CENACOLO COMMUNITY

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs

NEWSLETTER

Autumn 2011

FROM THE BOYS

Dear Friends,

We would like to share with you some of what has been happening in our House since June. For the first time we had a lad from the Kendal area who came to do his working days at our House after which he entered the Community in Lourdes. On June 1st James arrived from Warrington bringing our numbers up to 12 in the House. On June 16th Diego and Andrew went to the Monastery of Mount Grace to give their testimonies to some young people who wanted to know about the Community which was a very delightful experience. On June 16th we had some guests in our House and Tony and Matteo gave their testimonies for them, and it was a great moment of sharing. At the beginning of July, Frazer from Liverpool arrives to do his working days.  On July 14th the whole House received the gift to fly to Saluzzo , Italy and experience the Festival of Life together.  Whilst we were there we felt the joy in the atmosphere, the experience of our time at the Festival helped us to grow in spirit and unity between all of us, and we were able to bring back to England a new appreciation and motivation to move forward together with our walks in Community. Before returning we received the great blessing of meeting together with Mother Elvira. (see photograph on front cover) We were able to spend some time with her and hear her message of love. Mizo and Benjamin were transferred to Pagno and we brought back to England Andréa who entered Community three months earlier. Frazer officially entered our Community one we were back in England and also Daniel arrived from Scotland.

In this last period we were able to finish some of our projects: the culverted stream has been opened up, lined with stone and, at its far end, before it enters the large pond, a water feature has been created. Later it is planned to put a couple of bridges across the stream; one for foot walkers and one mainly to enable the pigs to be transported to market! The wall besides the barn is at its completion and the garden is the best it has ever been.

We would like to thank you all for your support and prayers which always helps the Community to move forward.

Thank you.

FESTA DELLA VITA

By the time this edition of our Newsletter arrives the Festa della Vita will be but a memory in the minds of those who were blest enough to attend. This year’s festival had as its theme: God Provides, (Mt 6: 25-34)

It is one of the main stays of Cenacolo for the Community to live simply on Divine Providence. Whatever they eat or wear, any vehicles they have or houses they inhabit – all come from Divine Providence, all is gift.

Below are the reflections of a few of the lads in our Lady Queen of Martyr’s House on their time at the Festa della Vita.

Andrew

I am really thankful for the gift to go to the festival of life. It was an amazing time. While I was there I felt a powerful sense of peace and positivity that filled the air. It was a big gift to share in the joy of the festival with my mother, father, and sister. I also felt a lot of friendship and unity with my brothers throughout the weekend.  During the moments of adoration, the words spoken by the priests and the songs played by the choir combined to make a beautiful atmosphere which made me really understand and appreciate the gift of life.

I enjoyed participating in the English speaking day with my house and my friends and family from America. The day was a lot of fun and I thought the monastery was fantastic. My house (Our Lady Queen of Martyrs) received the gift to spend some time with Mother Elvira before we came back to England. What a great experience! I’m really thankful to have personally listened to her words of love and joy.  My first trip to Italy is one I will never forget, and I’m happy to have left with a smile on my face.

Matteo

              First of all I would like to thank the community for the big gift to go to Italy for the festival of life. It was the third time I have attended the festival, but I always seem to a have a new experience and find it to be a great growth for my faith, especially during the moments of mass, adoration and catechism. The atmosphere of the festival makes me feel as though am I part of a big family and gives me the opportunity to see my friends of the community that I have shared time during my walk with. It also appreciated the gift to be able to spend time with my family, and to see them continuing in their walk with me, especially with my father I have been able to clean up our relationship and how our it has grown in trust and freedom to be open with each other. I was grateful for the chance to travel with my whole house (Our Lady Queen of Martyrs) and share with them the experience of the festival and English day. It was the first time I attended the English day, and it was a great to see how much the community has expanded to different parts of the world. The highlight of the trip for me was to be able to meet Mother Elvira and spend time with her on a personal level and to  be able to listen to the words she spoke to us and was moved by what she said and the kindness and simplicity of her. The whole trip made me realize how thankful I am to the community for the ability to find the joy of like again and the strength to go forward in my walk in the community. Thanks be to GOD!!!!

Jack

              I want to thank the community for the gift to be able to travel with my house Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in England to the Festival of Life. It was my first time attending the festival and I had heard a lot of things about it and didn’t know what to expect when I arrived in Italy for the first time. When we arrived in Saluzzo, I was amazed at what I saw and could feel the positive atmosphere right away. My family arrived a short time after I did and it was great to share our first experience at the Festival of Life together, and I felt extremely lucky that they were able to come especially my cousin who I haven’t see in almost two years. I always appreciate the gift to see my family but since we were able to share in the times of adoration and mass together I feel the week brought us a lot closer, and the time we spent together talking and laughing I realized how much community has healed my family. Also being able to spend time with guys that I have done my walk with and their families gave me a great feeling of friendship between us. I was amazed seeing the great faith of thousands of people all praying during adoration or during mass and it gave me a really cool feeling, something I never got in a normal mass or adoration but the power of the faith between so many people really astonished me. On the English day I enjoyed the beautiful monastery and the day I was able to share with my family and the other families and enjoyed the moments of testimony from members and parents of the community. It was also great to see Albino and Joyce and share how my walk in Europe is going. 

              Our house was given the great gift to meet Mother Elvira. I felt very lucky to be able to spend time with her at the house in Pagno and listen to the words that she spoke to us. I was blown away by her enthusiasm for her faith and her words to us about love, it is something I will take with me throughout the rest of my walk and my life. The trip gave me a lot to bring forward with me on my walk and showed me how strong the faith can be. I appreciate all the gifts I received on our trip and will carry it with me back to England. Thank you.       

SUMMER COME AND GONE

By the time this edition is printed or emailed to you, the summer will be well and truly over and we will be looking forward to the Christmas feast. The trouble with only publishing a Newsletter in an ad hoc fashion is that the ‘news’ bit is often well out of date so, I suppose that we could look upon it as information if not news.

This year the lads received a great ‘gift,’ they were all allowed to go to the Festival of Life held at the Mother House in Saluzzo. It is unusual that a whole House should go to the Fest though it has happened before. There is such joy in being able to meet and greet family who have travelled to the Fest; here son/daughter are reunited (sometimes for the first time) with mum/dad/brother/sister etc. Besides the family reunions there is something special about being present at the heart of the Community as hopefully some of the lads will express in another part of this Magazine.

The day following the conclusion of the Fest has become, by tradition, the English-Speaking Day. This means that the English speaking lads and girls and those who are in English Speaking Houses, together with parents and friends, meet up for a day together. This year, as at many other times in the past, the meeting was held at Certosa and ancient Carthusian monastery now used by the Consolata Fathers. It is situated in the foothill of the Alps.

A tour of the House was followed by Mass which was celebrated by Fr Michael McCormick on the anniversary of his ordination and at which Don Andrea spoke. Lunch was al fresco and was followed by the walking rosary; then into the chapel whilst boys and girls and parents gave their testimony. The event was MCd by Albino the overall Responsible in the United States. Don Stefano made the journey to Certosa and gave a most moving talk directed mainly to the parents asking them to trust in the Community. The danger he outlined was that some parents on seeing their son/daughter much recovered encourage them to leave the Community far too soon. They are judging on outward appearances and short held conversations. But very often the boy/girl is far from ready to leave the Community; much more time needs to be spent on going deeper into their hearts. Time after time when a boy/girl has left Community without the blessing of the Community they end up just as they were before. Don Stefano said that when the girl/boy entered Cenacolo, usually after trying many rehabs and detox units, the parents are desperate and would pay any amount of money to the Community. But Cenacolo does not ask for money, it asks for something much greater, that the parents learn to change their lives as their boy or girl is doing. It asks for conversion. Don Stefano pulled no punches and laid it on the line to parents: trust in the Community.

THE WINDOWS OF THE SOUL

St. Matthew has a phrase in his Gospel which is often translated as, ‘The eye is the window of the soul.’ This is a very perceptive remark; the eye can tell you much about the individual. A physician examining the eyes of a patient may learn many things about the condition of the patient generally.  But in the terms of reference of Cenacolo the eyes really do give a window into the soul of the individual.

It was the ‘eyes’ that lead me to support the opening of the British House in my former parish. Dodding Green, call by the late Bishop Brewer the jewel in the crown of Catholic Westmorland, was an old recusant property, Mass had been celebrated there throughout penal times. Although Dodding Green was no longer a fully operational church, it was somewhere that I celebrate Mass often with a faithful group of parishioners. One day Bishop O’Donoghue phone and said that he had plans for a drug addict community called Cenacolo. I thought this admirable until I realised that Dodding Green would be the venue. I had an immediate attack of the NIMBYs – as did many in the locality.

I was persuaded to visit an up and running Cenacolo House in Bosnia. This suited me as I could kill three birds with one stone. I could visit Medjugorje, a Refugee Settlement that had been introduced to our parish and the Cenacolo House. It was duly organised that I should celebrate Mass at that House. A 7am Mass is not usually the most lively of celebrations, but the moment I set foot in that Chapel and heard 70 lads singing ‘Come Holy Spirit,’ (in Italian) the hairs on my neck stood up. But it was the moment that I stood to face them at the beginning of Mass that my conversion to Cenacolo occurred.  And it was the eyes that did it.  70 young men most of whose eyes shone, shone with light. This was a most powerful experience; these lads had something. And, as I droned on at them in the homily 9which was simultaneously translated into many languages) the lads were actually listening, staring intently and listening. The Mass unfolded in the usual way, the lads kneeling on the hard floor throughout the Eucharistic Prayer. The sign of peace was another high point, where the formal hand shake was replaced with hugs of genuine affection. But it was the eyes that did it.

