Fraters James Nguyen and Henry Nguyen were in Toronto in late May to take part in the annual youth and young adult retreat with Mudika UKI, the Indonesian Catholic community of Toronto.
Each wrote a brief reflection about his experience.
“I had the opportunity to be reminded of God’s wonders at Humber Bay Park and Niagara Falls and how we are so little in this world. Throughout the retreat weekend we were reminded ‘That they all may be one…’ where we reflected upon getting to know ourselves better and to unite with those around us. ‘Not by chance, not by accident’ resonated with me for all three days because like Fr. Peter said, ‘Things we do that come in our lives happen for a reason.”
“We laughed, cried, prayed, played and ate together. The very place we stayed at, The Valley of the Mother of God in Orangeville, ON, belongs to our Coptic Orthodox sisters and brothers. It began a dialogue of what it means to be a young Catholic today having friends who are not of the same religion or church. Because I believe unity begins with oneself uniting with God, I talked to the group about the Enneagram then spoke about non-violent communication.
“I am grateful to our confreres in Toronto who always graciously show me what it means to be hospitable and pastoral. I had a wonderful weekend with an awesome group of people. I grieve that it’s over, but am so grateful that it took place and I was a part of it. We laughed, we lived, we dared and inhaled all that happened.
“In the end it was all grace!”
