Through these simple photographs we welcome you into our Fraternity, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, the Cenacolo Community in Kendal, just to help you to know us better.
Welcoming:
We welcome you as a brother and hope to help you understand that we are here to give a sense to our lives through a journey of prayer, work and friendship… the pillars of our Community.
Prayer:
Ours days are structured around prayer and this helps us to discover the presence of a God who is a Merciful Father.
Work:
Work helps us get back our dignity which we had lost; each day, with one or more than one brother, we receive our daily duties and all together we start to work.
- Kitchen – after some time in community we take a turn at being responsible for cooking all the daily meals for the house. Some people have never cooked before and this is an opportunity for those with more experience to pass on their skills, as well as the current responsible person to learn new skills.
- Animals and Garden – the simplicity and the humility of this sort of job is an excellent way for us to rebuild our lives and to grow in faith by planting seeds and later on eating the “fruits” of our labours. This also forms part of the providence on which we live.
- TAO and wood working workshop – here we make rosary beads, prayer bracelets, icons, crosses and other small objects for presents. Some of us also have the opportunity to receive training in more specialist carpentry skills which we put to use in many ways around the house and garden.
- General household tasks – It is really good that the community, right from the beginning of our journey, teaches us to keep in order first of all the place where we live. This helps us then to become more responsible in taking care of the things that surround us and to become more at peace through this.
Friendship:
In Community we rediscover true, free and unselfish friendship. Brothers with whom you can share your interior feelings, not feeling judged but accepted and understood. You don’t feel alone any more because around you there are people who previously went through the same difficulties as you, who now give themselves for you without expecting anything in return.
… at Cenacolo there is also some free time…. with leisure activities such as different sports, principally football (on our own football pitch, made by ourselves) but also jogging in the beautiful countryside surrounding our house, and walks further afield in the hills and mountains around.
Food:
In a community that was born in Italy we couldn’t miss “pizza night”! The pizzas are made and baked by us in a wood burning pizza oven made by one of the guys a few years ago, and if it is not pizza it could be burgers which make us smile.
…. this is our life these days. It is a life that is new, healthy, clean and finally lived with joy, serenity and hope.
Thank you Lord for the gift of this new life, reborn, and for the gift of Community, for your protection and for your love.
Cenacolo UK 