Now over the years that I have been associated with Cenacolo in the UK, I have had the privilege of seeing many guys enter the Community. They enter from the world with the eyes that the world forced upon them: usually dull and lack lustre, opaque and empty. Those who stay for any length of time, those who engage with what the Community proposes to them, they are the ones whose eyes begin to shine. This is nothing to do with the eyes per se and everything to do with the eyes being the window of the soul. For Cenacolo is not a drug rehab, it is, in the language of the Community, a school of life. It is here that the boys and girls first of all begin to value life – their own, and others. It is then that they really begin to live.

The life in Community is very simple. There are very few external distractions. Here a boy or girl is able to learn to be quiet, to learn to be still.  Through friendship that is pure and undemanding, a girl or boy is able to learn to communicate at a deeper level, to avoid superficiality and find peace. Gradually light comes back into the eyes and joy begins to show itself. Having relied upon drugs, alcohol or other substances to anaesthetise them from the world, they are often surprised to experience natural (supernatural?) happiness. One lad after four months in Community said to me, ‘I never thought that I could feel this good without heroin.’

The eyes are indeed the window of the soul. The soul was made by God so that his life could be in us. His life brings joy and peace, a peace the world cannot give. It is a peace that the boys and girls have often been searching for, a peace for their woundedness, for their sadness, for their fears. And in the Cenacolo Community they are given an opportunity to find it, to experience it, to live it and to bring it to others. Here they are given the opportunity to become the men and women that they are called to be. That, of course, is a life-long journey requiring continuous change for, as Blessed Cardinal Newman said, ‘To live is to change and to change often is to be perfect.’

What the Cenacolo Community wants for the boys and girls in its care is that they recognise that the cross is an integral art of the Christian life. Suffering has to be faced, not escaped from via drugs etc. In Cenacolo they come to realise that the cross whilst being a symbol of suffering, is truly a symbol of life. Without the cross there can be no true life worth the living. The motto of the Martyrs is so telling, ‘Per crucem ad coronam – through the cross to the crown.’ When the boys and girls of the Community have learned to deal with suffering, have learnt to accept a simple life, have learnt that joy and peace reside not in the material but in the spiritual things of life (friendship, love, peace etc.) then they begin to live and be harbingers of life.

The eyes being the ‘windows of the soul,’ show the light of God’s beauty within our boys and girls.

CENACOLO REFERRAL SYSTEM

The Cenacolo Community is open to any young man or woman struggling with life either because of drug, alcohol or substance abuse or for other reasons. The usual method of entry in the UK is that the young person would attend one of the Listening Points. These are designated Cenacolo Prayer Meetings held at various places throughout the UK. At the back of this Newsletter there is a list of Prayer Meeting taking place throughout the UK. The work of these meetings is to support through prayer the lads and girls in Community. It cannot be stated strongly enough just how important this prayer support is, without prayer everything founders.

But not all of the Prayer Meetings are Listening Points. The Listening Points are to be found at: London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Kendal & Carfin. At these meetings there are people with expertise in referring enquirers to Cenacolo.

It is usually expected that an enquirer will signal their seriousness about entering the Community by attending a series of these meetings week on week. After a few meetings they will be asked to attend the Kendal Prayer Group and have a meeting with a couple of lads from the UK House. This is one of the final steps before entering the Community. Here the lads will access the enquirer to see if they think that he would benefit from Community; it is also the time when the enquirer is able to make an assessment and ask any questions. The penultimate step is for the enquirer to go to the Community for a 3 day experience known as ‘working days.’ Here he comes face to face with the reality of Community life and is able to make a decision as to whether or not this is for him; the Responsible of the House will similarly be making an assessment to see if the enquirer will benefit from Community. If there is mutual agreement, which there usually is, the enquirer will enter either the House in the UK or one of the others in Europe.

In short, all the prayer meetings throughout the country are vitally important, but not all of them are Listening Points. These are the ones charged with referring enquirers to the Community. (Although there is no House in UK for girls, the process is the same up to the point for working days, then a girl will be referred to one of the continental Houses for girls).

OUR WEBSITE

As you will see from the piece about the Cenacolo Trustees professional advice is being taken about the upgrading of our website. If we follow this advice the result will be a much more user friendly up-to-date website. The downside is that professional advice and manufacture to not come cheap! This could turn out to be a rather expensive operation.

FROM THE TRUSTEES

In the United Kingdom Cenacolo is a Registered Charity and as such it is required to have Trustees. The Cenacolo Trustees meet four or five times throughout the year and are in touch with each other and the officers of the Trust (Secretary & Treasurer) in between these meetings. So what so of business do the Trustees deal with? Well, one of their main objectives is to make sure that the utility bills are met, that the House at Dodding Green is sound and maintained and insured. It is also part of their remit to ensure to ensure that any necessary planning permission is gained for works to the House or in the grounds. For example, the local planners had to approached to seek permission to erect poly tunnels to grow produce to help feed the lads in the House. Transport for the lads between the various Houses of the Community is also something that the Trustees would have oversight of. It is also the responsibility of the Trustees and their agents to comply with the stipulations of the Public Enquiry which gave permission for the House to be used as a Cenacolo Community.

The day to day conduct of the House, in accordance with the principles of Cenacolo, is the province of the Responsible (Leader) of the House.

The Trustees wish to record their thanks to those individuals who have set up a Bank Standing Order by which they support the work of Cenacolo. This sort of support is invaluable; it helps keep the lads with a roof over their heads, hot water to wash with and materials for their works. Brian Goldrick, the Treasurer, would be happy to give more information. His contact details are at the end of this edition.

A YOUNG MAN’S STORY

I am Henri, I’m thirty years old, and I come from Belgium.  I am thankful to be able to share that which is beautiful and successful in my life.  Since I was a child, God was present in my life.  True, in my family there were events and things that happened that weren’t so nice, but even in those moments God was present, he didn’t abandon us.  I remember that when my father and mother argued and when bad things happened, and I’d go behind the house, where there was a path that lead to the Church;  I’d enter, and go in front of the tabernacle and ask Jesus that my father and mother would stop arguing.  If you’d ask me how I could do such a thing, or who taught me how to do this, I wouldn’t even know how to answer!  It was something that was inside of my heart, independent of everything else.

Like many other youth of the Community, I was also an addict.  I was addicted to heroin and cocaine.  I came to the Community at a very young age; I was a teenager who was already desperate, already dead.  I came to know the Community through a friend of my aunt, who had been to the house in Medjugorje, and there, had heard a testimony.  And so, I found myself amongst those guys, and even today I don’t really understand how it all came to be.  When I entered I experienced a sensation of being at home, of being in a family; seeing the guys, I felt that this was truly my place.  Inside myself I denied this,  every day I wanted to leave because there were too many difficult things that I had to deal with, but then I decided to accept everything that was being proposed to me, and I experienced the true friendship, the work, and the discipline that I was lacking.

Once I had known freedom, I had the opportunity to travel around, helping the other guys, I was also at the house in the United States for two years.  Through all these beautiful experiences of life, I encountered God, I felt like he was with me, on my walk.  But then I realized that it wasn’t enough to discover this just once to resolve all the problems of a lifetime:  I found myself in a difficult situation in Florida.  I realized that I still had many difficulties to overcome, but on the other hand, I wanted to stop fighting, walking, and suffering, and I wanted to convince myself that I was already ready.  So I turned my back on God, I didn’t trust anyone anymore.  I returned to Belgium, where I immediately found a job and even a girlfriend… but shortly after, I fell and began to use drugs again, this time falling deeper then I had before, because I needed a lot more of this evil to suffocate the truth that was inside of me.  I knew very well that God existed, and my conscience screamed out to me, but I didn’t want to hear it anymore.

I ended up on the streets, I was a bum, I put a needle into my veins every two or three hours, I begged, stank, and stole, I had lost my dignity as a man.  I went forward with this lifestyle for two years, and the only reason I didn’t die was for the fact that many people were praying for me, until one day, while I was on the streets, in an underground parking lot, and high, a woman that I knew tapped me on the shoulder and said to me, “Henri, I have a letter from Mother Elvira for you.”  I said to myself, “But, how in the world?  She’s in Italy!”  The amazement I felt caused the effects of the drugs to pass immediately, I opened the letter:  she told me to return to the Community, she spoke to me of Medjugorje, she knew that I was in a pitiful state, and that I couldn’t continue living like this.

I was baffled, I questioned myself, but I didn’t know how I could return to the Community, I was afraid of the “withdrawals,” I didn’t have any contacts, but God placed a lady at my side, a real “guardian angel.”  With her I began to take my first steps to taking myself off the drugs, and to overcome the “withdrawals,” to put me on my knees, to cry, to repent for the errors that I had committed. Then I re-entered, but this time with the desire to change for good.  I already knew that I wouldn’t be staying for a short while, because I was returning to my home.  I met Mother Elvira and when she saw me, she said to me, “I was waiting for you,” and she embraced me!  I should have deserved a gigantic slap, but instead, she told me, “Finally, I know that you have come back.”  This “upset” me very much:  I wasn’t able to forgive myself, I wasn’t able to accept myself because I had “spat” on the plate that I had eaten from.  This was the biggest wound, the wound that I had caused with my own two hands:  to have received a lot of good, and to have done a lot of harm to this good.  But all of this was transformed into peace thanks to the Mercy of God and of my brothers!

It’s been a few years now, but I realize all the more that my life doesn’t belong to me.  Even in the Community, if I stop praying, I immediately stop smiling, I don’t love anymore, I’m not able to love myself, or the others.  Instead when I pray, I don’t know why but I love and I’m able to do unimaginable things,  I discover gifts that I didn’t even know that I had, I’m happy.  Today I thank God that I’m still alive and I thank all the people who prayed for me.  I’m sorry that I hurt my parents and that I suffered for many years because I saw that there was still a gap between us.  But this year a “miracle” happened, they began to frequent the meetings for the parents, and this was a great joy for me.

