Fire pot event fanning flames of faith

By Wendy Shaw

The warmth of the church community was on show in Launceston at a fire pot and soup night outside the Church of the Apostles.

There was a heart-warming response to the event, which was also held in support of World Youth Day pilgrims, according to Launceston Parish assistant priest Fr Chathura Ranmuni Silva.

“It was amazing,” Fr Silva said. “People flocked there after Mass to enjoy the night.

“It was a great event to unite the community and get to know each other. We did also raise money for the young adults going on the World Youth Day trip, but that was a lesser aim.”

He explained that a team of helpers provided a range of soups and prepared the fire pots.

Fr Silva said that fire pot evenings had been held some years ago in the Launceston Catholic Parish.

“We hope it will become an annual event and continue to improve in future,” he added.

Fr Silva is set to attend his first World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon from 1 to 6 August as part of a 35-strong group from Tasmania, which will also include Archbishop Julian and the Office of Youth Evangelisation Director, Sam Clear.

“It’s exciting and I am going as chaplain,” Fr Silva said. “My hope is two-fold: that we have a great experience of the wider Church and also a personal experience with the Lord.

“I hope I have a personal experience too, to strengthen my faith and to experience different aspects of faith and witness this great event that happens every three years.”

The Tasmanian pilgrims will join more than 400,000 young people at WYD. Held in a different country every three years, WYD is an encounter between the young Catholics of the world and the Pope. Focused on Jesus Christ, the event seeks to foster growth in faith through prayer, fellowship, catechesis and the sacraments. Pope Francis will be in Portugal from 2 to 6 August.