In addition to the formation that was shared by the entire community, individuals had the opportunity to exercise their gifts for the good of the community in a variety of other ways. Some of these included:
Choir – Participants at Ecclesia had the opportunity to share their musical talent for the glory of the Lord in the liturgies.
Theatre – The Theatre group exposed the participants (both the actors and those viewing) to the power of theatre as a form of expression, truth, and culture. It allowed an opportunity to receive artistic tradition and knowledge, and to pass it on to a culture that is starved of the basics!
Lector/Altar Servers/Sacristy – Participants were given the opportunity to serve in the liturgy as altar servers (men), lectors (men and women) and sacristy (men and women). Participants were trained by the religious brothers and sisters on how to perform these offices with reverence and joy.
Environment Team – During Ecclesia, the living, eating, praying, and learning spaces were enriched with beautiful and edifying decorations by the “Environment Team.” This team created spaces of silence and focus in the rooms to heighten the participants’ sense of prayer and purpose, providing the setting for Ecclesia’s culture of excellence. It gave examples of ways to use decoration to highlight and serve prayer to future evangelizers.
Disputatio – Ecclesia was a place where the leaders of tomorrow were formed. An essential component to their formation was their hope-filled conviction that Christ’s word could be effectively brought to bear against the questions and dilemmas of our modern world. Every Friday, Ecclesia brought two teams of participants together to engage debates on topics that the modern world is facing.
What else? You tell us! We encourage participants to be creative and free in sharing their gifts with the community. In the past, participants have shared their talents of leather-working, wood-working, rosary making, “Soul Core” exercises, painting and more!
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