Live Teaching Testimony
Called and Gifted at St Peter’s, Winchester
On Saturday 22 June, Fr Mark Hogan and the parish of St Peter’s and the Winchester Martyrs welcomed the Called and Gifted team to lead a live teaching day on discerning charisms. The day started with a beautiful Mass in St Peter’s then everyone moved over to the Pastoral Centre and a warm welcome from the parish team led by Martha Luker. A wonderful display on the gifts of the Holy Spirit had been created by Liza Nahajski and with the C&G banners, the room had a bright, lively feeling. The C&G team of Anne-Marie Fletcher, Geoff Poulter and Gerry Penfold then led a day of presentations and discussion covering over 20 different charisms ranging from Healing, Prophecy and Wisdom to Hospitality, Leadership and Encouragement.
Right from the start the Holy Spirit was invited to guide and bless the day and the prayers at several points helped everyone to be aware of His presence. In addition, the parish team provided fabulous hospitality throughout the day with homemade cakes and biscuits in the breaks and a superb cooked lunch. Many thanks to Fr Mark and Martha for their leadership and organisation, to Mike Slinn for welcoming, to Sarah Walker and Lisa Justice for the advertising campaign, website and bookings, to Natalia Simmons and Lucy Chilcott for cakes, teas and coffees and to Sarah Harfield and her daughter Ellen for lunch.
A total of 42 people attended the day and this is the third time that the parish has hosted Called and Gifted, the first to do so in our Diocese. The participants are now being accompanied through stage 2 of the C&G discernment process, their personal discernment meetings with a member of the C&G team. This will be followed by stage 3, discernment in small groups. Feedback from the participants has been very positive with Fr Mark commenting:
“This is now the third time that Called and Gifted has taken place in our parish, one of those being before I arrived and the other just before COVID. My experience is that the process gets richer each time. People are hungrier to deepen their faith and their understanding of the gifts given them by the Holy Spirit to serve others.”
Fr Mark Hogan
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Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth Reg Charity 1199568
