Living Icons

Brendan Purcell

A few years ago, a psychology student came to a small Word of Life group that used to meet in my room in the university where I work. She wasn't a beliver, but she found that the experience she heard from the others also encouraged her to live her own life better. She decided to go to a local Genfest—a meeting organised by the Focolare Movement for its young people, the Gen— for England, Ireland and Scotland, being held that year in Walsingham in England. This first meeting with many young people like herself, some of whom had already made the choice of God as the first thing in their lives, whether as Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and so on, along with others of the non-Christian religions helped her to make the step from atheism to a belief in, if not yet God, at least in love, and in the unity that that love brought about. She had taken another friend with her, who, planning on having a «good time» had brought a bottle of poiteen (moon-shine!) with her. At the Genfest itself this friend was so moved at the singing of a song about purity as an expression of love by an English Gen, Veronica Towers, that she burst into tears, and felt she had to change her life...On their return to Ireland, both girls came to find faith again.

Deirdre stayed in touch with the Gen, and also began the newly discovered way of life with other friends. The following year, she brought a Chinese woman who was working with her along to the Mariapolis—the summer meeting of the Focolare Movement—along with the Chinese woman's daughter. The Chinese woman had had very little contact with any Christian church. In fact, when someone showed her a modern statue of Pope John Paul II welcoming some children, she asked, «what is the Pope?» However, she was deeply impressed by the Mariapolis experience, and her seven year old daughter made many friends there. About eight months later, Deirdre, who remained very much in touch with the Chinese family, told me that the little Chinese girl, who was going to a local Catholic school, wanted to make her first Communion. I was not too sure if this was a good idea, as I thought maybe it was only because she saw all the other children preparing for a big ceremony, and she did not want to be left out. But in fact, the daughter had been meeting with the Gen 4—the children's group of the Gen—and had been praying to God since the Mariapolis each morning and evening. Her mother assured me that it was the daughters own choice—she had nothing against it, in fact she felt that since she had come into contact with the Gen 4, her very stubborn child had changed quite a lot. Before, if there was a falling out between them—and the mother said that both of them were very stubborn!—the daughter would never admit she was wrong. Now, after a difficulty, the girl would admit if she was in the wrong and really try to start again. So, some weeks later, the daughter was baptised and made her first Communion.