COLMCILLE YOUTH ANNUAL REPORT
1[st] September 2016
The year opened with nineteen children joining the Altar Servers’ teams. They have had training and refresher sessions. There are currently thirty two Servers. Twenty seven young people, aged 11- 17 years are currently on the rota for reading the Prayers of the Faithful. Twelve young people and three leaders participated in the St Colmcille’s / Gilnahirk Presbyterian Church weekend at Corrymeela in November. The pre Confirmation children had a commitment ceremony – The Service of Light - in January. Bishop Noel Traynor then Confirmed the thirty nine young people on Sunday 31[st] January. On Good Friday nineteen young people and young adults led the liturgy for the Stations of the Cross followed by a Taize liturgy. A number of parishioners commented on how moving they found the commentary, images and prayers. In preparation for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion, the children participated in the monthly ‘Do This In Memory of Me’ parish programme. DTIM ran over five months, at the 9.30am Sunday Mass. Sixty nine children received their First Holy Communion on Sunday 15[th] May. The junior and senior parish youth groups ran throughout the year every fortnight. Highlights were Bubbleball, Drumming, Ice Skating and Clip N’ Climb. Additional adults are needed to help sustain this important Church Youth group. Through the youth group fourteen young people have achieved their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award and one the DOE Silver Award. Several of these young people are currently proceeding to Silver and will shortly complete their final expedition in order to achieve DOE Silver Award.
The numbers of children attending Children’s Liturgy continue to remain high with up to sixty usually attending on a Sunday morning. More assistance is needed to help the children get their badges in the porch and to take the register during the Liturgy and to lead. Help would be welcomed from teenagers, parents or other parishioners. Ten year 13 students are currently working towards their John Paul 11 award by engaging in ministries in the Church and faith based social awareness activities. In the month of June Primary 7 pupils are participating in a faith based programme ‘It’s your Move’, about coping with transferring to their new schools in September. The programme also aims to help build links with the young people and to encourage them to keep connected to parish through Church, groups and events. In May and June all students taking examinations were encouraged to take an exam pack from the table in the Church porch and to place their name on the Exam Buddies notice board there.
Finally the parish summer programme for children and teenagers, included a leadership project, a holiday bible week and day trips. ‘Going for Gold’, a programme of activities linked to scripture stories, for children currently in Pre School to Primary 4, was held during the week of 8[th] – 12[th] August. 112 children aged 4- 8 years participated accompanied by 50 volunteers, including many teenagers who had come through a programme of leadership training. The summer activities finished with trips for 9 – 15 year olds to Lisburn Leisure Pool, Tayto Theme Park Dublin and Vertigo Trampoline Park.
Noeleen Dunn
Trustee Colmcille Youth