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Dear Friends...
You are invited to the Why did Jesus show how the 5000 people could all be fed?
J
esus put his disciples in a difficult spot when he commanded them to do what seemed impossible – to feed a large and hungry crowd when there were no adequate provision of food in sight.
Jesus, no doubt wanted to test their faith and to teach them to rely upon God for their provision. The signs which Jesus did, including the miraculous feeding of the five thousand signified that God the Father had indeed sent his only begotten Son as the anointed Prophet and King for his people. Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. What is the significance of this miracle? The miraculous feeding of such a great multitude pointed to God’s provision of manna in the wilderness for the people of Israel under Moses’ leadership. This food foreshadowed the true heavenly bread which
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Jesus would offer his followers. Jesus makes a claim only God can make: He is the true bread of heaven that can satisfy the deepest hunger we experience. The feeding of the five thousand shows the remarkable generosity of God and his great kindness towards us. When God gives, he gives abundantly. He gives more than we need for ourselves that we may have something to share with others, especially those in need. God takes the little we have and multiplies it for the good of others. Do you trust in God’s provision for you and do you share freely with others, especially those who lack? Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand points to the superabundance of the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist. Jesus transforms the passover of the old covenant into the meal of the “new covenant in my blood”. In the Old Covenant bread and wine were offered in sacrifice as a sign of grateful acknowledgment to Upon this Rock magazine is published monthly by EuropeAxess Media Ltd, Gibraltar. Editor Fr. Stuart Chipolina: editor@uponthisrock.eu Production Editor: A. Sargent angela@europeaxess.com Cover Photo taken as this issue of the magazine was going to press: at the Mass of Thanksgiving held in honour of Bishop Emeritus Caruana. Text and more images next month. Photo: A. Sargent Upon this Rock magazine is entirely supported by advertising and donations. It is run in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar by EuropeAxess Media as a not-for-profit project.
To advertise: This magazine is hand-delivered to homes, churches, hospitals and many businesses around Gibraltar every month. To discuss your advertising requirements, or promote your church group or charity, call Tel: 200 79335 email angela@europeaxess.com Editorial is selected by EuropeAxess Media in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar. Neither of these parties is responsible for the accuracy of the information contained herein, nor do the views and opinions expressed herein necessarily reflect the views and opinions of either party. Advertisers are not endorsed by virtue of advertising in this magazine. EuropeAxess Media reserves the right to refuse space to any submissions or advertisements.
mother of all picnics their Creator. Melchizedek’s offering of bread and wine, who was both priest and king (Genesis 14:18), prefigured the offering made by Jesus, our high priest and king. The unleavened bread at Passover and the miraculous manna in the desert are the pledge of God’s faithfulness to his promises. The “cup of blessing” at the end of the Jewish passover meal points to the messianic expectation of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Jesus gave a new and definitive meaning to the blessing of the bread and the cup when he instituted the “Lord’s Supper” or “Eucharist”. He speaks of the presence of his body and blood in this new meal. When at the Last Supper Jesus described his blood “poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28), he was explaining his coming crucifixion as a sacrifice for sins. His death on the cross fulfilled the sacrifice of the paschal lamb. That is why John the Baptist called him the “Lamb
of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Jesus made himself an offering and sacrifice, a gift that was truly pleasing to the Father. He “offered himself without blemish to God” (Hebrews 9:14) and “gave himself as a sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2). This meal was a memorial of his death and resurrection. God bless you. Fr Stuart
266 Main Street Gibraltar Tel 20075757
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Catholic Tradition
The Miraculous T
he retreat was led by Msg. Paul Bear, and was coordinated by all members of the Miraculous Medal Group. It took place at St Bernard’s Church. It was a very powerful retreat and very fruitful! The love of our dear mother Mary was embraced with her motherly mantle, with the power of The Holy Spirit. These ladies are meeting every first Wednesday of the month at the fellowship hall at the Catholic Community Centre at 8:30pm to pray the Holy Rosary, those young ladies who wish to join us are welcome to come along.