Today I love my parents very much, I don’t feel hate or anger towards them anymore:  something has changed, as if inside myself a new horizon opened up, a space of freedom and peace that I never knew before.  I love you, Mom and Dad, thank God and thank you for the gift of my life!

IMPORTANT DATES

NATIVITY EVENT – DODDING GREEN

This will be held on the weekend of November 26/27th 2011

The Nativity Play itself will be staged on Saturday 26th. Sunday (27th) will be a Retreat Day for Parents and Prayer Group Members (this is instead of the event scheduled for September at Brettargh Holt which had to be cancelled for lack of numbers).

It is hoped that the accommodation at Brettargh Holt will be available for the parents of the lads at Dodding Green. Other local accommodation is available. Kendal Tourist Information will help (01539 735891), and there are two new modern hotels in the area: Travel Lodge and Premier Inn.

DECEMBER FAMILY MEETING – CUNEO

The dates in December for the family meeting in Italy are as follows;

Saturday 10th in Cherasco. Sunday 11th Della Sports Centre

Travel Arrangements: 

Flight:  Liverpool to Nice Friday 9th  December. Returning Monday 12th.  There will be transport from Nice to and from the Hotel in Cuneo. Please email accommodation requirements including number in each family group. jean.mcguinness@ntlworld.com

Contact: Jean McGuinness  01928 795326

ITEMS FOR THIS NEWSLETTER

Fr. Chris Loughran will, for the time being, looking after the production of the periodic Newsletters. His contact details are:

St. Clare’s Presbytery. Sharoe Green Lane, Fulwood, Preston PR2 9HH

Or email: frloughran@saintclares.co.uk

Fr Chris would love to receive information, articles etc from individuals and especially from the various prayer groups dotted around the country. Electronically generated items are preferred for ease of handling but all items welcome.

MONTHLY MASS

Every Wednesday (more or less) Mass is celebrated in the Chapel at Dodding Green at 6pm. The Responsible and the Community welcome friends of the Community to join them for that Mass on the First Wednesday of the Month.

SAFEGUARDING

The Diocese of Lancaster, together with the other diocese in the country, has a very strict Safeguarding Policy. Therefore, priests wishing to celebrate Mass at the House must first of all gain the permission of the Responsible (Leader) of the House, and then apply in the usual way to the Diocese of Lancaster for explicit permission to exercise priestly ministry in the diocese. 

Main Meeting places for addicts and their parents.

Kendal

Thursday evening: Prayer Meeting 6.30 -7.30pm followed by meeting at which Cenacolo ‘Lads’ are present from 7:30pm

Holy Trinity and St. George, New Rd. LA9 4BW

Contact: Joan 01539 741138 or: Sheila 01539 724718

Liverpool

Tuesday evening 7pm-9pm Blessed Sacrament Shrine, Dawson St.

Contact: Mary G 0151 342 4990 or Mary C 07883 339 980 or

Margaret 0151 342 1043

London:

Monday evening 7.30pm - 9pm usually at St Patrick's, Soho Square

Contact: Paula 020 8671 8027 or 0779 505 3466

Birmingham

Fridays 7-9pm Holy Rosary Parish, 141 Park Field Road Contact: Daniel Tel No: 0781 806 5309

Scotland Carfin, Monday evening 7.00 pm National Shrine of Our Lady Contact: Mary 0753 878 9548

Prayer Groups

Bradford Every Wednesday at 7pm, St Anthony’s Convent,

24 Bradford Road, Clayton Contact: Sr. Antonia Tel: 01274 882167

Stockton-on-Tees 3rd Saturday of the month, 7.30pm English Martyrs & Sts. Peter & Paul, Redhill Road Stockton-on-Tees, TS19 9BY

Contact: Fr. Nick Jennings Tel: 01642 580171

Loughborough First Tuesday of the month at 7pm

St. Mary’s Church, Ashby Road, Contact: Fr Scanlan 01509 262123

Croydon Every Friday at 8pm St. Dominic’s Church,

243 Violet Lane Contact: Lourdes 0776 536 1998

Hull  Every Wednesday 6:30pm to 7:30pm
The Endsleigh Centre, 481 Beverley Road, HU6 7LJ

Contact: Sr. Catherine 07855 816577

North London Every second Thursday from 8-9pm
St. Anthony’s, Edgware, Middlesex

Contact: Theresa & Tom 0208 346 1210

Rugeley Every Tuesday (Rosary) Tuesday 7.30pm

Adoration: Tuesday 7.30am - 8am  

St Joseph & St Etheldreda Lichfield Street WS15 2EH  Prayer Group

Contact Josie Smith 0788150877 

Cleveleys: Tuesday 7 to 8pm

St. Teresa’s Church, St. Teresa’s Avenue,

Contact: Rev. Deacon B Ward 10253 858346

Wales

St Anne's Church, Prince Charles Road, Caer Park
Wrexham.  Fr. Jim Durkin

St. Anthony’s, High Street, Saltney

North Wales.  Fr Francis Doyle

Friday evenings 7pm, location alternates between the two venues listed above Contact: Joan Glendining 01244 552861

Scotland

Inverness Monday, 6.30pm St. Mary’s, Huntley Street

Contact: Therese Finlay 01463 233519

Shettleston, Glasgow Every Tuesday at 7 pm, St. Mark’s

51, Edenwood Street, Glasgow, G31 5GL Contact:  Sister Francesca

Tel:  07788798731

Greenock First & third Monday of each month, 7pm St. Joseph’s,

Bow Road. Contact:  Anne O’Donnell Tel:  01475 805 625

Arbroath, Monday 7pm St Thomas of Canterbury, Dishlandtown Street, Arbroath, Angus DD11 1RA Contact Annemarie 07826084122.

 New prayer groups please contact Bryan Ingleby on 01995 602577

for a listing and advice.

DONATIONS

Please note: This address has changed.

Please send Cheques/Postal Orders in favour of

‘Friends for a UK Cenacolo Community’

The Treasurer,

109, Bellingham Road

Kendal, LA9 5JU

A huge THANKYOU to the many anonymous donors, who we are unable to write to personally.

www.cenacolofriends.org.uk      www.comunitacenacolo.it

CENACOLO COMMUNITY

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs

NEWSLETTER

June 2011

FROM THE BOYS

Dear Friends,

We would like to share with you some of our experiences in the Community during this year.

We began the Year with adoration in our chapel on New Year’s Eve with Frs Chris & Cassian. Mid-January saw the departure of Fabio to Italy for Mother Elvira’s Birthday celebrations. He presented M. Elvira with the painting which one of the lads in the House had produced. It now hangs in the chapel area of the newly refurbished barn. After these celebrations Fabio returned to his native Sardinia having completed his walk in Community.

On the 12th February Jerone arrived from Holland followed two weeks later by Jose-Maria from Spain. In March Diego attended the meeting of the older lads in Community. The meeting was held in Medjugorje where the lads met with the priests of our Community and shared their experiences and received some support.

By the end of March we had completed the wall by the side of the barn and the footpath and landscaping behind it. In April we finished the work on the pond; we also completed work on M. Elvira’s apartment, the first floor of the barn and its entrance. In April our numbers grew with the arrival of John & Andrew from America.

On the 1st of May we celebrated our sixth anniversary. Fr Andrea travelled from Italy for the celebration together with Henri. On the Friday evening we greeted our families at Brettargh Holt. Saturday, we had a nice day with our families where Fr Andrea celebrated Mass, and we had Adoration followed by testimonies from Sasha and Martin two lads who had been in our Community House at Dodding Green.

On Sunday Bishop Michael celebrated Holy Mass and blessed the barn which was a wonderful occasion to mark the end of all the hard work that had gone into the completion of this project. We were delighted to see so many of the Friends of our Community supporting us and we would like to thank all of you for all of the prayers and support that you give us.

THE ANNIVERSARY AND BEYOND

Well, it paid off this year in spectacular fashion! What? The transfer of the Anniversary celebrations from March to May, from St. Joseph the Spouse of our Lady to St. Joseph the Worker. It paid off in many ways: the weather was much kinder to us, warm sunshine, if a little windy, so much better than March. The sea of bluebells enveloping Dodding Green was a sight to behold. The season too, was much more appropriate for celebrating. Lent does not easily lend itself to joy-filled liturgies. This year, because of the moveable nature of Easter, the anniversary fell on the Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Day with the added mix of the Beatification of John Paul II – there was so much going on, our cup literally ‘runneth over.’ And at last we were able to celebrate Mass in the newly refurbished barn the upper floor of which doubles as a Chapel when the need arises. This was the first official Mass and it was celebrated by the Bishop of Lancaster, The Rt. Rev. Michael Campbell OSA. Not only did he celebrate the Mass, but at the beginning he blessed a picture of St. Joseph which was brought forward by two of the lads of the Community and then hung on the wall to preside, as it were, over the workshops which will form the lower half of the building. Later, after his homily (in Italian and English!), the Bishop prayed the prayer of blessing over the building and was lead through it the architect. Mike Williams, sprinkling Holy Water as he went.

The Mass was followed by a festive lunch: lasagne made by the lads and all sorts of goodie provided by the Friends of the Community.

In the afternoon, at 3pm, the Divine Mercy Chaplet was recited and there was a time for testimonies. It was good to hear those of some of the lads who are former members of the Community and who had returned for the anniversary.

