‘Shrine Time’ for young launched at Mt Richon

02 Nov 2012

By The Record

Catholics gather at the Schoenstatt Shrine in Armadale for a recent celebration. There are hundreds such shrines around the world.

It was a beautiful night for the inaugural new event of ‘Shrine Time’ held by the WA Schoenstatt Movement on Sunday, October 28.

Fr Clayton Mitchell, the youth music ministry of Sacred Heart Parish, Thornlie and around 25 young adults came to a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration; Benediction; reflection and praise and worship at Mt Richon.

Youth and young adults came from Armadale; Canning Vale; Pinjarra; Victoria Park; Greenwood; Glendalough, Nedlands and North Beach. Shrine Time initiated a year ago in the Parramatta Diocese of Sydney to gather young adults in prayer at a place of grace.

Now it begins in the Diocese of Perth. Elizabeth Smith, youth co-ordinator of St Francis Xavier Parish, Armadale said: ‘It was a fantastic way to mark the Year of Faith!’

Jing-Ping Wong, who came from Nedlands to be part of it, said:

‘To say that a group of young adults would spend their Sunday night on their knees in a little shrine on a distant hill somewhere way out of town would sound unlikely. But that’s what I saw tonight.  It’s called Shrine Time – and I experienced it for myself. And of course, central to the flavour of Shrine Time is Schoenstatt’s own signature Marian spirituality! The Blessed Virgin Mary had always been a big part of my own faith journey.  For me, Shrine Time was a reminder of her place in my faith, always supporting and intensifying my focus on the Lord Jesus. It was only a brief hour I spent in that humble little chapel, but the serenity of the atmosphere made it feel like I had been on a retreat in the house of Mary. It was relaxing and nourishing. We Catholics say ‘Hail Mary full of grace …’: being there was like bathing in some of that grace.”

And as Emily Zieglaar from Pinjarra put it: ‘Nothing my friends told me about this place prepared me for how amazing this experience was!”

From now on Shrine Time will be a regular event for young adults on the fourth Sunday of every month.

We hope to see more youth at our next Shrine Time, on Sunday, November 25 at 7.30pm!

For more information and an event reminder, please email the Shrine Time Team on shrinetimemtrichon@gmail.com.