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On the 13th March this year thirty six young ladies attended a retreat in which they made an Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The Medal of the Immaculate Conception — popularly known as the Miraculous Medal — was designed by the Blessed Virgin herself! No wonder, then that it wins
such extraordinary graces for those who wear it and pray for Mary’s intercession and help. The story begins on the night of July 18-19, 1830. A
child (perhaps her guardian angel) awakened Sister (now Saint) Catherine Labouré, a novice in the community of the Daughters of Charity in Paris, and summoned her to
Domi Ellul
Medal
These ladies are reciting the consecration prayer. This was the message that our dear mother Mary gave the children of Fatima, she wanted every human being to be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart the chapel. There she met with the Virgin Mary and spoke with her for several hours. During the conversation Mary said to her, “My child, I am going to give you a mission.” Mary gave her this mission in a vision during evening meditation on November 27, 1830. She saw Mary standing on what seemed to be half a globe and holding a golden globe in her hands as if offering it to heaven. On the globe was the word “France,” and our Lady explained that the globe represented the whole world, but especially France. France was first to experience many of those troubles which ultimately reached many other
parts of the world and are even present today. Streaming from rings on Mary’s fingers as she held the globe were many rays of light. Mary explained that the rays symbolize the graces she obtains for those who ask for them. However, some of the gems on the rings were dark, and Mary explained that the rays and graces were available but did not come because no one had asked for them. Immaculate heart of Mary pray for us. Domi Ellul
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May Celebrations at the Shrine
Our Lady of Europe’s m Iceland featured large in Bishop Emeritus Caruana’s homily during Mass at the Shrine.
B
Landakotskirju, the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Reykjavik stands on a windy hill overlooking the Icelandic capital city.
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Clouds of volcanic ash from Eyarfjallarjökul billow above nearby villages in the remote Icelandic countryside.
ishop Emeritus Caruana thanked the large congregation for coming up to the Shrine as we sat in the late afternoon sunshine outdoors in the courtyard. His Lordship said that he had a lot of good news to share and went on to relate how Br Heigl, a Benedictine monk, visited Iceland recently and was influential in the Bishop of Iceland dedicating a new church there to Our Lady of Europe. Subsequently the Diocese of Gibraltar has twinned itself with the Diocese of Iceland, and His Lordship sent a message as soon as the Eyerfjallarjökul eruption started to say that we would be praying for them. Indeed, during the Mass in honour of Our Lady of Europe that day, Fr. Caruana led us in prayers that no one should be harmed from the great ash cloud that spread over much of Europe while the volcano continued to belch lava over the glacier that covered it. Should this ash cloud permit, the final replica statue of Our Lady
message of friendship of Europe, that has been taken as a gift to all those places where Gibraltarians found refuge during the WWII evacuation, will be delivered to Jamaica. Later this year all the Rectors of the Marian Shrine Network will be meeting in Gibraltar. Bishop Caruana explained that through this network Mgr. Charlie and himself have been invited to speak at a seminar in Austria. A special waterborne event is planned where three boats from the three different arms of Lake Como will converge in the middle of the lake, to talk about Our Lady of Europe. His Lordship also reported that one year after a replica of Our lady of Europe was taken in procession to La Linea, the people there invited him to a special tribute in the Inmaculada de La Concepcion, followed by a dinner at La Pesquera, where, he added with a smile, they enjoyed very good food. But His Lordship underlined the fact that all these journeys and visits and seminars serve to emphasise the same important message, a message of friendship to all across the continent. A message of the importance of our ancient Christian faith which in a way gave birth to the very concept of Europe as a family of nations. During the bidding prayers we also prayed that the leaders of European Governments may defend the Christian faith. More pictures from this event are available on the Upon This Rock facebook page for you to browse and tag your friends.
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Sports
Special Olympics When Eunice Kennedy
Shriver founded Special Olympics in 1968 she could not have known that the Movement would outlive her.