This year there were fewer parents present than in previous years. A few factors were at play: some of the lads who had been on verifica had only recently seen their parents; three of the lads are young in the Community and therefore, the time was not yet right for them to have a visit from their family, and the two new lads transferred from America had only recently seen their parents.

It is always good when one of the Priests of the Cenacolo Community can be present. Don Andrea made the trip from Saluzzo accompanied by Henri who enhanced our music by his guitar playing. Don Andrea made the heart of the Community present for the lads. He gave many catechisms to the group, he celebrated Mass with them; together they had a ‘revision of life’ lead by Don Andrea and the lads were able to speak to him on a one to one basis.

On his way home (he flew from Edinburgh) he attended the Prayer Meeting at Carfin Grotto in Scotland.

The time of the anniversary was indeed a blessed time, and we give thanks to God for it.

FROM THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE COMMUNITY

The words below were collected from the Official Website of the Community; they offer a sense of what Cenacolo is about.

From the imagination of the Holy Spirit, through the intuition of a consecrated woman, Sister Elvira Petrozzi, the Comunità Cenacolo was started in July 1983 as the response of the tenderness of God the Father to the desperate cry of many youth who are tired, disappointed, desperate, drug addicts and non-addicts, searching for joy and the true meaning of life.

Collaborating with her are volunteers, consecrated religious and families who live and work full-time and gratuitously at the service of this good work.

The Mother House of the Community is found on the hills of Saluzzo, a town in the province of Cuneo (Piemonte region-Italy). Other houses were begun, as well, in these years: there are presently 56 spread throughout Italy and the world

In the places where Providence guides us, we want to be a small but shining light in the darkness, a sign of hope, and a living testimony that death doesn’t have the last word.

To those who knock on the doors of the Community we propose a style of life that is simple, family-oriented, in the rediscovery of work seen as a gift, of true friendship and faith in the Word of God, made flesh in Jesus Christ dead and risen for us.

We believe that the Christian life, in its fullness, is the true response to every anxiety of man, and that no one other than He who created man, God the Father, is able to reconstruct his heart led astray in a life without meaning.

Our strength must come from Love, that Love which comes from the Cross of Christ and which gives life to the dead, freedom to prisoners, and sight to the blind.

We are the first to be amazed by what the Lord is working in front of our eyes, and to thank Him because He makes us daily witnesses to His Resurrection, in the strength of which we see everyday life return in the smiles of people who had lost all hope. 

CHERASCO & CUNEO VISIT

Chris D’Arcy

Shortly after moving to Kendal 6 years ago I saw reference to Cenacolo in the parish newsletter. I started to ask what Cenacolo is.  Over this time my family and I have got to know more about the lads and the Community at Dodding Green. For the last 3 or so years I have been attending the Thursday evening Prayer Meeting in Kendal from 6:30 to 7:30pm in the church.  Afterwards in the Parish Centre we talk with any family members or friends who have brought their son or daughter to meet members of the Community to explore if Cenacolo may be the right path for them to manage difficulties in their life and walk from darkness into light. Our relationship with the House was cemented in autumn 2008 when Nicola and Diego were on the hunt for a mother and baby to play Mary and Jesus in the first live nativity play to be held at Dodding Green in Advent 2008 - Caroline played Mary and Ben, Jesus. Our children now enjoy visiting the House as they are always made to feel very welcome by the lads. The attraction of ducklings which Diego may be carefully tending in the incubator or the new piglets are also very strong pulls for a 6, 4 and 2 year old!

In December I was lucky enough to travel to Cuneo in Italy, joining family and friends of the various Cenacolo Communities for 2 days of meetings, prayer and celebration. The days were very different.  Sunday was a very busy international celebration with a few thousand people from all over Europe as well as many other countries throughout the world. We heard Sister Elvira and Fr Stefano address the gathering, Holy Mass was celebrated and the spectacular live Nativity acted out for all to enjoy. These larger events were punctuated with music, songs and action full of fun and offering praise, discipleship and joy, and time for old friendships to be rekindled and new friendships to be established. I enjoyed catching up with Rainer, Federico, David and Paul whom I’d known from Dodding Green, Kendal.

An important aspect of the meeting was the chance for parents and family members to meet their sons or daughters that are in Community. This special time was evident during this day but even clearer the day before when smaller meetings took place with people meeting in language groups.

I visited the house at Cherasco, a mixed Community for women, children and men who opened their house to host the English speaking day which was facilitated by Fr Andrea. I have so many positive memories of this day and I’d like to share just a few. The welcome and hospitality extended to family and friends alike were wonderful and this just set the background for the day ahead.

I travelled from the hotel with a father who had come with his wife to see their daughter who’d been in Community for 5 or so months. The journey lasted less than an hour but in this time, 2 strangers developed a friendship and learned a lot about each others lives, including our hopes and fears, and specifically in this journey, the hopes and fears that this man had about meeting his daughter again. I spoke with another couple I have come to know through Cenacolo and they shared similar feelings about meeting their son.  What I observed when we arrived at the House was something that can only be experienced – the parents’ worries disappeared and there was no need for words as the love, healing and reconciliation was visible. The embrace between the parents and their child and vice versa said all that needed to be said.  Yes, there was time throughout the day when stories were shared but this opening embrace really helped to give me a deeper insight into the power and gift that Cenacolo is, first to the family specifically but also as a sign of God’s love, active and alive in our presence.

I know that I continue to receive many blessings from our friendship with the lads at Dodding Green and Community Cenacolo. One of the very clear messages I brought back from this weekend, was to try and live out in my daily life the lesson about parenting and love that I witnessed during this day.

A final thought I’d like to share comes from adoration led by Fr Andrea. One of the phrases he encouraged us to think about and pray with was “do not be afraid, open the door to Christ, God will not hurt us, God only wants to give what is good for us.”  I pray that I will have the courage to remember this and truly open the door to Christ. The weekly Prayer Meeting is one opportunity when I recall this prayer and continue to offer prayer and thanksgiving for Sr. Elvira and the Cenacolo Community, especially all the people I met over that weekend.

EASTER MESSAGE FROM M. ELVIRA

Let’s celebrate because Jesus’ Resurrection is the great feast of life.

Without His victory on death we would have never met, we would not be here. Easter Vigil is the greatest, most  joyful, brightest night of our life and of all time, the highest moment in history :Jesus leaves the grave, His life wins over death and sin! The youth in our Community really wish to sing, dance ,be happy and  celebrate life even  in the labour of their walk towards light: maybe they do not know why yet, but they have guessed something , they have seen something already!

The stone of death outside Jesus’  grave  rolls aside: that’s the power of love! We too have experienced the grave of darkness, hell, fear! Today we cannot go back to that grave: we have to look ahead  because Jesus has risen and we have met Him. We have met a Saviour, a Redeemer, a friend, a Lord stronger than death.

Thanks to Him our destiny is Resurrection too. This is our story. What is waiting for us today, tomorrow  and for ever are  Resurrection and eternal life. We must experience love to really believe in Resurrection : not only with our head, but with all of our life because the very love that you donate to your brothers and sisters  will make you rise! Suffering is the root of the tree of love and Resurrection is its fruit! Let’s go on celebrating , letting Jesus rise inside of us.  We have to welcome “the surprise” that Jesus ,through His Resurrection, wants to do to each of us.

It’s a special feast, it’s the “heart” of the world’s life and Jesus bears something beautiful and important in his mind for each of us. Let’s open our heart and let’s say freely :” Oh Lord ,You know better than me what I need now”. Jesus knows that and wishes to give us this gift: the Father gave Him this power , because He died on the cross and rose to make us rise again!

Happy Easter to everybody!

A YOUNG WOMAN’S STORY

My name is Carolina, and every day I spend in the Comunità Cenacolo I get more and more to know and love myself in truth. Accepting myself as I am has always been a great problem since I was a little girl, because I felt different from the other kids and it was hard to make friends. I didn’t feel my family close to me.  My parents used to work very hard to give us everything, but we children missed them a lot. I didn’t have a sincere relationship with them, but I had a strong one with my younger sister. I was the older child, so I felt responsible for her, but our parents had such different behaviours toward me and toward her that I got very jealous.  As a consequence, I became violent and tough to her. My parents brought me up well.  We were Catholic. I met Jesus, but we had no realistic view of faith. I was convinced that suffering had no meaning, so when I started to suffer, I felt disillusioned and I went away from God.

When I was about twelve, I started to ask myself many questions.  There were many problems in my family, but nobody spoke about them.  There was a heavy silence around us. I was full of anger so at school I became very insubordinate. I refused my family and started to wear masks with my friends to be accepted by them. I lost my personality and wrong relationships with my peers led me to lose my dignity and the values of life. I felt sadder and sadder, so at sixteen I left school and became addicted to light drugs first, then I passed to stronger ones. I was totally addicted to discos and other bad things. I thought I was free and happy, but I plunged deeper and deeper into evil. I needed money, so I started to steal. My only goal was to buy drugs.

I spent a lot of time in the streets, where I met heroin. I used to say to myself, “Just today.  Tomorrow I’ll quit,” but that moment never came. When I realized I could not get out of it, I asked my mother for help. She told me about the Comunità Cenacolo, but when I knew it was Christian, I refused it because to me God was responsible of all my problems. I was false. I didn’t consider myself addicted because I was young, my teeth weren’t falling out, and I didn’t suffer from hepatitis. I was pretty ok, so why such a hard life? I left home and went on taking drugs. That’s when my life plunged into total darkness and desperation. I didn’t see a future for myself. I felt bad and full of shame, so I decided to enter the Community to be helped, because I had no other place to go. The girls were very welcoming and patient.  What really struck me was that even if I told them bad words and rejected them, they showed me a lot of love. I didn’t often do what I was told, but I was not punished.  They only asked me to start again, being honest.

