A VISIT TO THE YARRA BAY EUCHARISTIC PRAYER COMMUNITY IN SYDNEY,

A VISIT TO THE YARRA BAY EUCHARISTIC PRAYER COMMUNITY IN SYDNEY, TUESDAY 23 APRIL 2002

The on-line prayer request form on the Marg's Journey website is linked to the Yarra Bay Eucharistic Prayer Community.

This is how it operates:

People fill in the on-line form, giving the first name and illness of the person for whom they seek prayers. That generates an e-mail message to my computer which I on-forward by e-mail to the leader of the community Marika Gubacsi (pictured), who founded the group twenty-five years ago this November. As a back-up, the previous week's requests are consolidated and sent by fax to Marika in Sydney on the Monday night prior to the Tuesday gatherings. The list is either read out or brought up with other written requests during the Offertory procession. I can recall Marg's radiation oncologist once telling us about a recent academic study which indicated that people prayed for, regardless of whether or not they were aware of the prayers being offered on their behalf, tended to cope better with their condition.

Some photos showing the Church and the Tuesday service.

St Mary's Church, Erskineville, Sydney, where the community organises the Tuesday Healing Masses.

Part of the congregation, some of whom have been attending regularly for twenty-five years.

The congregation follow the words of a hymn projected onto the wall.

Marika Gubacsi and Fr Greg Foley, who celebrated Mass the day we visited. Fr Greg is a lecturer at the Homebush Seminary.