T
oday it is the largest programme of sports training and athletic competition open to anyone over eight years old who is intellectually disabled, regardless of ability. She made it possible to leave the sidelines so to speak, to enter the playing fields and discover the true meaning of spirit. She harnessed the human ability to face challenges with courage, determination, energy and enthusiasm. Spirit is the living essence of man, and the human spirit is that part which endures. History has
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chronicled many episodes of man’s endurance and eventual triumph through world wars, slavery, poverty, hostage taking and natural disasters. In our own every day lives we may have witnessed similar triumphs as people fight and beat illness, recover from accidents, withstand hardships and to do all this, faith, resilience, patience, strength and unswerving belief in oneself is the beacon which encourages and sustains. Special Olympics athletes face challenges on a daily basis as we try to eliminate the barriers of prejudice, stereotyping,
exclusion and downright ignorant discrimination which are still prevalent in society. We use words that hurt, often unintentionally, e.g. the term ‘special olympics’ should never be used as a metaphor for not being good enough. It happens, be aware of it and treat it as unacceptable. We, in Special Olympics, are working towards an inclusive society where people with intellectual disabilities do not walk among us, but walk as one of us. Everyone can help with this by making our society
a welcoming environment where all are respected and valued. Special Olympics Gibraltar is a leader in this field as we celebrate our 25th Anniversary; great strides have been made to focus on the abilities of our athletes, not disabilities. They have travelled worldwide participating at Games with a bravery that I find breathtaking. Whilst keeping physically fit and sharpening motor skills they have built their self confidence which has led them to success. Keeping a community aware and
Anne Mesilio
25 Years interested, is an on going effort. The Adopt an Athlete Campaign, which has been run for the past eighteen years or so on the Rock, has been the community connection which has always been well and generously subscribed to. The campaign enables those interested to get involved, adopt an athlete, and follow their chosen athlete’s progress with support and encouragement. Yes, there is a financial investment to help the athlete in whatever way necessary to participate in the games, but this just adds to the excitement because whilst sponsoring an athlete, the idea of Special Olympics is being promoted to help make a difference in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. By enabling athletes to travel abroad, to participate, you are helping to achieve personal development, experience meaningful training and competition opportunities which enables skills to be enhanced, and above all, to allow the athlete to strive for personal goals. All of us involved with Special Olympics are volunteers and you are welcome to join us. Every single effort, however small, can have an important impact on someone’s life in the
Movement. You are invited to become a friend and contribute your skills to communicate, engage, get involved and celebrate the diversity of spirit in this great Movement. You will be touching lives in ways you can only experience by joining, and volunteering can become a satisfying and life long commitment as you catch the spirit of involvement and experience the deep and pleasant feeling that comes with taking meaningful action. Visit our website; www. specialolympicsgibraltar.org A 25t Anniversary is a time for reflection, and remembering the past gives power to the present as ‘we dare not linger’ on the path to the future. We remember our founder, and President Obama understood the essence of this remarkable woman when he said; “above all, she will be remembered as the founder of Special Olympics, as a lifetime champion for people with intellectual disabilities, and as an extraordinary woman who, as much as anyone, taught our nation and our world that no physical or mental barrier can restrain the powers of the human spirit”. Congratulations Special Olympics Gibraltar.
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Sacred Heart Parish Pilgrimage
On Pilgrimage to Two thirty a.m., Thursday 22nd April. Suitcases could be heard being pulled along Gibraltar’s silent streets. Our primage to visit the Holy Shroud in Turin had begun. Father Jonathan and his Sacred Heart parishioners were on the way to embarking on a five day trip to Milan, Turin, Verona, Venice and Padua. Arriving in Milan, we were taken on a tour of the city. We were enthralled by its beautiful buildings, trees and flowers and most of all by its exquisite Duomo, the Cathedral church. In this marble architectural wonder we held the first of our religious services. Father Jonathan was given a private chapel in which to celebrate Mass and here began our spiritual journey inspired by the words of this gifted, young Panamanian
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priest. After a well-deserved night’s sleep we set off the next morning to discover Turin. Our coach driver, Luigi, dropped us off close to St. John the Baptist Cathedral, where the Holy Shroud was on display. We were first shown a film explaining the different features of the Shroud, with the front and back image of the dead man millions around the world believe to be Jesus Christ. One can see the exact spots of the scars of the Passion: the marks of the Roman flagellum all over the body, the blood on the wrists and feet, the chest pierced by the spear and the wounds around the temple and head.
