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Auckland Diocese Formation Day - Saturday 10th May 2008

Following our recent tradition in Auckland of trying something different for Formation Day, we chose Eden Gardens for our venue. These gardens have been established on the site of a disused quarry and feature a splendid collection of plants, shrubs and mature trees. A café on the site was an added bonus. We hired the café meeting room for our sessions plus its adjoining room for our light lunch.

For those who needed a regular coffee fix (as Aucklanders do) there were opportunities throughout the day for participants to top up with an extra flat white or cappuccino. Our programme on the topic ‘Weaving Families’ was capably presented by Fr Kevin in four segments with ample time for networking/discussion between each topic.

Our focus table consisted of woven kete baskets and other similar weavings plus a paper wall mural of families woven together representing 20 years of Passionist Family Groups in N.Z. 53 participants enjoyed the various topics especially the session on Music and the Heart with excerpts from the story of Paul Potts which reminded us of the hidden potential within us all.

Equally enjoyable were excerpts from the film “As it is in Heaven” which made a parallel as to what a family group could be like. The song “We are standing on the shoulders” was a favourite and it was interesting to see the faces of previous leaders and members from our region.

Our verdict a great day, an excellent programme and a venue we would consider again for another time.