Hello everybody. We are back for the Summer… we hope you are enjoying this hot weather!!!

In this number we include some original articles… Have a look and see:

· Our Ancient Apostle (so she calls herself!!!) shares with us some spirituality…

· And do not forget to take advantage of this time of holidays to recover and be renewed in all the dimensions of life: read the Tips for this time

· And more…

God bless you all and pray for our turbulent world!

The Team (Monika and Paula)

ECHOES from London from the Isle of Wight Tips for this time...	COMMUNITIES SUMMER ACTIVITIES	SEEDS OF THE KINGDOM RESOURCES PUZZLE CORNER
Click the link and it will take you there!

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from London

Italy   4 June – 4 July 2006

I have just spent a month in Italy staying in an Augustinian convento in a medieval town called San Gimignano in Tuscany.  I was doing a drawing and sculpture course, being inspired by Tuscan medieval and Renaissance art.  We had great teachers and very interesting lectures on medieval and Renaissance art and its relationship to the church and to the society of that time. And now I am inspired to paint some frescoes… does anyone know a church that needs some frescoes?!

We became part of the community of the convento where three friars live and a lot of visitors pass through; walking pilgrims and parish groups and …artists.  There were a couple of pilgrimage/holidaying groups who came out from the north of England who were lovely. It was great to be around them and Fr Ian, one of the Augustinians who was from the north of Scotland – although he refused to acknowledge England’s presence in the World Cup Tournament like most true Scots! 

Having imagined that I was going for a nigh on silent retreat in Tuscany it took a bit of getting used to, to be thrown in with a whole group of American College kids (aged 20 – 22) who I was on the Sculpture course with.  They were very vibrant and huge fun. Ashley, one of the students from Merrimack College in Massachusetts is hoping to be on Broadway in a few years time so she sang for us a lot which was kinda cool!  There were also a few other older students, Dan who was an artist looking for fresh inspiration, Elaine and her husband Frank, who did the gardening for a month while Elaine sculpted and Jean, a Jamaican lady who lives in Bonn. We ate in a traditional monastic refectory with are backs to the walls round the room and the food cooked by Loretta was just fabulous.

We were also part of the community of San Gimignano which is a medieval town famous for its fourteen towers (I never did work out quite what they were for) and is completely overrun with tourists by day but much quieter by night.  It was over all a very refreshing change from the gas cylinders of Fulham – (I work in a studio by some gas cylinders in Fulham handily close to the London Community). 

In between trips to various different places, including Carrara to see where the marble is mined and a sculpture studio; Florence and Siena, we also found time to make three sculptures each. For our first sculpture we took an architectural subject from the convento, so there were sculptures of columns and capitals and decorative architectural motifs, then we branched out a bit further; there were Tuscan landscapes, Michael the Archangel made an appearance and there was even a sculpture of a gelato. For the third sculpture we could do more or less anything. I made a fish.  It was inspired by the story of Tobias and the angel which was depicted in a fresco in the church of Sant’Agostino next to the convento. The angel tells Tobias to catch the fish which has just tried to eat his foot because it had curative properties ‘Catch the fish and do not let it go!’ Tobit 6:4.  It was sort of a symbol of my experience of the course as I was pretty alarmed to begin with by my predicament of being with all the American kids but I held on and had a really good time and a very beautiful and rich experience in this community in San Gimignano. 

Alice

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from the Isle of Wight

This year we are having a Summer Camp for teenagers on the Isle of Wight.

The initiative to run it honestly came about mainly because it has been so long since we have run a summer camp (summer 2001). Because of this I understood in prayer the need to do something for teenagers… on the Isle of Wight especially. 

We are going to be doing many fun things throughout the camp: a bonfire, a trip to the beach, a water fight, times of prayer, talks, a film, a super duper mass and many other things. 

At the heart of the whole weekend is the theme: DIGNITY!!

Why? Cause it is so important for us to realise as young people our dignity not just as human beings but as children of God, special, unique and each of us with so much to give as we are.

I hope and pray that those teenagers who come will discover or be assured of their dignity as God’s children, an image restored for them by Jesus.  And that they can come and be refreshed by God’s love and be encouraged to take up Jesus’ mission to love the people they know and show through their lives the goodness of God!!!

AMEN!!!!

Jonathan

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Tips for this time…

“During July and August many families take their holidays. We all in fact need an occasional period of extended physical, psychological and spiritual rest. Especially for those who live in large cities, it is important that they immerse themselves in nature for a while.