The moment arrived when we stood in front of the Shroud itself. We walked into the church’s aisle, getting a first glance of the holy relic, and we got in one of the queues to pass in front it. We were permitted to stand and meditate for a while before this awesome sight. Crucifixion was certainly common in Roman times, but this figure in front us had an unmistakable relation to what the Gospels tell of Jesus’ passion and death. Science still has no explanation as to how the image came to be printed in the linen cloth, and one cannot help but be moved by the implications. Many will perhaps criticise those who venerate this Shroud since it has yet to be proved that it is the actual cloth in which Christ was wrapped after His death; Pope John Paul II called the holy linen “a mirror of the Gospels.” Father Jonathan asked us to regard it as a sign, a symbol of the crucified Christ. He told us the Shroud should help us to realize
the great suffering that Jesus was willing to undergo to save us, to gain for us a life after death, a life with Him in paradise. Following the visit to the Holy Shroud we had a walking tour through the historic centre of Turin. A few minutes’ break gave us the opportunity to taste the typical albeit expensive drink “bicerin.” It is a concoction consisting of layers of coffee, chocolate and cream. Delicious! Next to the coffee shop lies the church of Maria Consolata, patron of Turin. Here we came across hundreds of pictures representing scenes from peoples’ lives when they prayed to Our Lady for help and were delivered form tram accidents, war events, illnesses, etc. These pictures were given to the church as proof of prayers answered. Our spiritual education did not end there that day. We visited the Maria Ausiliatrice Sanctuary, at the heart of Don Bosco’s Valdocco Oratory for young people. There we venerated the tomb of the saint, where his incorrupted body lies under a wax cover. We heard all about his untiring work rescuing boys from the streets of the city and providing them with a roof over their heads, teaching them a trade, offering them understanding and nourishing their love for Christ. There, at the
Elizabeth Neish
Turin Oratory’s first chapel, we ended the day with yet another wonderful service, a Mass where once again we sang along to the tune of Sister Victoria’s guitar. An early start saw us in Verona at around one o’clock; Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet and of the Roman Arena where wonderful productions of operas such as Verdi’s “Aida” can be enjoyed. By this time our group had welded into a big, happy family. Our eldest member was 84 and our youngest 4 but we all got on like a house on fire. Even our official guide, Carlos from Halcon Viajes, had become one of “us”. In fact it was during one of our Masses where he said that Fr. Jonathan’s words and spiritual guidance had moved him too and he participated wholeheartedly in our services. Our hunger pangs were satisfied with more delicious pasta and then we were off after an energetic lady-guide. We visited Juliet’s house and passed by Romeo’s and strolled past
beautiful palazzos, churches and piazzas. After Mass, at Verona’s ancient Duomo, it was then time to go to our new hotel. A beautiful, sunny day saw us boarding the ferry to visit the fairytale city of Venice. Crowds filled St. Marks Square. Sunday
25th April is the Saint’s feast day and red roses were sold in the streets since it is a tradition for husbands to give their wives such a rose on this day. We admired the Byzantine Basilica and the Doge’s Palace. A friendly local guide showed us around
Venice describing how the city of the Canals stretches across many islands, its buildings standing on millions of wooden stilts stuck into the clayey soil; she explained how all the small islands are linked by over a thousand bridges.
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Sacred Heart Parish Pilgrimage
Elizabeth Neish that drove Him to suffer and die for our salvation. Somehow the Lord willed to leave this image for our contemplation and better understanding of his incredible love. Fr. Jonathan shared with us his personal experience with God guiding us through a pilgrimage where our eyes were opened to Christ’s sufferings and love for us; to meeting holy men (Don Bosco, St. Mark Evangelist, St. Anthony) who gave up their whole lives to follow Jesus in helping others and in preaching His Word to mankind. We came home uplifted in spirit and with a new vision of what living a Christian life entails.
After lunch we had some free time to do our own exploring. Here we went our separate ways, some to enjoy gondola rides, others to sit by cafes or merely to wander around the city’s many captivating, narrow streets, old bridges and piazzas. At six thirty we headed for the Basilica: Fr. Jonathan was asked to join a local Bishop in celebrating Mass. Looking very smart in his red and gold chasuble he shyly assisted the older priest in front of a packed San Marco. It was a truly memorable day for all of us. On Monday morning we made our way to Padua, to visit the Basilica del Santo. In Padua St. Anthony is so loved and revered that he is referred to only as “the saint.” He died very young, when he was thirty six; despite this short lifespan his powers as
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a preacher converted many to the ways of Christ. In 1263 -thirty two years after his death- when his relics were moved to a church in Padua bearing his name, his vault was opened and his body had decomposed except for his tongue and vocal chords, which were still intact. Today these can be seen in the Chapel of the Relics together with his habit and the coffin where his body had been laid to rest. Our final Mass took place in Padua and later we were once more expertly guided along its streets numerous arcades, offering shelter both form sun and rain. Reluctantly we got on our coach once more, this time to begin our long trek back home. Why this pilgrimage? What did we gain from it? We made good friends, sharing our thoughts,
personal problems and offering understanding and advice where needed. Furthermore, it was very moving to witness the Holy Shroud exhibit, to contemplate in its subtle image an enlightening sign of Christ’s Passion, of his redeeming love
10th Anniversary of Marriage Encounter
It is now 10 years since the ‘Marriage Encounter Movement’ came to Gibraltar.
