written by Niamh Foy, a member of Archdiocesan Young Adult Group

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It’s a dark Tuesday evening in November, streetlamps and car horns giving sight and sound to the cold night.

 

Take a left out of Central Station and keep walking on to the urban boulevard of Church Street. It’s aptly named for where you are going. You’ll pass delivery drivers vaping outside McDonald’s, or patrons in a neon-lit bar crooning out the chorus of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida with tipsy enthusiasm. Smile and keep walking.

 

At the door of the Pauline Book Centre, you will be greeted by a Sister in the smart, plain habit of the Daughters of St Paul. Like all her Sisters, she exudes a calm trust in the Lord, which you hadn’t noticed you lacked in yourself. The bookshelves she leads you along are stacked with a cavalcade of holy faces against yellow wood; John Henry Newman, Carlo Acutis, Aidan of Lindisfarne. The painting work is well done; rather than feeling austere, these faces appear warm, as if they had been waiting for you over biscuits and tea.

 

Upstairs, the Archdiocesan Youth Group is gathering. The kettle is bubbling; someone has brought pizza, and another person has brought cake. Coats are hanging on the backs of chairs. In the under-35s group there are surgeons, teachers, therapists, retail workers, and college students, amongst others; what unites us all is a vivid Catholic faith, and the life that it demands.

 

In the circle there are hymns, prayers, reflections. There is, at times, animated dialogue over the stories of the Saints. What is persistent is the culture of reverence and mutual respect, of a shared love of Jesus Christ and His Bride, which permeates all we do. I have made wonderful, funny friends through the group, and I have no doubt that I will continue to do so.

 

Please join us if you feel so inclined. You are most welcome.