I started to trust Jesus again when I saw that He was with me in my sorrow.  When I felt bad, I experienced His presence through others and in prayer. During the first two years my heart was full of darkness.  I still liked drugs a lot, and I realized this when I went home for a few days. When I went back to the Community, I wanted to wipe everything out, pretending I was ok. Thank God, I was moved to another house where they asked me to remain in silence. Thanks to this and to the prayers of my sisters, my conscience started to shout. For the first time I realized how much work I still had to do. So I started my walk towards the light, which I consider a privilege and a great gift.

Now I have been in the Community house of Lourdes for some time and the sweetness of Our Lady is healing me.  Today I understand that forgiving is better than evil.  None of our mistakes prevent God from loving us and now I feel I’m a daughter, loved by Him and by the Community. Today I feel I really wish to return this love by helping others, because I do want to learn how to love.

Thank you, Jesus, and thank you, Mother Elvira, and all the Cenacolo family because you gave me the opportunity to turn my life from evil into beauty and truth.

   FROM OUR LAST NEWSLETTER

ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND -  MAY 8th and 9th 2010 In preparation for all the visitors who arrived for the Anniversary weekend the lads completely repainted the house inside and out.  The dry weather in April helped.  Indeed everything looked spick and span!   The Anniversary weekend brought with it joy and worry. This was the first time that some of the lads had seen their parents since entering in to the Community. Time in Community gives the lads the opportunity to reflect on their pasts and their relationships with their families and friends. Not knowing what to expect from a visiting relative can raise concerns and worries in the hearts of the lads. They are always schooled to take their worries to Jesus in prayer, to place them into his hands and to trust.   The lads know that their actions in the past have often been very hurtful to their families. Some of them too, have realised that what lead them down the wrong path in the past is often caught up with family relationships and dysfunction.   They are helped to realise that whilst they have been given the gift of Community, a time to change, this is not so for their parents and other family members. In this way they are helped to have a realistic expectation of the meetings with their families.   One of the priests of the Community, Fr Andrea came to lead the celebrations. He brought with him Paul who had been transferred from Kendal to Italy just before Christmas. Paul led the music because, as yet, the Dodding Green Community does not have its own musician. It was a great joy to see Paul again and to learn that he is doing well in his new place in Envie.   The Anniversary was a time of blessing and joy. The seeming quiet that descends upon the House after all the high jinx of the celebrations gives the lads the opportunity for reflection. It will be a time of growth. But it can also be a time when the lads become unsettled; it is an important time to pray for them.       Dear Friends,   We would like to share with you some of the more unique experiences of our lives in Community at Dodding Green this year.   On the 19th February Diego and Fabio went for the meeting of the older lads of Community.  This is an annual event when the older lads receive support and guidance from the Community priests and to share with each other their experiences.  This is a very important time of growth for those who attend, vital to their own journey and to enable them to better support their Community brothers.  This year the meeting was held in the Community House at Loreto. Whilst there, they also went to Assisi to learn a bit about the story of St Francis and found it to be another touching moment in Community life.   When they returned to Kendal we finished the wall on the field close to the pond taking back the old design of the house, now it look beautiful because of all the restoration work the lads have done.   On the 25th March we lived another big event in our Community, our nuns have been recognised by the Church and now have their own order that is called “Missionary Sisters of Resurrection”   On the 5th May Fr. Andrea came over with Paul (one of our brother who used to live in the house at Dodding Green) for the anniversary of the house.  For the first time we had Mass outside in front of the barn, which was celebrated by Bishop Michael. The next day we had a nice day with our parents and Fr. Chris said Mass for us.  Days with our families are big gifts for us and we thank God for them.   After this weekend we started to build the wall behind the barn and do the plasterboards in the barn.   On the 14th July Diego, Edward, and David went to the festival of life in Italy it was a time full of prayer and David was transferred to the house ‘Madonna della Neve’ Deigo and Edward came back with Matteo, a new lad for the house in Kendal.   We finished the wall, which was the last one, and now the property looks complete. On the 19th September Diego, Michael and Fr. Chris went to Birmingham to see the Pope.  It was amazing to see how many people had gathered together to welcome him and to live this historical event.  We spent our time in prayer and song waiting for him to arrive. The Pope gave a very powerful homily about the life of Cardinal Newman and how strong he was in his Faith.  It was a deeply spiritual and beautiful gift to be with some many like-minded people in peace and prayer at this special occasion.   All the lads here in Kendal want to thank you for your prayers, support, and providence, we say prayers for you every day and ask God to grant what is good for you.   The Community, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Kendal         The day the Pope arrived in the UK Casa Madre at Saluzzo sent an email to their British friends wishing them well on the special occasion. How thoughtful, I concluded. And then, with typical Cenacolo timing, there was a call from Saluzzo to Dodding Green asking the lads what the arrangements were for them to take part in the visit!   Well, although the diocese had been in touch with the House in June with the offer of tickets, no take-up had been agreed. So panic stations! How to get hold of tickets, to acquire a place for a Papal event at such short notice with all the stringent security arrangements in place?   Again, with typical Cenacolo luck, it could not have been easier; permission was given, coach places were found and Diego and Michal found themselves at Birmingham for the Beatification of Cardinal Newman. In the midst of 60,000 others they represented the Cenacolo Community at this most important of Papal events.   And what an event it was! As the Pope appeared the drizzle gave way to sunshine and a flawless liturgy ensued. The Holy Father spoke of his personal admiration for Cardinal Newman and his writings; he emphasised the Cardinals pastoral zeal in looking after the sick and needy, and his burning conviction about education for everyone for life.   What impressed most of us was the great sense of family, of belonging to something so great and yet so intimate. The atmosphere was one of palpable joy.   The reality of the Papal visit stood in stark contrast to the augers of doom in the press and media prior to its commencement. The Holy Father’s message was, in so many ways, the message of Cenacolo, that all the good things in our society have their roots in the Gospel of Christ; we need to return to those roots, for, whilst an aggressive secular society may seem to offer all kinds of blandishments, they are but a mirage of true happiness. True happiness can only be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ, embracing his cross so as to receive the crown of life. Fr. Chris.   Thoughts on the Wider Aspects of Cenacolo    The Cenacolo Movement is obviously a work of the Holy Spirit. It is, in fact, God’s response to the crying need amongst our young people for direction and purpose.   Nowhere more than in Britain is this need felt. This liberal western democracy, in common with those in much of Europe and North America, has failed its young people.   Our young people are lead to believe that satisfaction lies in material goods, or celebrity, or many and varied sexual encounters. There has been a dislocation between rights and responsibilities. The exaltation of the individual is perpetuated by such constructs as Rogerian Person-Centred Counselling and psychotherapeutic babble, which lead people away from taking responsibility for their own actions and into a spiral of narcissism. Many young people in our society have a gaping emptiness within them but are unable to articulate it. The emptiness is masked by certain forms of anaesthesia: alcohol, recreational sex, drug and substance abuse etc.   If all of the above is seen as clinical condition, then Cenacolo is one of the medicines of choice. Cenacolo offers not a de-tox, or a rehab; it offers a School of Life.   These restless young people are longing for a place that they have never been, for, as that wayward young man of 1,600 years ago, Augustine of Hippo said, ‘Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.’ (God) It took him a long time to recognise that it is only in a relationship with God that we truly come alive, that we truly find love, he said, ‘Late have I loved Thee Love so ancient and new, late have I loved Thee.’   Love and truth is what Cenacolo offer the disaffected young people of our day. The task of those involved with Cenacolo is to do our very best to work as agents of the Holy Spirit enabling Him to work his miracles in the lives of the young people who come our way.   One of the Key Elements is to ensure that what is lived at Dodding Green is an authentic experience of Cenacolo. But this element is not within the remit of Trustees or Friends (Co-workers) it resides with the integrity of those who are appointed to leadership roles within the House. The most important action of those who wish to support Cenacolo is prayer. This must be regular, faithful, and on going. Prayer really is the key.   M. Elvira for 12 years prayed before she was allowed to begin this work of Grace; the work is only ever accomplished through prayer. Prayer provides the conduit through which the Lord God can pour his mercy and peace. Without prayer the work remains at a worldly level with no eternal value. If those associated with Cenacolo are not regularly in prayer for the Cenacolo then they should step away. Those who try to help Cenacolo without prayer are a countersign to all that Cenacolo is about; those who try to help Cenacolo without prayer are working towards a good feeling for themselves. Cenacolo is always about the other and never about self.   Therefore, the actions of the prayer groups around the country are very important. These groups, together with those individuals who pray each day for Cenacolo, form the bedrock of support for the boys and girls in Community. So it is important that these Groups are well run, that they know what their purpose is and that they remain faithful at all times to the prayer. They may never see the fruit of their prayer, but, as St. Paul says, ‘We live by faith and not by sight.’ But any visit to a Cenacolo will give sight of success. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was given to say that we are not called to be successful but only faithful. Cenacolo relies heavily on those faithful souls who give of themselves individually or collectively to prayer for the Community.   There are, of course, two sorts of prayer group: one is a ‘listening or filtering’ group where, besides the prayer, addicts and other disaffected young people are welcomed and nurtured and assessed for their suitability to enter Community. The final assessment is usually done by the lads already in Community. There are 4 of these groups spread throughout the UK. The other sort of group simply spends time regularly in prayer for the work of Cenacolo. More of these groups need to be established for there can never be too much prayer. Parents and friends in parts of the country where there is no Cenacolo prayer group should be encouraged to gather together on a regular basis to pray for Cenacolo. These would not be ‘listening or filtering’ points but simply supportive prayer groups.   