Yesterday we met for the last time. For the last year and a half a team of thirteen people met every six weeks at St Lucia to evaluate the progress of the project and advise about the coming steps. The team included nine lay people, three priests and... one bishop!
It was hard work but the photo above reflects the joyful spirit of our gatherings.
Yesterday's meetings was the longest one. We knew it would be so. We met at midday and finished around 6 pm.
Like we did at the previous ones, we started at the Retreat Centre. As always, the first thing was the joy at what had happened since the previous one... new benches, altar, stations of the cross, lights, furniture...
Then, we deal with details. How do we distribute the benches? Where do we put the stations of the cross? What about the three crucifixes we have...?
Little things took us a couple of hours. We did not even realize how much time had already gone. We were all really excited and grateful about what was in front of us. It will be a beautiful place of prayer and every detail became important to us.
Finishing the meeting we agreed there was no need to meet again.
For me it has been an amazing experience. It was real team work. From the very beginning each one of us felt part of the project and responsible for it. Hardly ever anyone missed a meeting and everyone seemed to have all time needed to deal with every matter. Each one of us from our own "expertise" or experience had an important word to say.
Most of it has been thanks to the leadership of Lenny Willson, the project manager. As we shared yesterday, we finished every meeting commenting how good it had been, how well prepared and how much we had been able to achieve. There were times (from the very beginning) when we asked him to change what he had planned and he was always ready to listen and to find an alternative way.
We then prayed together. We thanked God for so many people who have helped make this dream possible and we asked God's blessing upon all of them and each one of us.
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