SacredSpace102fm - Introduction to the Emmanuel Community - 25 March 2012 (S02E18)

On this morning’s programme we are introduced to the Emmanuel Community by Geraldine Creaton. The Emmanuel Community is present in Ireland, and in fifty six countries around the world, and on every continent. The Emmanuel Community was founded in France in 1972 by the Servant of God Pierre Goursat and Martine Lafitte-Catta. The mission of the Community is to reveal to every man and woman the presence of the God of Love in our lives, Jesus Christ, who is “Emmanuel”, ”God With Us”, and wants to be close to us. The Community consists of members with different states of life (families, singles, priests and celibate brothers and sisters) having the most different professions and trying to live a fraternal life in the world. It sees its aim as to respond to God's call to holiness addressed to each person, mainly through intense personal prayer, Eucharistic adoration, compassion for the spiritually and materially poor and evangelization. Members are helped to grow spiritually in various ways: "household meetings" (small groups of members, meeting regularly for prayer and reflection on God's action in their lives), "spiritual companionship" (personal meeting with a more experienced member), monthly meetings of all the members in a country or region. Geraldine talks to us about the work of the community and how people become involved and members of the community. Belonging to Emmanuel or wanting to become part of Emmanuel means responding to a call from Jesus to bring into being and live out a new form of holiness in the Catholic Church, and to do this as a community. This holiness is rooted in the graces of adoration, compassion and evangelisation. The Irish Emmanuel Community is spread throughout Ireland and is made up of people of different occupations and backgrounds. There is one diocesan priest in the Archdiocese of Dublin and one seminarian at the Seminary, St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. The Emmanuel Community is an International Catholic Public Association of the Faithful. Activities include mission and evangelisation with parishes and in cities. Originally broadcast 25 March 2012