MSC in the UK gather for Autumn Assembly
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Fr Peter McVerry SJ - Speaker at this year's Assembly
Seventeen MSC currently ministering in England and Wales gathered for their annual Autumn Assembly in Swanwick, Derbyshire from the evening of Sunday 12th October through to lunchtime on Wednesday 15th October.  For the first half of the Assembly the MSC were joined by Sue Kimberley, one of the MSC Lay Associates in England and member of the Princethorpe Retreat Centre team, and Stan Grabecki and Sara Nash, members of the Spirituality of the Heart commission in England and parishioners of the MSC Parish in St Albans.  The Provincial, Fr Pat Courtney MSC, was present for the whole Assembly.

On the Monday the group was delighted to welcome Fr Peter McVerry SJ (pictured) who led a day's reflection and sharing on Justice and Peace in our Mission. 

MSC in the UK gather for Autumn Assembly

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Fr Peter McVerry SJ - Speaker at this year's Assembly
Seventeen MSC currently ministering in England and Wales gathered for their annual Autumn Assembly in Swanwick, Derbyshire from the evening of Sunday 12th October through to lunchtime on Wednesday 15th October.  For the first half of the Assembly the MSC were joined by Sue Kimberley, one of the MSC Lay Associates in England and member of the Princethorpe Retreat Centre team, and Stan Grabecki and Sara Nash, members of the Spirituality of the Heart commission in England and parishioners of the MSC Parish in St Albans.  The Provincial, Fr Pat Courtney MSC, was present for the whole Assembly.

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The organising group. L-R John Finn MSC, Mark Van Beeumen MSC, Peter McVerry SJ and Dave Nixon MSC

On the Monday the group was delighted to welcome Fr Peter McVerry SJ who led a day's reflection and sharing on Justice and Peace in our Mission.  Peter has been working with the homeless in Dublin for many years and has recently published a book, "Jesus: Social revolutionary?"  Drawing on his own experience, and on material he had gathered for his book, Peter offered a powerfully engagng and challening day of input and conversation.

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The Assembly members

In the days that followed the MSCs spent time in conversation around such areas as the commitments made at the Provincial Conference earlier this year, vocations promotion and formation, the recent European MSC Assembly which was held in Issoudun during August, future planning in our mission and ministry, and deepening our engagement in matters of justice, peace and the safeguarding of creation. 

The Assembly was ably facilitated by Sr Maureen Donohoe SSC, a Columban Sister from Glasgow.

The next Assembly will be in March of next year and will be held in Herefordshire.