I must admit that i agreed to volunteering to attend the chapter for the entire week with a certain degree of apprehension. For one, i hadn't a clue what was expected of me or how the presence of the newly formed youth ministry would even go down with the friars. Turns out i shouldn't have bothered wasting my time worrying about nothing! Within minutes of arriving at UL on Monday morning i was greeted with a multitude of welcoming faces and extended hands and the level of openness and welcoming only grew as the week unfolded.
For me the chapter was an opportunity for the youth ministry to make a statement about what they hope to achieve in the coming months and indeed years, yet it also provided me with a platform upon which to rekindle old friendships and make new ones. I have never before met such a diverse yet openly friendly bunch of men in my entire life and it was an absolute pleasure to spend the week in their company getting to know them all. I look to the future with optimism and hope as i now have the knowledge that the Friars of the Augustinians are behind the youth ministry 110%.
Niall from Drogheda
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What might be of interest to everyone is that the friars voted in favour of a proposal to consider establishing a community for young people where those interested in experiencing community life can give it a go.
ReplyDeleteAlso they accepted a proposal to investigate the possibility of inviting the Contemplative Augustinian Nuns to establish a monastery in Ireland. Watch this space