BIS Mumbai
BOSCO INFORMATION SERVICE # 3176
TOGETHER IN COVENANT – A FELLOWSHIP OF YOUNG COUPLES
Amira Peter
NORTHERN ARABIAN VICARIATE, OCTOBER 15, 2012 : On Thursday, October 11, 2012, the Cherubs Team of the Family Ministry of St Thérèse Parish in the North Arabian 
Vicariate organized its monthly program for couples married in 1999. It was attended by about Thirty three couples and just over Sixty children.
The Program began with the Holy Mass at 6.30 pm celebrated by Fr Franco Pereira. In his homily, he related to the marriage to the two beams of the cross. He explained that though they are unequal in size, yet both are needed to form the cross. The liturgy was well prepared keeping the marriage theme in mind. The liturgical singing was animated by the melodious voices of the school children, led by Faust Nash. Mass was followed by a brief presentation on the various Parish activities in order 
to increase awareness and to offer the couples an opportunity to participate more actively in the parish community.
Next, over light snacks, Bill Schuilenberg conducted an Enrichment session on Active Listening & Communication skills. Through active participation and sharing, couples were exposed to effective ways of communicating and actively listening to each other. This was followed by a lively fellowship of games, spot prizes and dancing.
Ice-breaker games gave the couples an opportunity to get to know others married in the same year. The activity game musical crabs had couples dancing in various “entangled” positions much to their amusement! Through the evening, the lively music provided by Rohan Dsouza kept the couples on their feet while the MC Lloyd Dsouza did a stellar job of keeping them all engaged and excited.
All this while, in a separate area, a special program was underway for the children to enable the couples to spend undisturbed, quality time together. The children’s program included a variety of activities ranging from an animated movie on Creation, action songs and arts & crafts to Bible Bingo for the older children and coloring for the younger ones.
Towards the end of the program the children joined the party. They brought the special greeting cards they had made for their parents. After a lively game of passing the parcel, they performed an action song along with their parents.
The Program ended with a spontaneous vote of thanks from two of the couples. Nourished and enriched, the happy families returned back to their homes. Several couples also volunteered to be active members in the parish by registering for the various parish activities. Feedback forms completed by the couples will help the organizers continuously improve the program over time.
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