St. Cassian’s Prepares for Advent Retreats

The nine volunteers providing this year’s Kintbury Experience spent Monday 17th November getting ready for Advent to descend on the house.

This year, four schools, bringing a combined total of 240 pupils aged between 8 and 12 will come to the house to experience the journey to Bethlehem, Kintbury style.

The volunteers work with the young people on usual themes of welcome, awareness and Good News, but with the advent theme of preparing for Jesus’ arrival.

The house has been decorated from top to bottom, with the Front Hall, Damian Lundy Room, Dining Hall and corridors all holding a proper festive feeling to help get us ready for Christmas.

Intentional Community Evening for South England

On Sunday November 23rd, The Kintbury Experience hosted this academic year’s first Intentional Community event for Lasallians working in ministry and administration.

It’s a chance for the Kintbury and Oxford communities to get together, alongside Kintbury past team members with friends and colleagues of the communities.

The evening started with a prayer led by St. Cassian’s director, Emma Biggins, on our preparedness for Christmas through the period of Advent. Sara then had created wooden tree ornaments for us to decorate while we celebrated our time together with the usual obligatory spread of food.

This year’s first meeting was especially important as Br. Alex Soosai FSC, from the Indian district, got to see his new home. Currently staying in the brother’s community in Oxford, he’s due to join the team and Br. Bernard in Kintbury soon.

This was the last chance for our communities in the South of England to get together before Christmas, so we’ll be celebrating the start of Lent at our next gathering in February.