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† About Us » Hopes for the Future |
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Vocations Group ¦ Cornerstone ¦ COLW ¦ A Day in the Life.. ¦ Friends ¦ Hopes for the Future
The Lord has done marvellous things,
let them be made known to the whole world!
What we are sharing about the founding years and inspiration of this newest religious community in the UK is done with the knowledge that you will join us in giving thanks to God for the immense love and mercy shown to us through this sacred history in the making. As regards the future, we hope:
• That the community will grow slowly but steadily. As we all know it is quality, not quantity, that
counts.
• To respond to the requests of bishops to open houses in other dioceses & abroad and to support
the raising of vocational awareness in parishes.
• To have our mother house and novitiate at Walsingham, to run a formation / vocation /
evangelisation centre there and to serve the shrine itself in some way (and other Marian shrines in
the future).
• Our advisors have always suggested that we remain open to the idea of welcoming brothers into
the community. As our first has arrived (and left!) we are hoping for more male candidates to come
forward.
The first Brothers will have to live within the Community to start with (as advised by the relevant
religious authorities) in order to absorb the Charism. In the long term, we will have to discern
whether to be a mixed community, like many that are emerging around the world, or to have a
separate branch of Brothers and Sisters.
• As we are Carmelite rooted we have a special love for the Church and for those in ordained ministry
so we feel called to support diocesan priests and the local church in a particular way.
• For a secular consecrated branch of COLW to be established.
• To fine-tune and release the theme song of the Community, 'Mary of Walsingham, Mother of
Vocation'.
• To support vocations promotion around the country and act as a resource for other Vocations
Discernment Groups.
• To facilitate more discernment communities seeing that there appears to be a demand for them.
• To organise conferences (see events page) in order to support people in all vocational states. To
develop associate membership in the not too distant future so that those who wish to can share in
the treasures of this dynamic and unfolding charism.
• To promote Vocations Pilgrimages to Walsingham as a discernment experience for teenagers and
young adults from all dioceses around the country.
So, new life is born, but, not without pain, struggle and groaning during the birth. And as with any child that is born, the COLW charism has a life of its own. We cannot control it or even desire to plan for its future. We can only allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit to a constantly renewed discovery of God and of his Word, to a burning love for God and for humanity and to a new understanding of the charism which has been given. We know that this will involve growing pains, especially if we consider that the first twenty years of any community can be considered the 'founding years'. However, we live in the hope that all those called to be part of the Community will already have the seed of the charism within them and will help us unravel its mystery.
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