An extraordinary story of conversion, faith and the power of one simple act of love took centre stage at a Melbourne event supporting international charity Mary’s Meals. Source: EWTN Australia.
The guest speaker was John Pridmore, a former London gangster who experienced a profound conversion and has since dedicated his life to sharing the Christian message internationally and encouraging people to live lives transformed by faith.
His connection with Mary’s Meals goes back many years. Mr Pridmore met Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, who founded Mary’s Meals in 2002, and became closely involved with the charity’s work, including supporting the development of Mary’s Meals in Ireland.
He has continued to speak publicly about the mission and encourage communities to support the work of providing school meals to children.
For Mr Pridmore, the story of Mary’s Meals is deeply connected with the Christian call to love in action: responding to the needs of another person not simply with words, but with practical generosity.
The Mary’s Meals event last month was held at St Peter’s Parish in Toorak. It brought together key lay leaders, priests, school principals and Australian corporate executives and business leaders for an inspiring celebration of faith, music and personal testimony.
The special gathering invited Australians to discover the story behind Mary ‘s Marys – a global grassroots movement that now provides a daily school meal to more than three million children in 16 countries, giving children living in some of the world’s poorest communities the opportunity to attend school, learn and receive hope for a brighter future.
For Mr Pridmore, the story of Mary’s Meals is deeply connected with the Christian call to put love into action: responding to the needs of another person not simply with words, but with practical generosity.
“When I had the opportunity to go to Liberia to minister to the former child soldiers who were receiving Mary’s Meals, I saw the impact first-hand on the ground. That’s when I started sharing the story of Mary’s Meals,” Mr Pridmore said.
“Through our parish missions, we raised over 2 million euros to serve children. For $34.80, you can provide meals for a child at their place of education for a whole school year, which is incredibly cost effective.”
Details: https://www.marysmeals.org.au/
FULL STORY
Former gangster John Pridmore shares journey of conversion at Melbourne event (EWTN Australia)
