The Augustinian Friars in Britain
Our Hearts are Restless until they Rest in You, Lord
From 4-6 August 2009, 11 young people from Hammersmith and Hoxton parishes travelled to Clare Priory for two nights, meeting up with other teenagers from Clare parish. The theme of the retreat was 'Do not be afraid!', the phrase that Jesus uses most often in the Gospels.
The teenagers, all aged between 14-17, discussed their ideas, shared their faith, cooked together, made rockets, played games and sports and made new friends. Fr Bernard Rolls gave the group a tour of the place and recounted the ghostly legends of Clare Priory. Fr David celebrated Mass for the group in the 'upper room' above the church which was a lovely intimate setting and a different experience for most of the group. Luckily, the sun didn't stop shining, so we were able to have a BBQ outdoors, despite those pesky mosquitoes! One of the boys thanked the volunteers on behalf of the group at the end and said it had made his summer holiday. What he didn't know was that the teenagers, all great fun to be with, had made our trip as well.