What were the highlights of this year’s Thinking Faith?

We chose this year’s theme, ‘Young and Old’, to link with the autumn Youth Synod.

We began with a very sensitive exploration of how older and younger people respond to terminal illness, which was very helpful for any of us who might be involved with such situations, personally or pastorally. This was given by a guest speaker, Dr Jude Raper, a Consultant in Palliative Care, who works in Warwick.

Martina Rensen, who teaches languages in Germany, reflected on The Old Man and the Sea, a powerful short story by Ernest Hemingway, which explores the relation between youth and old age through the story of an elderly Cuban fisherman. Martina helped us to appreciate the richness and subtlety of the characters and the narrative.

Fr Richard Finn presented us with some fascinating paintings to ponder together, in particular versions of the Presentation in the Temple by Rubens and Rembrandt. He brought out the way in which theological perspectives are revealed in the choices the painters made.

Our second guest speaker, Sarah Wells, works for CAFOD and is one of the delegates for the autumn Youth Synod. She described to us the preparations for this, which have included several meetings with Cardinals and even the Pope, and how the young people involved have gradually been able to find a voice to share their experiences and concerns. Joshua Dixon, a seminarian from the Liverpool Diocese then introduced us to philosophical ideas about wisdom, raising interesting questions such as the relation between wisdom and experience, between wisdom and faith and between theoretical and practical wisdom.

Our final guest speaker, Fr Luiz Ruscillo, is Director of Education for the Lancaster Diocese. He led two sessions, speaking about passing on the tradition, first via a meditation on the life of Jacob in Genesis, and then using his experience in parish and youth work.

On the final day, Dr Lucy Underwood of Warwick University gave us a fascinating insight into the lives of young English Catholics just after the Reformation. She used her own research based on the answers given by seminarians entering the English College in the decades around 1600. Sr Margaret A. concluded the formal thinking by leading a discussion on how traditions are passed down the generations in our age of geographical mobility and the internet.

As usual we shared Morning Prayer and Mass together and joined the Community for Evening and Night Prayer. On Wednesday, Fr Luiz presided at Mass for the Feast of St James, and Maria Hall led the music, after a rapid and amazingly effective practice! Boarbank also offers plenty of space for quiet personal prayer, in our chapel, gardens or oratory. One highlight was Night Prayer during an evening walk to Humphrey Head, surrounded by wonderful views over Morecambe Bay just before the sun set. A big thank you to Fr Richard for his excellent sermons throughout the week!

Social - We watched two films together, The Old Man and the Sea, a classic starring Spencer Tracy, and Lion, the extraordinary and heart-wrenching true story of a small Indian boy who was lost from home, adopted abroad, and years later started to hunt for his original family on Google Earth.

We took advantage of the fine weather, with long walks to Grange and Hampsfell, and above the shore of Windermere, as well as a picnic on the lawn. 

On the last day we assisted Sr Florence in providing a Malaysian-style meal for our Social Evening, for which we were joined by some of the Sisters. Much of the produce came from the Boarbank kitchen garden, which we had enjoyed exploring during the week.

Community - The greatest pleasure of the weeks is always the friendships that develop, based on shared faith and values, fostered by shared meals and conversation, rooted in shared prayer, and open to our hosts, the Augustinian Sisters, and the guests with whom we also share the Guest House.

A big thank you to Martina, assisted by Joshua and Lib, for the photos.

NEXT YEAR’S THINKING FAITH will also be WALKING FAITH! We are taking the theme of pilgrimage and planning walks around various local shrines and churches, with talks on related aspects of the faith. Dates will be 20th to 27th July 2019. Please put it in your diary!

Thinking Faith is open to Catholics in their 20s to 40s. If you might be interested for joining us in next year, please contact SR MARGARET for more information