The Hallam Ascent Group recently took part in a retreat to the Apostleship of the Sea at Immingham Docks.
The retreat began with the group being offered suggestions on how to be with God by mentally going up to a garret where only the individual and God can go. Then there are things in one’s life that can’t be dealt with now – these are put in the drawer marked ‘Can’t Go There’. Some things are parked in the ‘Maybe’ drawer and a few are in the ‘Sorted’ drawer. In this way the mind is a little clearer to just BE with God.
The day then held two reflections; one based on a painting of the Prodigal Son.
At lunchtime the group enjoyed a tour of the docks before the second reflection based on ‘Our Lady Undoer of Knots’. Each retreatant was given a piece of string and asked to tie knots in it to represent their burdens. At Mass the strings were placed in a basket and each person picked up another’s burdens and then kept that person in prayer. A prayer the group shared was:
Holy Mary, mother of God and our most blessed mother too.
You know my problems both large and small that like knots are tight and difficult to undo.
I feel restricted by them and do not know how to overcome them – the knots of my heart, the knots of difficult family
relationships, the knots of loneliness, knots of things
yet to be forgiven …
Mother of mercy, untie the knots I am burdened with,
journey with me from the darkness of confusion,
into a new path of light.
A podcast about the work of the Apostleship of the Sea is available. To visit go to: http://catholicnews.org.uk/port-chaplains-pod-120715.
On 5 August the Hallam Ascent Group organised a charity cream tea and raised £282 which will be donated to the Apostleship of the Sea at Immingham Docks.