SCIAF Integral Human Development sessions

Eileen McQuade, a parishioner of St Ninian’s and St Cuthbert’s, Hamilton, discusses how attending our sessions on Integral Human Development can strengthen a parish community and give them a deeper understanding of the work we do.

Like many, we had concerns about how lockdown would affect our parish. Would faithful parishioners return to church, or remain comfortable attending Mass from their armchairs?

While considering this, an email arrived from SCIAF promoting a two-session workshop on Integral Human Development. By inviting Siobhan and Mark from SCIAF to deliver the workshop, we felt that this would give us a perfect opportunity to keep talking about faith while hopefully growing together as a parish community.

One parishioner said that, from its title, she was concerned that the workshop might be a little too academic. She was delighted to find out that it was both fun and thought-provoking! The videos we watched showed the holistic nature of the work SCIAF is doing with local partners around the world. We gained an understanding of how SCIAF’s work is inspired by Scripture. We discovered how different passages took on a new life when we looked at them together. We learned about Integral Human Development – and it resonated deeply within us.

The workshops highlighted SCIAF’s respect for the dignity of each person, and their attentiveness in listening to the ‘cry of the poor’. It showed how SCIAF aims to empower those in need by first listening to their concerns and then working together to improve their situation. SCIAF aims to give participants agency.

The workshops highlighted SCIAF’s respect for the dignity of each person, and their attentiveness in listening to the ‘cry of the poor’. It showed how SCIAF aims to empower those in need by first listening to their concerns and then working together to improve their situation. SCIAF aims to give participants agency. Without doubt, the workshop enriched our parish and we gained much more than we had hoped.

We would highly recommend it!