Voice: From a WAF Volunteer
Voice from a volunteer in the South Team – Barbara Dixon interviewed by Kianne Rodrigues
I was asked to interview Barbara, who is a Lead for the Children of the Eucharist & Young Missionaries of Mary (COTE&YMM), and also Membership Coordinator, for the World Apostolate of Fatima England and Wales, about her role as a Volunteer for the South team.
Luckily for me, I had the pleasure of meeting her when she was at my Parish, Holy Rood Church here in the Diocese of Swindon for the Parish Visitation of the NPVS.
The World Apostolate of Fatima has two teams that travel around England & Wales – The Northern team covers the Dioceses of Leeds, Lancaster, Liverpool, Wrexham, Nottingham, Shrewsbury, Salford, and Hexham and Newcastle.
The Southern team covers the Dioceses of Clifton, Cardiff, Menevia, Northampton, East Anglia, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Westminster, Brentwood, Arundel & Brighton, Southwark, and Birmingham.
The World Apostolate of Fatima has two teams that travel around England & Wales – The Northern team covers the Dioceses of Leeds, Lancaster, Liverpool, Wrexham, Nottingham, Shrewsbury, Salford, and Hexham and Newcastle.
The Southern team covers the Dioceses of Clifton, Cardiff, Menevia, Northampton, East Anglia, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Westminster, Brentwood, Arundel & Brighton, Southwark, and Birmingham.
Q AND A's
Tell me more about your experience as a volunteer with the NPVS.
The teams from both North and South are all volunteers. Some of us have full-time jobs and some are retired or, like me, a housewife, who choose to sacrifice our weekend for the Apostolate. Our role is to spread the message of Our Lady and we hope our presence in the parish during the visitation enables more people to pray more in church, and at home with their families, and as a community, and so offer time to be close to Jesus.
Why the weekend? Won't you lose your time with your loved ones?
The visitation to the churches allows us to speak to the weekend congregation who come to church. Not many people attend daily Mass unless it is a day of obligation or Feast day.
Our families are aware of our mission, sometimes we get some help from them with moving things, or through their presence when we are presenting, or just by supporting us by letting us do our work for Mama Mary.
When we bring Our Lady to the church, people who cannot travel to Fatima get a chance to listen to our talks and see the statue of Our Lady and offer their prayers and intentions to her.
Some purchase rosaries, scapulars, prayer booklets, books for themselves to understand the Message of Fatima better, and to spread Our Lady's love to their loved ones through the purchase of these items.
Some speak to us to understand what they can do or how they can get involved. Surprisingly we come to realise that a lot of people have misunderstood or do not really know the importance of Our Lady's apparitions to the 3 shepherd children in Fatima.
It is exciting to see people talking to us when they realise what they have been missing out.
What is your routine as a volunteer of the Pilgrim Virgin Statue?
We confirm the programme with the Parish Priest, and arrange the logistics for things like: tables for the books and merchandise; biers for the flowers; setting up the projector for the talks, and ensuring that Our Lady's table at the altar is prepared.
We also prepare some refreshments for ourselves during the full day when we are there, and coordinate accommodation for the night, as some of us are travelling from as far as London, or Cambridge, and in my case coming from Cardiff. I join the team when they visit Wales or a neighbouring Diocese that I can travel to.
Again, I am not always with the team for all the visitations. I hope my sharing will enlighten and perhaps reach out to those who may not understand what we actually do.
Do I need to have experience?
No, we all learn as we go along. We pick up skills from going from parish to parish, as we become attentive to certain details that may differ with each parish we visit.
One of the important skills is to keep your heart and mind open. We pick up skills like presenting to the congregation during Mass.
That takes a lot of confidence, but Barbara said as long as you have your script, which she is happy to share, that saves her from getting stage fright! (hahaha!)
We lead the rosary or the various devotions in our programme. If you wish to learn, open your heart and all will fall into place. You can be surprised at your ability. People ask questions about the books that have been brought, and so you need to read them so you know how to share the content.
In this way, you learn more about the importance of prayer and reciting the rosary, and there is so much more about the Message of Fatima that many of us are not aware of!
What is expected from volunteers?
If you have sales or logistic experience, or enjoy talking to people, of have some accounting or administrative skills, those are very welcome. To be honest: No experience required! We all started out with just the basics.
How has this helped in your faith journey?
A lot. And becoming confident about going up to speak. And I found over time that people do come up to me and say that it has touched them. I enjoy saying the Rosary, and learning to work with the team.
For example at Holy Rood, there was huge congregation during the procession. Someone needed to guide the children carrying the crown, and the Relics of Saints Jacinta & Francisco, and I saw the need and followed the children and kept them in place with the bearers who were carrying the Statue of Our Lady.
Barbara said that she was grateful to her parents for bringing her up in the faith. During her teenage years, she was involved in Youth ministry and that played a huge role in her faith. If she didn't have this close relationship with her faith, she wouldn't know what her life would have been. It is something she will not stop sharing to young people! She believes the young, be it a teenager, or a young adult at university or someone who just had their confirmation, to be on a journey.
But it is a just a beginning as they also need to learn to cope with what the world outside confronts them with. If you do not have faith, and devotion to Mama Mary who is always! always! there for you, then things will be much more difficult.
A message for everyone reading this?
As a volunteer, we need some commitment from you as each of us have a role and a part in a visitation.
If you wish to be a part of the team, you can always work around your schedule that is if you wish to. I work around my family commitments and join the team when I can. I think if we just set aside some planning and thought about how we want to help, Our Lady somehow will find a way for us.
If you are a couple, why not both join in? How about if you have kids, would it not be wonderful that your children can also play a role in the visitation team, too?
You can help carry the statue or distribute prayer intentions. When Our Lady comes to your parish think about how you can help and make some sacrifice.
Final word from Kianne: Barbara mentioned that both teams will welcome new faces especially the North team which currently needs help!