If it is true, as most of the statistics indicate, that the UK has the highest incidence of drug abuse in Europe, then our Cenacolo should be inundated with requests for help. But that is not the case.   At a recent meeting of 50+ priests just over half had heard of Cenacolo and of those who had heard of it, not all were au fait with its raison d’etre. So if that is the case amongst the clergy, how much greater amongst the Catholic population at large and indeed, the wider community, is the ignorance of Cenacolo?   The question of how best to get across to the wider public the message of Cenacolo needs to be addressed. Of course this is not new, and it has been addressed previously in a variety of ways. The lads give testimonies up and down the country; there have been articles in the past in The Times, The Tablet and other organs. There is a leaflet in circulation that sets out the basics of the message of Cenacolo; and of course there is always word of mouth.   But perhaps we are missing a trick; it will be only in an ad hoc fashion that those who regularly deal with drug addicts, will have heard about Cenacolo: doctors, certain nurses, social workers and the like. It maybe that we should seek to get an article in the Nursing Times or the BMJ or whatever the periodical is that is used by social workers. Even some of the lifestyle magazines read by young people might be a target. It might be possible to do a leaflet drop to all the social work departments in the country and also GP surgeries and GUM clinics. Of course, this sort of publicity should only be undertaken by those responsible for Cenacolo (Trustees or their agents). St Thomas Aquinas told us that ‘grace builds on nature.’ In regards to publicity, we have to engage all our natural abilities so that grace can be brought to bear in the lives of many more young men and women enthralled to drugs.   In Britain Cenacolo is a registered Charity; the main benefit of such status is financial; the ability to claim Gift Aid on donations given to Cenacolo and other such financial breaks. All charities are overseen by the Charity Commission to whom financial accounts and a report have to be submitted annually. Each charity has to have registered trustees who are responsible in law for those aspects of the charity governed by statute and to ensure that the stated ethos of the charity is adhered to.   At the time of writing, Cenacolo in the UK has three trustees. They are responsible in broad terms for the administration of the Charity. For example, it is they who negotiate the terms of the lease at Dodding Green with the Landlords, it is they who are responsible for ensuring finance is available to paying bills etc.   But the programme followed by the lads is a matter for the Responsible of the House, as is the transfer of a lad to another Community, and all such matters. The day-to-day administration is undertaken by others (Friends of the Community): paying of bills, liaison with the local community, communication with the planning authority and so on.   The running of prayer meetings and support for parents etc. is the work too, of volunteers. The spiritual formation of the boys is a shared responsibility with priests who are charged to visit the Community and with the Responsible.   The overall charge of Cenacolo in the UK as elsewhere lies with M. Elvira and the Priests of the Community in Saluzzo; it is they who are the custodians of the movement; it is they who discern the movement of the Holy Spirit; it is they who have been placed in the leadership of this Community. And now this has been officially recognised by the Church in the decree received recently from the Vatican Congregation for the Laity. Trustees, Friends and Clergy are guided by the light of faith disseminated through M. Elvira et al.   However, we can be sure that this work of grace will be a prime target for the spirit of evil; that spirit seeks to sow division, chaos, dissension even amongst those who have the best interests of Cenacolo at heart.   The boys and girls in Community are made aware of the need for constant vigilance for that which will rob them of their new-found peace. One of the key weapons in our arsenal in this regard is humility. Egoism, pride has no place. Jesus told us to, ‘Seek the lowest place, to be the one who serves, who washes feet.’ In this regard too, the protection of the prayers of our Blessed Lady and of St. Michael should be sought.   As it says at the beginning of this article, Cenacolo is a work of the Holy Spirit, God’s response of love for his children. Throughout the ages God has intervened in the history of the human race and raised up men and women of vision: Bernard of Clairvaux, Catherine of Siena, Francis of Assisi, John Bosco, Teresa of Calcutta and countless others.   These visionary people have swept others along with them forming great movements within the Church. M. Elvira and the Cenacolo Movement is God’s response for the disaffected youth of our day.   To be involved with it is not only a privilege; it is a remarkable sign of God’s trust in us. Our response to this work of grace surely has to be that of Mary to the Angel Gabriel: a whole hearted, ‘Yes.’ For God has looked upon his servants in their nothingness…so that he might raise up those who are bowed down. Cenacolo is nothing other than God’s response of mercy in our time.   These musings come as a result of some conversations that I have had over the summer on how Cenacolo is changing as it develops; it is organic, a living organism and it must be expected to adapt to its time and place just as the Church in general does. Cenacolo is now a public organisation within the Church, some of those approaching Cenacolo for help come with different problems than those who approached it in the past.   It is over five years since a Cenacolo Community was established in this country, and today’s Community, whilst retaining the ethos and framework of the past, is a different community. The lads are different, far fewer are heroin addicts, a new generation with new problems is emerging. And just as Cenacolo in general is recognising this and adapting to the needs of the young people, so too, must we who help and support our community. We have got to be aware of the reality now, so as to serve better the boys and girls of today and the future.   Fr. Christopher Loughran       From February 2010 because it is so important Yes, I know that the traffic in Rome is always bad but it was even worse the evening I arrived (Oct 16th) with Diego and Denis (Irish Responsible). The taxi driver explained that an elderly driver had launched himself (accidentally) into the Tiber demolishing part of the bridge near the Vatican causing Lungo Tevere to be blocked off and near gridlock everywhere else.   Friday, however, the traffic was back to its normal terrifying state and I noticed workers were busy repairing the shattered bridge as I headed toward the church of the Holy Spirit (Santo Spirito in Sassia).   What an appropriate church in which to keep vigil whilst Mother Elvira and the custodians of Cenacolo were in the Aula Magna (Great Hall) of the Pontifical Council of the Laity receiving from Cardinal Rylko (President) the document which recognises Comunità Cenacolo as an International Association of the Faithful. And ‘keep vigil’ we did.   About a thousand people – members and friends of the Community – gathered for Eucharistic Adoration, prayer and song. And then, after two hours in Vigil, we went to St. Peter’s Square to meet up with Mother Elvira et al when they returned from receiving this recognition. But we had to wait quite a while for them. This hiatus gave me the opportunity to catch up with some of the boys who have been through the English House and are now in other Houses. First I met Christian who had just been transferred back to Italy from Florida; Rainer, now at Envie, was his usual self; Martin from Scotland who is still using his musical talents. All seemed to be in good form even though they had spent the night sleeping on the floor of a school gymnasium! Eventually Mother Elvira appeared and there was great rejoicing. The day was crowned by Holy Mass at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica presided over by Cardinal Comastri, the Archpriest of the Basilica, he was supported by three bishops and twenty odd priests. It was a fitting conclusion to a very important and exciting day.   Saturday dawned somewhat grey and overcast. I trundled my way, courtesy of the Roman Underground, to Basilica San Paolo. Here the former bishop of Saluzzo, Mgr Diego Bona, was the main celebrant at   Mass. He was the bishop who very early in the life of Cenacolo recognised the potential of the Community and took it under his wing. This particular basilica, where the Apostle Paul is buried, has an important place in my heart, for it was there, as Cenacolo was being born on the hill of Saluzzo, that I was ordained deacon for the Church.   It was at the end of this Mass that Fr Stefano read out the decree of the Holy See received the previous day, and it was met with great applause.   Now Cenacolo is no longer simply an association of the diocese of Saluzzo, it is an international organisation of the whole Church. As Fr Stefano wrote: We are deeper in the heart of the Church, united to the heart of the Pope, a work of God placed in his hands and at his service, fully cognizant of this great gift. After a little free time to explore this vast basilica, a packed lunch was consumed and the body of Cenacolo sped off to the Catacombs of St. Callistus – a treat I missed.   On the final day of this great Triduum, we returned to where we had started on Friday at Santo Spirito in Sassia where Holy Mass was celebrated. This time it was more a family affair; no cardinal or bishops, just the Community priests and one or two other priest friends. Fr Stefano presided and preached about love and service. At the conclusion of this Mass, once again we decanted to St. Peter’s Square to await the Pope who appeared on the dot of noon, prayed the Angelus and gave some words of encouragement to the vast crowd thronging the square. He then went on to greet certain groups gathered in the square and when he mentioned Comunità Cenacolo a great cheer went up from the Cenacolo contingent. The Holy Father mentioned the work of the Community before passing on to the next group.   And then we were into farewells: hugs, kisses, a few tears and then dispersal back to the various Houses of the Community to continue this work of God under the watchful patronage of our Lady, Mother of Cenacolo.   Fr Chris Loughran         2009 It is always a joy for the lads in Cenacolo when one of the priests of the Community visits from Italy. So it was with great excitement that the lads at Dodding Green welcomed Don Massimo to the House, together with Jerome, one of the Consecrated of the Community. Don Massimo and Jerome arrived on Wed 25th Nov. so that they would be present for the weekend of the ‘Nativity’.   For a couple of days before the weekend Don Massimo was able to spend time with the Dodding Community taking stock, teaching, admonishing and engaging with the lads on their ‘walk’ in Community. The parents began to arrive on Thursday evening and many of them stayed at the Salesian convent at Brettargh Holt. Most visited the house at Dodding Green during the day on Friday, then later the lads and their parents assembled at Brettargh Holt, where Holy Mass was celebrated by Don Massimo in English - a first for him! However, his homily was given in Italian and translated by Jerome. After the Mass Daniel gave his testimony as did Dennis; and then dinner. The evening was concluded by a period of gentle silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, after which the lads departed to Dodding Green. The contrast in the weather between last year’s nativity and this year’s could not have been greater. Last year the ground was ice-hard following days of severe frost and snow. The nativity this year came in the middle of what seemed like the monsoon season! It had rained almost non-stop for at least a couple of weeks, and to say that it was damp underfoot was a gross misstatement. Cumbria had experienced its worst flooding in a 100 years and nearly everywhere was awash with water. But the play went ahead (maxim: the show must go on!) Indeed, it was an answer to prayer that the Saturday of the play dawned bright and dry; there was a blue sky and even some sunshine. But before the nativity play many, many guests were welcomed to the House, most of whom seemed laden with gifts of food. In the late morning all assembled in the chapel to pray the rosary which was a prelude to Holy Mass, again celebrated by Don Massimo in English. Because of the paucity of space in the chapel, the Mass was relayed to a group in one of the downstairs rooms via a television link. After Mass the vast amount of food brought to the House by so many was consumed by the same many! There was a time for the lads to share with their parents and others members of their family.   