Fanning The Flame seeks to provide the environment and opportunity whereby each individual can take another step in their faith. This might be that a young person takes a step to share their faith at the level that they are at, through giving a talk or drawing a picture, writing a poem or singing a song, etc. It might be that the step in faith is that they now look at the other person when they give the Sign of Peace at Mass. Thus, primarily Fanning The Flame seeks to build individual relationships. One of the things that we do is send each person who is involved a birthday card each year.

Fanning The Flame seeks to nurture the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in a natural way including the gifts of speaking in tongues or laying on of hands as well as administration or teaching, etc.

In the light of the experience of the first Summer Camp at St. Joseph's, it is seen as important that adults involved with Fanning The Flame, although maybe unsure of the use of the gifts of the Spirit for themselves, do not hinder this tremendous work that is being done by the Spirit in letting 'the children run with the Spirit' and that the heart of the Church is seen to be as young as at Pentecost.


HOW TO BE INVOLVED


Fanning The Flame has simply grown by word of mouth i.e. in Ledbury.

Mary Cameron and Jane Gennards' children (two parent/catechists from Ledbury) were preparing for their Confirmation and as part of their programme the young people were taken to St. Dominic's for Sr. Maria to lead them in a weekend retreat. On their arrival Sr. Maria took the young people to a Fanning The Flame Youth Fellowship in Southampton. The young people liked it and then decided to come to the next Summer Camp at St. Dominic's. Once they had tasted the camp they asked their parents if they could have the same thing happen in Ledbury.

Sr. Maria was then invited to the Parish of the Most Holy Trinity to run a Summer week for the young people of the Parish. This was the beginning and the summer camp has run continuously every year since then being supported by the parishioners and the two priests first Fr. Pat and now Fr. Richard.

Fanning The Flame began in Gateshead and Stockton-on-Tees through a young priest, Fr. Shaun O'Neill being on a placement which involved working with Sr. Maria for nine months -- he got involved in all the aspects of Fanning The Flame and begun it in the North when he returned.

Fanning The Flame began in Chichester in 2004 and in Salisbury in 2005 through the young people at the camp in St. Dominic's taking what they had received over a couple of years back to their parishes.