Top o' the mornin' to you! (Or evenin' depending on when you have a chance to engage and read this). After a delicious, nutritious breakfast at Belfast International Youth Hostel, we crept over into West Belfast to visit Clonard Catholic Church. We participated in mass which was thorougly enjoyable for all of us. After mass, we had the opportunity to learn about the monastery from Father Adrian Egan. It was refreshing to see a Catholic priest relaxed, out of his robes, like a regular dude. He spoke of how Clonard has experienced and handled "The Troubles" over the years and it was actually the place where the first peace talks between the two sides were held . . . they met in the monastery's TV room and apparently some of the residents were upset when the meetings ran long and they missed their evening news.
We then made our way to meet with Padraig Twomey, a facilitator of forgiveness classes. Currently, him and his comrades are funded by YWAM, but are moving towards private funding because they are intending to teach forgiveness in a non-Christian organization. His suave tone and accent immediately swept us off our feet and we were drawn into a dialogue on what it means to forgive.
This afternoon, we visited Union Theological College and Queens University. What a beautiful campus! History is screaming at you from all around as you walk throughout campus.
Welp, that's about it for now. We had some time debriefing this evening as we are continually wrestling with the rich, abundant information we have consumed this week.
Grace and Peace to all!
Sincerely,
Blaine and Paul (BFFN = Best Friends For Now)
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1 comment:
This trip sounds so utterly amazing! Savor your experiences...they will enrich your lives forever. Sharon (Sarah's Mom)
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