S
ixty eight couples and three local priests have already experienced this unique Weekend. A celebration was held at the Lathbury Retreat Centre to mark this occasion. This consisted of a mass followed by a shared meal of delicious Gibraltarian goodies. It was a very enjoyable evening for all. For those of you who have not heard about Worldwide Marriage Encounter, it is a Movement within the Catholic Church which began in the late 1960’s. It offers a personal experience for married couples, designed at enriching and revitalizing their relationship. It is not a retreat, nor is it marriage guidance.
It is a time for each couple to share their feelings, hopes, fears, frustrations and joys exclusively with each other and to refocus on the values that are important to them. An atmosphere is created at the Weekend in which each couple can concentrate exclusively on their own relationship. A series of talks are given by a team of three married couples and a priest. Each talk gives the husband and wife the opportunity to focus on themselves as individuals and to look at their relationship with each other, with God and with the wider community. Marriage Encounter Weekends are held once a year and the next one will take place in Gibraltar
from the 8-10 October 2010. If you would like to take part with your spouse in this life giv-
ing experience, why not join us for the weekend? For further information contact: Eliott & Macu Dobinson Email: eliomacu@gibraltar.gi Tel: 58008309 or Ernest & Jane Povedano Email: janern@gibtelcom.net Tel: 54007961
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Fundraising for Childline
by
Anne Mesilio
F.L.I.P Project To understand what seventeen year old Nicholas Villalta is undertaking is firstly to ask what F.L.I.P. is.
F
uture Leaders In Philanthropy is the answer which is a joint project between Credit Suisse and the Bonita Trust. The latter is a philanthropic trust established under Gibraltar Law in 2004. Together with Credit Suisse it mentors and teaches academically minded teenagers to manage a charitable investment portfolio to highlight its importance of social responsibility amongst future entrepreneurs and business leaders. It is aimed at local students aged sixteen and over and is a three year project to raise charity awareness. Back to Nicholas, and for a
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young lad ‘undergoing’ his first interview he was relaxed and fluent. “There are three stages, the first is to choose and analyze a charity, give feedback where improvements may be made etc, the second year, where I am now, is fund raising and in the third year to present an overall view”. Childline is the charity of his choice which has been established on the Rock for the last four years. Its mission; “to end cruelty to children in Gibraltar, cruelty which can manifest in many forms, from bullying to abuse”. I invited Nicholas to tell me what he is doing . “It is a corporate challenge fun day to be held at
Buffadero on 10th July. The Royal Gibraltar Regiment has been really helpful and we have held a ‘dummy’ run, a fun assault course, paint balling, firing in the indoor range and so on, as a result of that have decided to run the morning along those lines”. I see, well maybe not, ‘fun’ and ‘assault course’ did not marry for me, but Nicholas with a cheerful smile assured me it can. I wondered if he has a target amount to raise. “Yes, its £2,000 and by asking corporate companies to pay a £250 entrance fee it can be done. There will be an element of competition too, for instance Law firms V Business companies to inject that element of fun”. Two and a half thousand pounds sounded like a good sum of money and when he explained this sum would be matched by Bonita Trust, I was impressed. Here, Caroline Olivero, Lead Manager of Childline praised Nicholas for “his great efforts
on his own, all the background planning etc, and Childline are fully supporting him”. He is hoping to prepare and present a mini presentation for the companies he is targeting as an incentive to take part in this fun way of supporting a local charity. He is enjoying this undertaking and as future leader in philanthropy he hopes to be involved in similar projects during his time at university. “These projects are meant to inspire and this project is supported by the Department of Education and Training”. There are twenty young people involved in the present project, helping other charities, and they were all given ground work training. Nicholas; “I would like to thank Tracy Newton-Blows, HR operations at PartyGaming who gave me a day induction course and has mentored me generally”. I was impressed by this commitment and wish Nicholas success.
The Community Grieves
Memorial unveiled to ‘Our Lost Sons’
Fr. Stuart blesses the memorial at a quiet ceremony at North Front Cemetery.
