by Curie Colcao
KUWAIT, FEB 16, 2017: Around 80 catechists from St. Therese of the Child Jesus parish in Kuwait attended a Spiritual Recollection on February 11.
Father Blany Pinto, the parish priest, welcomed the participants. Francis Sam, the assistant coordinator of the catechism ministry of the North Arabian Vicariate, enumerated the rules of conduct for the recollection and also explained the sequence of activities planned for the rest of the day.
Father Francisco Pereira, the Catechetical Director of the Vicariate of North Arabia, conducted the recollection, beginning with a prayer and eased the attendees into the theme of the programme, which was 'Prayer'.
Father Pereira showed them the movie - 'WAR ROOM'. He then led them into reflecting on the real enemy, which seeks to destroy families. The film invited the participants to form the right strategy to wage war against the enemy.
Many participants were touched deeply, due to the relatable nature of the movie's theme. After the film, participants were asked to break into groups to share their thoughts regarding the movie and it's powerful message. All were then asked to enter a room fashioned like a War Room, to complete their spiritual retreat.
"It was really impactful as it transported me to a place of complete spiritual healing. Father explained how to effectively use the power of prayer as a weapon to bring God closer to us and in the lives of the ones we love," catechist Poonam Rodrigues, said.
Sam then enlightened the catechists on the life and deeds of St. Teresa of Avila. He highlighted the salient points on Prayer put forward by St. Theresa and exhorted all to read her life story and be inspired by her teachings on how to pray.
Catechist Premila Lewis felt that Father Pereira and Sam helped bring out the broader dimensions of prayer with its meaning, value and importance. The experience brought out a deeper desire to pray and to develop a strategy to use it as a powerful weapon against our common enemy - the devil.
Father Pereira then proceeded to provide the attendees with activities to make a lasting impression, which was followed by the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and distribution of memorabilia.