In the afternoon, the group divided into two for ‘testimonies.’ Daniel, Jean (one of the mums) and Neil (a former member of the Community) spoke in the chapel whilst Paul, Mary (a mum) and Alex spoke in the room downstairs.   As twilight turned into the dark of the evening, and as to full moon and the stars made their appearance, the scene was set of the Nativity Play, which took place in the field immediately in front of the House. The lads, many of their parents and members of their families together with one or two others (including a real baby!) told the great story of the incarnation from the Annunciation of Mary to the Birth of Jesus. It was a very moving event.   Gradually the many became the few as people drifted away. Eventually just the families and one or two others were left, and Don Massimo provided entertainment with jokes and magic tricks. Then the whole assembly repaired to the chapel for a rosary in thanksgiving for the blessings of the day.   Sunday was scheduled as a day for the families. All the high jinx of the Open Day and Nativity Play behind them, the lads were able to spend some quieter time with their families. They only have the opportunity to meet up about twice a year and very often much needs to be said; love needs to be renewed; forgiveness offered and the path to peace and restoration journeyed along a little further. Much hurt, much misunderstanding has to be overcome or worked through in all quarters.   Cenacolo is quite patently a work of the Holy Spirit; it is a work that receives its energy from the prayers of many people. It is so important to pray, pray, pray for these lads and for those who have not yet found Cenacolo, those whom God is calling to liberty from addiction. Prayer is the duty of those both near and far to sustain this action of the Kingdom of God. May Jesus the Good Shepherd be merciful and may Mary, Mother of Cenacolo continue to intercede. Fr Chris Loughran   Once again, Thankyou for all your prayers, help and support. ‘The Lads’Our Lady Queen of Martyrs       “From Darkness To The Light” FROM A PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER   Enlightened Freedom How nice it is to smile while singing. If we would do this in our families, there would always be peace. This is what peace is: someone who overcomes a moment of crisis and sings and looks in their children’s eyes. What a nice story. Just think it is so simple to give yourself orders. We are capable of telling ourselves, “I want to smile”. For example, you leave your house, you have a thorn in your heart, but before thinking only about yourself, about what offended you, about the provocation that you did not like, or the fact that someone responded badly to you… it is not important! Decide to smile, to think about who you meet on the street, because we would all like to be joyful, in peace. We would all like to be right; we would all like gratification, all of us! But we cannot always think about ourselves and demand or expect that others bow their heads to us or clap their hands in approval of us… We want to see who we really are, who we are deep down. This morning is the morning to let our masks “fly”. We need space within us, light within us, joy within us, but no one can give us these things from the exterior: space, joy, freedom… everything that we seek is within us. Just think at times we seek happiness in exterior things, outside of us. For example: if your mother comes you are happy because you see your parents. But that is just a crumb! You must already have joy! Because you have many gifts, many values! And you leave all of those treasures behind and hope to find happiness because maybe someone smiles at you! But your value came before that smile! There is your life, which has such an immense value! We must live joy, trust, hope, and gratitude towards God and toward others, towards everyone. We should always be on our knees to say “thank you, thank you, thank you!”. We should first thank God because we are alive and because He is the source of our lives. And then thank our brothers, sisters, everyone, because they are the greatest gift that the Father has given us after the gift of our lives, because being alone you die, and being alone life looses its meaning. Now I was telling you, this is the moment that this hill transforms itself into an “ocean of mercy”. Today we want to take off our masks, because we need interior cleaning. Let’s think of how many times we confessed leaving out and hiding a part of ourselves that still hurts us, that we don’t want to see, and exactly because we do not want to see it, it is rotting within us and saddening our lives. Now this morning we want to say to ourselves, “I want to be freed!”. We go to confess ourselves because it will be the greatest thing that we will see, that we will do in these days. It will be the greatest miracle: God’s mercy, Mother Elvira August 2009   Festival of Life - Festa della Vita “Mercy and Truth have met, Justice and Peace have embraced,” these words, taken from Psalm 84, were the theme or the strap-line for this year’s Festa della Vita (FdV), the 26th anniversary of the founding of the Cenacolo Community. The FdV was held this year from July 16th to 19th in the Northern Italian city of Saluzzo where the Community was born, and I think that is the right verb to use – ‘born’, for the Community certainly came to life and it has been life-giving ever since. The 26 years since 1983 have seen a phenomenal growth in the Cenacolo movement. From one small dilapidated house for a few addicted young men, the movement now has 60 houses across the world for boys and girls, some ‘mixed houses’ and what they refer to as the missions: houses in South America where, after a few years in community, some of the boys and girls go to work with the street children abandoned, rejected by their parents and society. The FdV is both a gift and a cross for those who attend. The gift is that the boys and girls are able to meet their parents and family who turn up for the FdV. They are able to renew friendship with the boys and girls who they met in other houses. It is a time for catechesis, to take part in celebratory Masses, to enter into the joy of recitals. It also may be possible to meet Mother Elvira and the priests of the Community. Oh yes a great gift; but also a cross: having lived a quiet, orderly life in their various houses, all this activity can be disconcerting and, as our boys often say, it can end up in a boy being ‘off his head,’ In other words being disturbed by the onslaught to his senses. Usually it takes a period to readjust. The FdV 2009 was graced by a goodly number from the UK. 3 boys from the House went, as did a number of parents of boys and girls in the Community; there was a pleasing number of those who support the House at Dodding Green and run the Prayer Meetings. 3 priests who are associated with the House were present and a representative of the Trustees made the Journey. This year the FdV was graced by the presence of a Cardinal. Christophe Cardinal Schonborn the Archbishop of Vienna came along and celebrated a couple of the Masses and gave a catechism on the theme of the FdV. He is a great supporter of the Cenacolo Houses in Austria.The Cardinal is quite a scholar, he was chosen, among with others, by Pope John Paul II to write the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Whilst his contribution at FdV was scholarly, it was also delivered in a simple and direct way benefiting the boys and girls and those of us with less academic tendencies. This year there was a new ‘recital’. That is the name given by the Community to the epic productions put on by the young people of Cenacolo. This new recital was entitled Credo, and it mapped, in a very clever way, the journey from the creation of our first parents and the fall (original sin), to redemption by Jesus our Lord. It ended with the risen Lord - as the creed says – descending into hell and calling forth the lost souls. It was a theatrical representation of the vast icon to be found in the chapel of the Community in Medjugorje. On the last day of the FdV, and at the final Mass, Fr Stefano made an important announcement. Until now the Community Cenacolo has been an organisation of the Diocese of Saluzzo, but the Community has obviously out grown its origins. Fr. Stefano was able to tell us that Cenacolo has been recognised by the Holy See as an International Association of the Lay Faithful and will now come under the jurisdiction of the Congregation of the Laity – one of the Roman departments. So the Church has recognised the work of the Cenacolo as a work of the Kingdom of God.  This status will be officially conferred in October. The FdV was a blessed time, and an exhausting one. It was a time of great love and joy, and for some a little sadness. As the name indicates, the FdV is a celebration of life. All who read this article are encouraged to respond to the invitation to be ‘life-giving.’ What can you do for Cenacolo? Give a donation, take providence to the house (the boys have hollow legs!) but most of all, pray for the Community every day. Pray for a blessing on each boy; pray that God will send more boys to our House who will benefit from Community. Pray for the Prayer Meetings that support the Community. Pray for the Community throughout the world. Pray, pray, pray. Fr. Chris Loughran (Fr. Chris is the priest appointed by the bishop for the Community at Dodding Green.)     FROM A PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER August 2008 The Journey of Hope Continues Twenty-five years ago, God’s love started the Community Cenacolo and initiated a continuous journey of hope!  We began the first steps of this adventure trusting only in God’s love, and the hope that we had in our hearts grew and was confirmed as we witnessed the fidelity of God. Faith in Him has kept the flame of hope alive within us, which has become service through small, welcoming, and loving gestures each day.  Today this love is visible to all those who love us, who are amazed by the living miracle of the resurrection that happens in the lives of the youth that the Community welcomes. We can no longer deny that the risen Christ is alive among us, because it is Him who makes each one of us rise each day. His love extends to and is freely given to all mankind, he protects us, defends us, immerses himself in our lives made up of good and evil, of health and sickness, of strength and weakness, of faith and atheism… our God does not leave anyone out.  He is a universal God that is present and continues to look down upon us always, everyday and in all situations.  Even those who do not want to recognize Him or deny the resurrection are embraced by His mercy, which rises like the sun each day over the good and evil, the just and unjust, over all of us, and even reaches those who refuse Him.  He who is the infinite tenderness that covers and illuminates the whole world is the one that picks us back up and forgives. God loves above and beyond our measurements. He is infinite love without boundaries, is mercy without limits, which is shown to us through the acts of Jesus. We have listened to Him, have contemplated Him, have touched Him, have eaten Him… and now we must say, like the apostle John, “we announce Him to you”. Christianity must run through our lives from our heads to our feet. Our beliefs must be spontaneously demonstrated by every gesture, look, and feeling. We are not Christians only when we are asked to be, but always!  