Spotlight
On
The Guardian Angel programme
This is written in two parts:
What it wasn't
and
WHAT IT REALLY WAS
What it wasn't (A little tongue-in-cheek nonsense….o.k., a pack of lies, to lead you into the serious assessment of the programme.)
For starters, I'm here to let you know that, unless you are clutching an airline boarding pass, guardian angels can't fly. Why, you might wonder, is your journalist so very sure of that? Let me tell you a very tall tale (for anyone who isn't familiar with my brand of nonsense, this is where the pack of lies begins…) On opening the letter announcing the fact that she had been permitted to participate in the Guardian Angel programme, your journalist was immediately aware of the amazing possibilities attending the honour. We've come a long way since the Greek legend of Icarus' failed flight… we don't have to rely on wax to hold our feathers together….we have SUPER GLUE!! Was 'winged-people-flight' now possible? Resisting the temptation to affix feathers directly to arms, feathers were glued to large sheets of angel-wing-shaped paper. On a suitably breezy day, feathered-paper wings in place, one very plump Brit clambered onto the rails of the deck, scattering squirrels left and right. One more courageous squirrel (maybe the one evicted from above the choir pews at church?) sat on a branch above her head chattering away (in what can only have been squirrel swear words) as if defying her to climb any higher. The Brit had news for the squirrel, having no head for heights she wasn't climbing any higher…and flight was definitely going to be 'under the radar' ….i.e. LOW! A breeze ruffled the wings, with great gusto, the Brit leapt out…..and landed with a thud in a pile of leaves. Nope, guardian angels can't fly!
This leads us to: WHAT IT REALLY WAS!
Of course, the Guardian Angel programme wasn't about physical flight, but maybe it was about Spiritual flight.
Much credit goes to Father Jim who, after reading in the Parish profile how much we value a strong Youth programme, decided that St. Thomas would benefit from the Guardian Angel programme - something that had been a huge success in a previous church.
The programme is a kind of variation on the "Secret Pal" theme. The teens would not know the identity of their guardian angel until the closing banquet. Each adult was to commit themselves to:
- Praying for their teen on a daily basis.
- Writing notes of encouragement to their teen.
- Attending the banquet at the end of the programme.
For their part, each teen filled out a paper, listing their hopes and fears as well as any information they cared to impart. The papers were to be kept confidential between teen, guardian angel and God.
As this was the first time the parish family had participated in the programme, none of us had much idea of how it would, or should go, so people approached their Guardian Angel adventure in different ways.
Bearing in mind the sharp minds of our teens, some of us had to disguise our handwriting, or type our messages, or in the case of one enterprising gentleman have his secretary write the notes for him. (I would have given a lot to see the look on her face when she was told to sign it 'Guardian Angel'!)
The important thing was to pray daily and communicate with our teens on a regular basis all through Lent and part of Eastertide.
As you have seen, your journalist participated in the programme, so before writing about the reflections of the various participants, I'll share a little of my personal g.a. adventure. If you know anything much about me, you will know that the young people in my family live thousands of miles away so I have very little contact with teens. To put it mildly, I was apprehensive. Mercifully, I was assigned a teen who I know a little, have worked with a great deal, and for whom I have great respect.
For starters, I knew I would have to type my notes, but what the dickens could I write, and how could I bridge the 40+ span of years between a smart young lady and the aforementioned plump Brit - chock full of apprehension and zero confidence? A comment from Father Jim, made during the announcements, came to my rescue: "You could stop by the Christian book store and purchase a book mark or something"…. That proved to be the answer, because small, inexpensive gifts helped me to say what I wanted to say as well as softening the 'coldness' of typewritten communications. My husband entered into the spirit of the programme and found several items that were appropriate. The guardian angel programme really enriched my life.
The Banquet
The end of the programme was marked by a banquet held at the Park Circle Grill. Although not usually open for business on Sundays, the owner had made special arrangements for us to dine. It was a very happy group of people who assembled on the 25th of April. At dinner the teens discovered the identity of their particular angel & I know there were some surprises! After we had eaten, Fr. Jim hushed the amazing decibel level of chatter to talk about the programme and invite comments. All the people who stood up to speak had positive comments to make. Some amusing facts emerged, I was glad to find out that I wasn't the only one who had nearly 'given the game away' by elementary mistakes that didn't impinge on the conscious brain at the time, but would surely have had Sherlock Holmes rolling his eyes in disbelief. Adults spoke movingly of their experiences, a teen spoke of her joy at receiving a couple of cards each week through the entire programme and how special it made her feel. Gifts were exchanged, hearts were touched, and I'm sure Guardian Angels did experience Spiritual flight.
Reflections
Several people shared stories about their g. a. adventure:
- One lady spoke of including prayers for her teen during her morning devotions. How she thought about the age of her teen and tried to build her notes around what she perceived to be her spiritual needs. The same lady mentioned that it was difficult because it was a one-way communication and so hard to judge what her teen found meaningful.
A gentleman told me about a letter that his teen had written. How moved he was by the thoughtfulness of that very special communication.
- One teen made a very interesting observation: that it was fun and got the church more involved with the Youth.
- One teen shared that it was enlightening and made her feel so much better in general.
- One teen felt it made him get closer to his Guardian Angel.
- One teen found it an awesome way to get to know someone better.
- One young lady felt it was a really good experience.
- Another teen enjoyed knowing that her angel was thinking about, and praying for, her.
- One young man gave the whole experience '2 thumbs up'!
- A lady made two very interesting observations: that one got so used to a particular role in life (e.g. grandmother or auntie or sister…) with the limitations good sense imposes, that it had been wonderful to be free to enjoy a relationship with a teen that meant she could share her thoughts without fear of stepping over boundaries. She also made the very true observation that so often we assume we know the hopes and fears of teens, and then find that the reality is different.
You will notice that I put 'end' of the programme…but it isn't really the end as some of us continue to send notes and cards to our teens.
I hope this has helped those of you who weren't able to participate in this year's programme to understand a little of the great joy we experienced. Yes, Guardian Angels can fly!
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