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bout thirty people gathered in the sunshine at the small garden outside the North Front Cemetery on Thursday the 20th May. The small monument, in memory of all those who lost their lives or disappeared at sea without
trace, had been erected there to provide a focal point for those grieving relatives and friends. This venture has been initiated, and designed by a relative, and financed mainly by generous members of the Community who wish to remain anonymous.
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Deepening our Chrstian Faith
Life in the
The retreatants were blessed with a truly charismatic speaker in the person of Gabriele Sedda.
D
uring the weekend of 14th-16th May Christ the King prayer group held a Life in the Spirit Seminar at the Europa Retreat Centre. The guest speaker was Gabriele Sedda, born in Sardinia, but now living in London and working for the GoodNews Magazine. The first question Gabriele answered for Upon this Rock magazine was ‘Why are you here today?’ He answered, in a heavy Italian accent “I’m here in Gibraltar because I have been asked to be a speaker at this seminar.” Then he added confidently “This is where God wants me to be.” “Have you been speaking like this for many years?” “I have been asked to speak
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for quite a few years now. It all started when someone from SPES (Saint Patrick Evangelization School, based in Soho, London) called the office at the GoodNews Magazine in London to ask the editor Kristina to give a talk. But she was not available on the day they wanted and they were so disappointed I said in fun on the phone “lf you want I can give the talk! “ They took him seriously and he accepted! But Gabriele wondered what he had got himself into. A few days before the talk Kristina reassured him that he would be a great speaker because of his testimony. A few years earlier trying to launch his career in the Fashion Photography scene in London, Gabriele was anxious
to showcase his talent. He spent a year going around with his portfolio to established photographers, but that was not enough, you had to go to all the right parties, to be seen in all the right places, and with all the right people doing whatever he could to get work as a photographer, or an assistant photographer to a more established name in the Fashion Photography world. It was a life that meant he spent many days standing in front of beautiful women. He met the woman who was to become his wife, Sonia, through
a common friend, and on New Year’s day they all went as a group to the ice rink, as they got talking they discovered they were both working for the same person, but as they compared notes they discovered the photographers were completely different men working in the same field in different parts of the country with the same name! By now they had been talking quite a bit and the relationship took off from there. This was the first of a series of coincidences or ‘God- incidences’ that Gabriele now looks back on
Gabriele Sedda interviewed by Angela Sargent
Spirit Seminar as pivotal points in his journey back to God. While striving to get noticed in the fashion world it meant also being involved in a lot of stuff he is not proud of now. He explained “I was getting deeper and deeper into the darkest places.” At the same time he was still attending Mass on Sundays but he felt he was living a double life because of the stuff he was involved in and because he was living with his girlfriend and he knew this was not right. It was while attending Mass on Sundays he noticed that the words from the readings seemed to speak to him. He started to hear the word of God in a really powerful way. One Sunday it seemed to him the statue of Christ was waving to him, he looked around him, no one else seemed to see it, he thought maybe he was going nuts. A few weeks later he went to confession, and afterwards he knelt before Our Lady to
pray. He had always prayed to Our Lady, he did not relate to the concept of God or God as a Father, but Our Lady was like ‘the human bit in all of it’. But this day the statue seemed to say to him ‘Talk to Jesus, my Son’ and he thought of all his Spanish and Italian friends and could not think of anyone called ‘Jesús’, and wondered who she meant, it slowly dawned on him she meant her son Jesus! As he knelt before the statue of Jesus then, he broke down into tears, he was just crying and crying, somehow he felt Jesus could see everything he had done and he was so sorry, he could not stop crying. A lady was kneeling nearby and seeing how distressed he was she tried to find him a tissue in her bag, he was just in floods of tears. Then one day his sister asked him to come to a seminar, she told him how great the Charismatic Movement was and how much she enjoyed going to
the meetings. He then asked her who else was going to be there; when she told him his Mum and his brother would be there, that they had been preparing for the seminar for three months, well then he thought that it must be all right, if his Mum was involved. Well on the 13th June that year he attended the Life in the Spirit seminar in Sardinia. There were maybe four or five hundred people at the event and when he walked in he wondered if there was something wrong with them, they were all so happy! But his first reaction was that there must be something wrong with them, not him! The next thing was that everyone knew his name, and yet he had never seen them before. He later discovered that his sister had been passing round his photograph asking them to pray for him. But he received such a warm welcome when he got there it really had a big effect on him.
