St Mary’s Towers, beginning the pre-novitiate.

With thanks to Dominic Gleeson, pre-novitiate director for sending this account of the ceremony, a Douglas Park community ceremony, and to Tru for the photos.

Dominic writes: “On the evening of 1 June,2023, Nang Vu and Long Tran  committed themselves to walk the journey with the MSC Pre-Novitiate process at St Mary’s Towers Douglas Park.

The liturgy of welcome began with the lighting of the Paschal candle to remind us all of our baptismal call.

We then proceeded to light the newly created St Mary’s Towers, MSC Community and Chevalier family candle.

From that candle, which was lit from the Paschal candle which had a double wick, was lit by a professed MSC, Len Helm, and a member of the Lay Chevalier Family (Fred Stubenrauch). 

We then asked Nang and Long to light a dedicated MSC Pre- Novitiate candle which had a double wick also so that each could light the candle.  It is a red colour to signify the presence of the holy spirit, the enlivening and vivifying experience of the invitation of Jesus to ‘come and see’.  

The rite of reception and blessing, focused on the experience of Jesus conferring upon the early Christian community, his peace.  We reflected on John chapters 13-17 to help ground the place of the Jesus heart in ours which is a call to live our life’s journey in him that we can all welcome in grace. 

The St Mary's Towers community, Frank Dineen, Nang, Long, Dominic, Sue Stubenrauch (which means that Fred is the phtographer), Peter Harvey-Jackson, Paul Brennan, Len Helm, Tru Nguyen (and the other member, Josef Senjuk, absent unwell).

The celebration continued into the night followed by a few games of snooker on the pool table in the community room.