these meetings are held locally or regionally but the Community gathers twice a year for weekend meetings. Whenever we meet, the focus of our gathering is our sharing of how we have experienced the Passion of Christ in our lives and in the lives of those around us. We also share what are termed 'Resurrection Experiences', where members give expression to any signs of hope, growth or new life that they have experienced lately. In this way, the lens of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus becomes the way in which we interpret our common discipleship journey. Our meetings always include shared meals and social time, culminating in the sharing of the Eucharistic meal.
Twenty one members of the Community who had travelled from various corners of the country were joined for the first time at such an event by Gerard and Therese Bennett, co-leaders of the Passionist Companions, a lay group based in Ireland and Scotland, and by Lucy Franks who is currently facilitating the Review of St Patrick's Province of Ireland and Britain in preparation for their Province Chapter in June of 2025.
As always, the weekend was focused on prayerful reflection but there was also plenty of opportunity to relax and to socialise before the gathering culminated in a celebration of the Eucharist on Sunday morning.