The Parishioner - Edition 23

Out and About
with Phoenix
Sponsored
Walk to St Thomas More,
West Malling, February 21st 2014
On Friday 21st February, in the evening, we did a sponsored walk
from St Francis in
Maidstone to St
Thomas More in
West Malling, a
journey which took
us past the hospital
and through East
Malling Research
Station. The weather
was perfect for the
hike and when we
arrived at St Thomas
More we were
welcomed warmly by Fr Peter Soper. Joined by Fr Peter, we had pizza,
hot chocolate and played ‘murder in the dark’. We stayed the night in
the priests’ house in sleeping bags, and in the morning had bacon
butties, thanks to the Youth Club leaders. The whole thing was great
fun and was a great bonding exercise for the members, and we raised
a fantastic £465 for youth club funds.
Philip Coatsworth
Brightlights, 27-29 June 2014,
Twenty one members of Phoenix Youth Club attended
the Brightlights festival at Aylesford Priory. The weekend
was a brilliant opportunity for all that attended to grow
in their faith as well as make new friends within a lively
Christian atmosphere. We enjoyed many different
activities including Praise and Worship with the talented
house band on the Friday evening, preparing us
spiritually for the weekend that followed. During
Saturday we had a very special visit from the parents of
Blessed Chiara Luce Badano who told the inspirational
story of their daughter and of her devotion to God.
During the afternoon there were a variety workshops
with something for everyone from sign language to rap
to sport! In the evening we enjoyed music from Adam
and Kid and Charley Pinfold with an amazing concert
Kingsgate Beach – Saturday 22nd
June 2013
Phoenix Youth Club went on a day trip to Kingsgate Beach on
Saturday 22nd June. With sun cream, beach towels and food packed
and ready we met at the Church early, in order to spend as long as
possible at the beach. As we boarded the coach rain was spitting but
not enough to dampen our spirits. After making our way through
traffic, most heading to the air show at Manston Airport, we arrived
at the beach by late morning. With the weather still quite dull, we had
the beach all to ourselves and set about making the most of it. First,
many of us went for a ‘paddle’ in the sea or in some cases a proper
swim, even though the water was freezing cold! Following this, we ate
our lunch, defying the gusty
winds which blew the sand
everywhere, including into
our food. After lunch, as the
sun came out, we played
different games and sports
such as: volleyball,
dodgeball and cricket, as
well as exploring many of
the caves and cliff faces at the beach. With the afternoon drawing to
a close but the sun still bright, we packed our belongings and made
our way back to the coach, to return home after a great day out!
James Williams
Thorpe Park, Saturday 5thApril 2014
The Phoenix Youth Club was lucky to go on a trip to Thorpe Park in the school minibus
driven by headteacher Mr Wall. We met outside the school at the early time, for
teenagers, of 9am, and settled down for the journey, which passed quickly because we
were so excited to arrive and go on all the big rides.
On arrival, Fr Bart was amazed at how tall the rides were but he didn’t get the full
picture until he went on his FIRST EVER rollercoaster– Stealth, much to the delight of
some of us. Splitting off into two groups based upon year group and friends, we
headed towards different rides to please the thrill seekers inside of us. With Fr Bart
joining the younger group, following his experience on Stealth, we made our way to
Nemesis Inferno where, between the seven of us, we deafened half of the other riders
with our screaming. As lunchtime came round, we joined the older group at the
picnic tables by the Rocky Express , a children’s ride which Lydia was too scared to go
on, and shared stories . A decision was made by the entire Youth Club to go on Loggers
Leap, which some regretted as we all got absolutely drenched, not only from the ride,
but people with water pistols at the bottom of the drop where they pay to get you even more wet!
While the majority of the Youth Club and Fr Bart went on Saw and Colossus, Lydia and a few other members went on a new water
ride called Storm Surge. In the queue Lydia tried to think of as many excuses as possible to get out of going on it, but we didn’t let
her give in and despite some screaming, I think she secretly enjoyed herself! We returned to the mini bus after a wonderful, but
exhausting day and with some people close to sleep we left the theme park and made our way home
Rebecca Saunders.
which got everyone up and dancing. On the final day we
were invited to watch a moving piece of live theatre by
the Ten Ten Theatre Company about the worldwide
problem of human trafficking. We were then encouraged
to consider what we could do as Christians. Following
this we had a moving Departing Mass during which we
reflected on the weekend. We all had an amazing
weekend and it was fantastic for us to see other young
people so passionate about the Catholic faith. I must give
special thanks to Liz Kilminster, Fr Bart and my mum,
Lydia, for organising and taking us all to Brightlights. I
greatly enjoyed the experience and I hope to reflect my
strengthened faith in my daily life. Already looking
forward to next year 26 to 28 June 2015! See you there!!
Georgina Burchell
8
The Phoenix Youth Club is for young people from 15-18 who meet
every Friday from 6.30 -9.30 pm in the Youth Room. Check out our
web page: www.stfrancisparish.org.uk/phoenix.html