BROTHERS FIC SPIRITUAL JOURNEY REPORT

THURSDAY, 31^ST AUGUST 2017

            The facilitators and participants of the Brothers FIC Spiritual Journey 2017 commenced the fourth day of the second week with a morning prayer on the theme: "FIC Founders" led by one of the facilitators, Bro. Frans School. He carefully selected texts from the autobiographies of our Founders Mgr. Louis Rutten and Bro. Bernardus Hoecken to prepare participants to reflect and meditate on the lives of our founders and the congregational pilgrimage, the visit to our Founders which we undertook on Monday and Tuesday respectively.

            In the first session of the day, Bro. Johan  Muijtjens showed participants pictures of the congregational pilgrims visiting our Founders, which we made with the facilitators on Monday, 28^th August and Tuesday, 29^th August 2017 and he asked participants to recapitulate and reflect on them. After watching the pictures he linked the pilgrims with the journey of the two disciples to Emmaus and participants were put into pairs to take a contemplative dialogue (amazed walk) to share their stories and experiences.

 In the second session of the morning, participants were given questions on the lives of our Founders: Mgr. Louis Rutten and Bro. Bernardus Hoecken for further reflection and to write down areas of their life that are most inspirational, touching and encouraging to each of us.

In the third session of the morning, pictures taken on the 30^th August 2017 by facilitators, participants and some brothers living in some of the communities in Maastricht were shown to participants.

Participants were given the opportunity in the afternoon session to revisit the places of the congregational pilgrimage to have more reflection and to reconvene at 4. 45 pm to write personal letters to any of the following: FIC Spiritual Journey Coordinator, Community members, friends, spiritual director relatives, etc.

This was followed by a Eucharistic celebration at 15.15pm and supper. The day's activities ended with recreation where participants and facilitators socialized and played games.

Fabian Kuupille