Guest Speaker Gabriele Sedda He received a prophecy at this event from Baruch 4: 21-23 “Take courage, my children, and cry out to God for help. He will rescue you from oppression, from the power of your enemies. I am confident that the Eternal God will soon set you free. The Holy One, your eternal Saviour,
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Deepening our Christian Faith
will make me happy when he shows you mercy. I cried and wailed when you were taken away, but God will bring you back and will make me happy forever. Gabriele continued, “I felt tears falling, I asked the Lord, if you exist, change my heart, and in that moment I felt I had two hearts, one made of stone and one made of flesh “I felt my two hearts inside of me, the stone one and the flesh one, and the stone one moved to the side and the flesh one took its place. My hands were burning at this time, my feet were burning my legs were burning, I did not understand what was happening to me, I had to kneel down, I could not contain the fire within me. I was filled with joy. I had read the bible, I had read about conversions, but I did not know was happening to me, I realise now I was being purged.” And later on I discovered I was “Baptised in The Holy Spirit”
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From then on I woke up every morning with a song in my head, a beautiful song with no words. It was like, I was on a sort of honeymoon, all of a sudden everything was different, but I knew the difference was inside of me. My longing for the Father was brand new, I was a totally different person, I went back home to my wife and son who was two years old then, and even though we had been married in a registry office I told her “We should not sleep together until we are properly married in the church.” I moved into a different bedroom. Well she did not understand me and we lived for 7 years as brother and sister. As I had my own bedroom I had a lot of time to pray, and with the prayer I resisted the temptations. I would pray at midnight when I went to bed and would wake up at 5.00am in the morning to pray, say the rosary and read
the bible, and this gave me the strength to persevere. Well at this time I was working as an manager in a photo-lab but my boss was not Christian, and when I went back to work he did not like it that I played Christian songs of praise and worship in my section where I worked. It was just quiet, it was not disturbing anyone else, but he did not like it. He started to make life hard for me, asking me to work on Sundays, I refused, I told him this was a day of rest. But he kept on making life hard for me. I was talking to the editor of the GoodNews Magazine who was a member of my parish, and she invited me to come to interview for a job at the magazine, although really she had her heart set on taking someone else. But before I went there I went to the church and prayed about the interview, and when I got there straight from church I talked to her about my work and she felt God was convincing her to take me instead of the other guy because of my passion. I have been working there for 5 years now.
Well eventually my wife attended an Alpha course during which she was ‘zapped’ and she finally understood me”. Gabriele told me that the day before we met at the Retreat Centre had been his 5th wedding anniversary, and now his life has changed so much. It was only with his wife’s support he was able to be here in Gibraltar, now they have a brother and sister for Christian, Dominic and Veronica with an 8 year gap in between, reflecting the years he lived with the woman he loved in a celibate relationship. But now his wife is also a committed Christian and they even have a mother’s prayer group meeting in their house. He said that now of course they have their ups and downs like any couple, but the years when they lived a celibate life had strengthened them for any problems that come their way now. So what was the theme of the talk you were asked to give that first time? “Sex in God’s Plan!” Gabriele laughed, “yet another ‘God-incidence’. I am always happy with what I have said in
interview by Christian said he had driven home from the Retreat Centre on the Friday night with the music on full blast in his car, he was so happy, he continued “This is a great opportunity to talk about things you cannot talk about elsewhere, to get a better relationship with God” Sitting next to him Luke said, “Its my second time at one of these seminars. There is a good energy and vibe here. I like the workshops, it is a good opportunity to think about my feelings and about what you want, the direction you want to take in life. The food is not
Gabriele & Sonia Sedda with Christian and Dominic at baby Veronica’s Baptisim a talk, but it is different every time depending on the people present, it is Gods talk each time. I am always humbled by
Angela Sargent bad either!” The Christ the King prayer group meets every Tuesday at the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned, to find out more or enquire about the next Life in the Spirit Seminar contact Margaret: 54012881 or Pamela 5622200 or Gerard; 54024064/ 20073348 If you would like to find out more about the GoodNews Magazine, see the website www.ccr.org.uk; or email Gabriele at ccruk@ onetel.com; or write to Gabriele Sedda, GoodNews Office, Allen Hall, 28 Beaufort Street, London SW3 5AA - England.
that, here today there are a lot of young people, they remind me of me a few years back, I see the faith in their eyes.” A couple of the young men at the seminar spoke about the effect it was having on them.
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