November 21, 2008

Parents' Seminars

For a good number of years the Chaplaincy has been running a series of seminars for parents. The seminars have been organised as a result of a need expressed by parents to meet each other to discuss issues of mutual concern.

Some of the seminars have focussed on parenting challenges like our highly successful series on Parenting and Adolescence. The seminars looked at three areas: Sexual Morality - Where do the Christian Boundaries lie?, Giving your Teenagers Room to Grow and Challenges and Opportunities and Promoting Spiritual Growth in Adolescence.

Other seminars have focussed more on the spiritual growth of the parents themselves. To help people cope with the pressures and stresses of modern living, we have had sessions devoted to different forms of prayer. Fr Luke led the seminar on Lectio Divina which is the traditional monastic practice of prayerfully chewing over Scripture and relating it to our daily lives. Fr Peter introduced a Christian form of meditation which uses a mantra or repetitive phrase to bring the mind and heart to stillness and into the presence of God. Other topics in recent years have included After Enron - Wisdom at Work and A Spirituality for Busy People.

Undoubtedly parents have greatly enjoyed getting to know each other better. Each seminar provides plenty of opportunity to discuss issues in small groups. One of the really encouraging aspects of all the seminars has been the exceptional quality of the listening displayed.

If you would like further information about forthcoming parents' seminars, please e-mail Fr Martin: mmcgee@worth.org.uk.