Our mission, as believers, is to announce the joy of the encounter that has transformed our lives by smiles that communicate hope, with goodness lived freely, with a pure heart free of interests and ambitions.  These gestures of authentic goodness permit our God, who in Jesus of Nazareth, who took upon himself our human nature, to sanctify our fragility, making us capable of giving life and of experiencing the secret of true joy, which Jesus promised us. Life is a gift, which is to be given!  God’s mercy initiated a journey that, step by step, is unveiled before our eyes as a true, original, fascinating, and beautiful story that continues. May the Lord grant us the fidelity to follow Him and the joy to serve Him!   Mother Elvira July 2008   Festival of Life ~ July 2008 In the long history of the Catholic Church twenty-five years seems but a speck of dust on the calendar.  But in a human lifetime twenty-five years can be a significant period.  And, as Cenacolo deals very much with human life, it was appropriate, right, and proper that its first twenty-five years should have been the cause of great celebration and rejoicing.  And so it came to pass that an international gathering was held in early July 2008 on the hill above the northern Italian city of Saluzzo . The rejoicing was in communion with heaven where they ‘rejoice over one repentant sinner’ (Luke 15:7) and the number far exceeded one.  Celebrating because they were ‘lost and had been found; dead and were now alive.’ (Luke 15:24) Who were repentant, who were lost, and who had come back to life?  Countless boys and girls caught up in the drug culture, the culture of death, who had encountered the Cenacolo community and life. Indeed, what we gathered to celebrate on that hill above Saluzzo was the ‘Festival of Life.’  This is an annual event but celebrated with much more zest in this Silver Jubilee year.  The theme was: Do whatever He tells you (John 2:5) the words of our Lady at the wedding feast of Cana; words which were followed by those serving at the Wedding Feast, words which brought joy and life not only to the young newly-weds but to every one who follows them. When Sister (as she then was – later Mother) Elvira Petrozzi; was given the ramshackle, dilapidated, semi-derelict property by Saluzzo town council and she went to take possession of it in 1985, she found an image of our Lady above the main door of this property.  Mary was waiting for the arrival of Cenacolo and Mary has stood by and blest Cenacolo ever since.  That property, which has been lovingly restored and is now pristine, is a metaphor for the lives of the Cenacolo boys and girls.  They too, were ramshackle, dilapidated and derelict, but Mary was waiting for them; dwelling in the heart of Elvira and latterly Stefano and the other priests and consecrated of the community, she was telling them:        Do whatever He tells you.  Mary through these human agents was leading these derelicts to her Son, Jesus so that the true work of restoration might be wrought.  And that is what the ‘Festival of Life’ celebrated, not the restoration of a property twenty-five years ago but the restoration of countless lives over these twenty-five years. This Festival had many constituent parts: sound teaching from Mgr. Giovanni from the Secretariat of State at the Vatican (though you would never have known it!), from Mother Elvira, Fr. Stefano and one or two others; musical/dramatic presentations by the boys and girls of the community; poignant celebration of the Mass and Sacrament of Reconciliation, Holy Hours and recitation of the Rosary.  But underpinning all this was love.  The observer saw the love and joy of the boys and girls meeting up with parents and other members of the family, the healings of relationships that were taking place, the renewal of family bonds.  The joy too of meeting up with Cenacolo brothers or sisters who had lived in community together and then had separated mainly because of transfers.  There was the great joy of realising that Cenacolo boys and girls are members of a world-wide family. Cenacolo will never be perfect because it is made up of sinful human beings.  But God in his great humility has blest this work, it is a movement of the Holy Spirit, it is a work of the Kingdom of God .  Ad multos annos!   Fr. Christopher Loughran   Memories of the Festival of Life from members of the Kendal Community My name is Darren, I am thirty-four and I come from Scotland .  At the time of writing this I have only been in Community for six weeks. I entered into the house in Kendal. In my second week I received the gift of going to the festival of Life in Saluzzo , Italy .  On the flight from the airport I was feeling nervous, as I didn’t know what to expect when we arrived in Italy . On the first day of the Festival, I have to admit I felt as if I didn’t fit in, as most of the other lads in the Community seemed to know lads from other houses. On the second day the families arrived and I felt more at ease with myself, as I knew some of the families from the meetings in Carfin , Scotland . During the Festival I listened to the testimonies of the guys and girls in Community and I was enlightened by their stories. Although I still felt fragile and closed in on myself, my Guardian Angel, Neil, gave me the push to join in with dances and songs of the Fest in order to liberate myself and feel a part of the Community. The highlight of the Fest for me was seeing Mother Elvira for the first time.  The strength and the love she has for the Community is an inspiration for all who have heard her talks during the Festival. I would like to thank the community for allowing me the gift of attending the Festival, as one of the mothers from Scotland explained to me, the gift I received at the Festival was seeing all the lads from other communities and how Cenacolo is working in their lives.                                                                                My name is Sascha, I am from Austria and have been in Community for 17 months.  When I heard we were going to stay in Italy I felt very happy and content about this. On the way to the airport we were in good humour and I thought about the things I wanted to talk about with my family. When we arrived in Italy I felt at home, because my first year in Community was in Italy .  It was a great gift to see my family again; I’d not seen any of them for seven months.  I had a good time with my mother and the rest of the family.  During the Fest I also met a lot of friends from other houses and I was able to talk with them and share our experiences and the things I am living in Community in England . I took a lot from the catechisms by Mother Elvira, Father Stefano, other Priests, and friends of our Community.  In many times of prayer, like Adoration, Mass, or Rosaries, I could feel the Spirit of our Community – It gave me a feeling of unity and friendship. Also it was nice to use the gift of Confession during the Fest and I was very motivated to confess myself, to live free in this beautiful location. Also I felt during the Fest like one big family because of all the friendship and love I could feel between all of us. I really want to say ‘thank you’ to the community for this gift.                                                                             My name is Federico I am from Italy and have lived in Community for 5 ½ years. The last period before the Festival of Life was busy, as always.  We were able to finish the wall in front of the barn and fitted the gate.  But the most important thing was to see Sean and Darren enter in our house. It was a nice surprise to hear that we were all going to Italy for the Festival of Life and the last couple of days were dedicated only to clean up everything and talking about Italy . The travel was good and I was happy to see all the families and friends coming with us. When we arrived in Saluzzo we were a bit tired but happy as well to see all the area ready for the Fest. Lots of memories came into my mind about past Festivals and all the good experiences I had in the main house.  This Festival for me was a bit different than the others because I felt like being home with my best friends, sharing with them my time in England and all the times that I am living in this period. I was also very busy, because with Nicola, I was asked to look after the stall that issued radios for translations – this was a big commitment, which I really enjoyed. All the moments of prayer and the catechisms were powerful as always and especially Mother Elvira who was shining like the sun, spreading vitality all over the Fest. Going to the Fest for the 6th time was something special.  Its never the same, its always a big emotion to see all the families with their boys and girls, singing, dancing, praying and crying for joy. What makes me feel happy was also to have the time to talk with my Mom, pray with her and also laughing and joking like never before and especially with peace in our hearts. The English-speaking day was powerful as well, I was really touched by all the testimonies, and I also enjoyed singing with the American and English boys and girls. Once again the Community was able to open my heart and my eyes about all the miracles that I have seen during these years living in Cenacolo, all the good friends I have made and all the healing that I have received – and continue to receive every day through the help of my brothers.       Witness of a Friend I have been a friend of Cenacolo UK for three years now. I would like to share with you God’s work that takes place at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Dodding Green near Kendal Cumbria. At our meetings I see young men thoroughly dejected and desperate to make that huge step to normality.  Make no mistake about it is a very difficult journey to make but with God’s help and the companionship of a Guardian Angel  (a member of the community who has been through the initial pain and agony of giving up drugs and/or alcohol) together with the support from the rest of the guys, a remarkable transformation takes place. Instead of a rather dishevelled appearance the young men become upright and proud and noticeably happy. Whilst they are in the community they are self-disciplined, undertake a life of prayer, sheer hard work and live only by the providence of charity. I have watched the derelict barn being transformed although there is still much work to be done. The self-made, Italian style, dry stone walled gardens in which the young men grow their own fruits and vegetables are quite regal in appearance. This hard manual work instils in them a pride that I would guess they would never have imagined.  They truly can stand back and say I did that, although no one seeks to individualise himself, they are a group, and no-one person seeks credit. The work at Dodding Green is ongoing as there is much to accomplish especially the barn restoration, which will be used as workshops with a meeting room on the upper floor. I feel a tremendous pride and thanks to God for bringing the Cenacolo Community to Kendal.                                                                                   Joan   A huge THANKYOU to the many anonymous donors, who we are unable to write to personally.         When you have finished reading this newsletter, please pass it on to someone else, thereby spreading the word of the Cenacolo Community and all its good works Thankyou     www.cenacolofriends.org.uk      www.comunitacenacolo.it     We offer our most sincere thanks and gratitude to everyone who helps to provide for the UK Cenacolo Community at Kendal. This includes all those generous people who take gifts of food and household items to the house and all who provide their financial assistance through direct donations and standing orders. Some donations arrive anonymously and we have no other way of saying ‘Thank you’ other that through this Web site or the Newsletter.                                                                                                                  Bryan So, once again, a most sincere ‘thank you’ to one and all.     FRIENDS FOR A UK CENACOLO COMMUNITY    Registered Charity 1089689 Single donation:   I enclose a cheque/postal order donation of  £……….   Payable to:    ‘Friends for a UK Cenacolo Commumity'           Standing Order  - For anyone who could support us with regular donations. Please request the appropriate form from: The treasurer, 9 Maple Drive Kendal Cumbria, LA9 5BN