For a vacation to be truly such and bring genuine well-being, in it a person must recover a good balance with himself, with others and with the environment. It is this interior and exterior harmony which revitalizes the mind and reinvigorates body and spirit.”

John Paul II, 1997

Following John Paul’s advice we have come up with 10 TIPS for restful and meaningful holidays:

1. Think and pray what you would like to do during your holidays. Ponder, don’t simply jump into whatever comes…

2. Keep your mobile off as much as you can . Catch up with your friends and family in person… Meet them face to face, listen at depth.

3. Read an inspiring book that fills the black holes of your
wisdom.

4. "Mens sana in corpori forte", Healthy mind in a healthy body. Stretch your muscles, lubricate your joints and jump around.
Breath in breath out, 1…2…3…4…do some exercise!

5. Know your feelings, come to terms with them and give them to God

6. Sleep enough, eat well, drink loads of water and be moderate with any booze. DO NOT GET DRUNK!

7. Set your creativity free. Paint a picture, sing a song, write a poem… Tune into the beauty around you.

8. Don´t waste too much money, share it with those who need it.

9. God is not on holidays! Don´t forget to chat with Him frequently, on your own. He is the one who loves you the most.

10. Make your holiday a holy time. Ultimately, LOVE GOD, LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF AND DO WHATEVER YOU WANT.

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Communities

London

Some of the activities for the summer will stop.

The Logos Prayer Group in London will start again on the 18^th September. For any further information contact Catherine

Tel: 0207 7313367.

Southampton

Liliana and Anne will be doing their retreat in August and will be back in September.

Tel: 02380 399301

Reading

For the Reading activities contact Phil and Laurinda Brown.

Isle of Wight

There will be missionaries on the Isle of Wight all summer

Tel: 01983 529554

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SUMMER ACTIVITIES
Silent retreats	21^st - 30^th  July (With possibility of doing 21^st - 23^rd  weekend only)	Isle of Wight
	17^th -  31^st August	Valencia, Spain Contact Paula for details
Youth camp - 'Dignity'	10^th - 13^th August	Isle of Wight Contact Jon Green
Holiday Weekend	25^th - 28^th  August	Isle of Wight  Contact Phil and Laurinda Brown
International Youth Encounter	10^th - 13^th August	BUDAPEST Contact Paula for details

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SEEDS OF THE KINGDOM

Short Epistle from an Ancient Apostle

Greetings to everyone in our Centres in the U.K. and Europe, and everyone who is part of our internet of Love worldwide!

The Isle of Wight is small, only 27 by 17 miles, but small is beautiful, so they say, and it’s certainly true of our island. Golden beaches, white cliffs, rolling hills, small fields and shady forests – we look around and see so easily the wonderful reflections of the love of God in the whole Creation. Even the Centre at Carisbrooke overlooks Paradise Valley - a name that goes back centuries according to the local people.

Christianity came early to the Isle of Wight. Existing chapels date to the 7^th century, but monuments earlier than that are still small centres of pilgrimage. There’s a belief that Our Lord came to the shores of the West Country with Joseph of Arimathea, and in those days the Island was joined by a narrow peninsula to England. So who knows – perhaps His feet in ancient times DID walk upon England’s mountains green and gentle hills of the Isle of Wight.

It is good to report that Verbum Dei is increasingly able to offer a presence in the parishes on the Island, as well as drawing in the searchers and seekers from other Churches and Faiths. Hector and Maria Teresa (who have just left for a 6 month stay in America) especially have been the means of opening doors of welcome, to enable many more people to live their lives with the guidance of the Word of God.

It’s amazing how many ‘cradle’ Catholics have been lacking awareness of the normality of a personal relationship with God, especially the completeness of the Trinitarian relationship with the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are able to promote the Verbum Dei ethic as a practical way of life, emphasising the original intention of God that His unity with Creation should be a normality, and must be, if we are to live our lives to the full, always answering the call of Christ: “Feed My Sheep”.

Courage to replace Fear

Hope to replace Despair

Joy to replace Sadness

Faith to replace Doubt

Peace to replace Conflict

These are our gifts to share. May we be blessed with God’s loving generosity to make the sounds. He writes the melodies. He is the Leader of the great Orchestra of the Universe. Each of us has as important part to play, big or small.

Listen To His Music!

Watch The Conductor!

With love and prayers – Joan Sherry

P.S. The extension to the Centre is going ahead at this minute and will be completed by the end of summer, offering a little more welcome to those who visit us!

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RESOURCES

Verbum Dei General Site

Other Verbum Dei Web pages

Jesuits - Daily Prayer Online

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PUZZLE CORNER

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