ARCHBISHOP John Bathersby of Brisbane has described Pray 2010 as “a success beyond all expectations” and “the best retreat” he has ever made.
Speaking after the July 7-10 Brisbane event, which drew more than 2700 participants from Australia and overseas, Archbishop Bathersby (pictured above left at Pray 2010) said many people had told him their lives had been changed forever by the experience.
“During the three days of gathering, a constant stream of people approached me to congratulate myself and all others involved in its success,” he said.
“Some mentioned that they had been away from the Church for 30 or 40 years but had come back because of the gathering.
“The people who were present were not only Catholics but from many other Christian Communions as well.”
The archbishop said the presentations at the conference had been “superb” and described the atmosphere at the conference venue, Clairvaux MacKillop College, Upper Mt Gravatt, as vibrant”.
“There is no doubt that God’s Holy Spirit hovered over the occasion and blessed the lives of everyone for the better.
“From my own personal point of view I felt that Pray 2010 was the best retreat I had ever made.”
Archbishop Bathersby said he was “deeply grateful and indebted to all who had contributed to the event’s success”.
“There is no doubt that God listened to all those people who prayed beforehand for the success of Pray 2010,” he said. “I am also deeply grateful to all those people who made Pray 2010 the success it turned out to be.”
Pray 2010 co-ordinating team member Mike Humphrys said participants and presenters alike had been drawn from near and far by the idea of a conference dedicated to the study and experience of prayer.
“From the wonderful opening event in Pray 2010 Square to the high note closing Eucharistic celebration, we’ve seen a great witness of faith and life,” Mr Humphrys said.
“There was an enormous buzz about the place and a great spirit.
“Ages ranged from the very young to the elderly and participants came from as far away as Ireland.
“Busloads of people arrived from areas such as Gympie and Maryborough and would have taken the Pray 2010 spirit back to their parishes.
“People really appreciated that the diocese had staged the event.”
Mr Humphrys also paid tribute to the more than 250 volunteers and 50 Church staff who had helped make the event possible.
He said several things had “captured his attention” during the conference.
“The Prayer Room and area for Taize Prayer sessions were constantly in use by large numbers of people,” he said.
“These were people who were coming straight from workshop sessions to pray. Also morning Mass each day was packed.
“Clearly participants were attending not only to get information but also for the actual experience of prayer.
“This was great to see, as this experiential aspect was one of the goals of Pray 2010.”
Participants had also commented on the vast array of resources linked to prayer, “providing many points of engagement”, he said.
These included a prayer garden, prayer scapes, a centre featuring Catholic books, music and other media as well as a range of art works.
“The Brisbane City Stations of the Cross series of paintings by Professor Lindsay Farrell of the Australian Cath-olic University were particularly meaningful for me,” Mr Humphrys said.
“The Stations of the Cross were placed in familiar Brisbane settings.
“I was particularly inspired by one of the stations set in the old St Stephen’s Church which also featured the image of Mary MacKillop.
“The painting represented the church as Christ’s tomb.”
The inspirational work of Pray 2010 is designed to continue, Mr Humphrys said.
“The discussions on any new initiatives or better utilisation of existing prayer resources will start in the months that follow the July 7-10 gathering.
“A lot of resources will flow from the event to parishes throughout the archdiocese and beyond.
“For example, in coming weeks DVDs of some presentations can be purchased by visiting the Pray 2010 website www.pray2010.org.au or by contacting Catholic Communications Office on (07) 3336 9325.
“Then there’s the fact that most of the gathering’s 120 presenters were locals so this knowledge resource will remain close at hand.
“I’d be hopeful that Pray 2010 too will encourage parishes to look at their prayer culture, note the areas where they do well or are deficient in and arrive at a series of things they can do about it.”
