With an Accent from Holland

Youth Group, My Catholic Future

Here’s a small update by me. We have no more Internet. Since last Thursday we have been disconnected, and I can assure you: it’s not much fun without it. I can’t check my e-mail every minute like I’m used to, I can’t look up things on the Internet, because it takes too much time. It basically stinks. In the best-case scenario we will be reconnected in 4 weeks. I really hope that’ll work out.
Yesterday evening I went to the youth group here in The Hague. I was really nervous about what was going to happen, because I didn’t know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. There were 14 youngsters, ages ranging from 19 to 31. Lots of them have birthdays in September and October, but that’s not too interesting :) The group is led by a Brother of the Brothers of Sint Jan. He’s a really nice guy. First we introduced ourselves to one another. I had to talk a lot about myself, but I was a bit nervous so I don’t think my story made any sense and I told a lot which was quite redundant. Then we read in the Gospel of John together and the Brother talked about it and explained about what the story said. He also included some basic Christian lessons, like about sin and the Holy Spirit. After about an hour we went upstairs to a chapel and we had half an hour of adoration before the Holy Eucharist, together with another group of people. That was really cool. We prayed together and we sang together and we just sat there in the presence of the Eucharist. I really enjoyed it a lot. After that the meeting was over, but we just hang around some more and I talked with some of the people there. I was really impressed by the evening and also by the other young people. I think it is amazing that these young people are all Catholics and believe in the same things as I believe in and are able to talk about it and do these activities together. I’m really looking forward to next week.
This meeting with these people really got me thinking. Because I really want to join the church, but I feel like I haven’t found the right person to guide me in that process yet. I know I should make another appointment with the priest from the other church, but I’m somehow not too comfortable with that idea. I read the material he gave me and that we are supposed to study together, but I feel like I knew this already. There’s not much news in it and it’s not what I want to learn. I need some personal guidance, but at my level. I need to learn more about the specifics of the Catholic Church and how I can join the church and receive the Holy Eucharist. I’m in serious doubt whether I should contact the other priest or if I should contact the priest of my current church and make an appointment with him to see if he can help me. That would mean I would have to cancel the arrangement I made with the other priest, but it might mean that I could get what I really want. I’m just very much confused and I don’t really know what to do.
At least I’ll be going to mass tomorrow and I’m going to see the bishop. I’m looking forward to that :)

posted by Charda @ 9.9.06