For the past five years, my wife, our three children, and I have been living in the community in Oosterhout, the Netherlands, at the magnificent St. Paul\u2019s Abbey. My wife Kasia and I are part of the national team for the community in the Netherlands. I also serve in a financial and administrative role as the national treasurer. On a daily basis, I work in the abbey garden and take care of various small repairs. Two other, more outward-focused ministries have been entrusted to me along with others: Brouwen en Bidden (\u201cBrewing and Praying\u201d) and the silent weekend retreats based on the Ignatian exercises. We also lend a hand with other initiatives\u2014Cana, the youth ministry, or hosting groups at the abbey\u2014and we handle practical services. <\/p>\n\n
Tell us a little about your projects<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Perhaps it would be good to say a little more about the \u201cBrew and Pray\u201d ministry. It\u2019s a ministry developed by a former brother in the community, Henk, who combined his hobby of brewing with his desire to share the Gospel. It\u2019s always a great combination! He developed a brewing system that allows us to brew 150 liters of beer at a time. The idea behind this initiative is to welcome people to the abbey who aren\u2019t necessarily Christian\u2014in fact, many participants have no connection to the faith at all. It\u2019s a workshop where anyone can easily be invited, because it\u2019s simply a wonderful activity! \u201cBrouwen en Bidden\u201d is a one-day program. It can accommodate up to fifteen participants, and we spend the day together brewing beer, sharing a meal, visiting Saint Paul\u2019s Abbey, and spending time in prayer. We introduce participants to Ignatian prayer, and we also have plenty of time to discuss, share, and talk about our faith, the community, and what\u2019s happening at the Abbey. So far, we\u2019ve organized five workshops a year, and we\u2019re now working on offering one each month, as we\u2019ve seen a lot of interest. We\u2019re also exploring the possibility of launching a small-scale beer production to raise the Abbey\u2019s profile among the local community. <\/p>\n\n For me, this mission is personally linked to another one I\u2019ve taken on: ensuring a financial balance between a large abbey and a small community. At the same time, many groups and individuals come to spend time here, and find Jesus and His peace. We\u2019re seeking a good balance\u2014continuing our mission of hospitality while also finding the means to make it possible. There are surely many ways to achieve this. Starting a microbrewery\u2014or rather, a nano-brewery\u2014is one of them, and it strikes me as very interesting because it builds on the legacy of the monks and craftsmanship, can engage the local community, and open our doors to a wider audience. And besides, I simply love good beer \ud83d\ude42 We are praying and discerning God\u2019s will for this project. We are now taking the first step by renovating a room so that we can offer the workshop more often. Small beginnings, with open hands, to see what God\u2019s will is for this mission. <\/p>\n\n How do you live out brotherhood in your daily mission?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n There are different moments\u2014for work, leisure, prayer, or fellowship. Each of them helps nourish our fraternal life. Sometimes we strive to be super efficient, and we may forget that fraternal life is the fertile ground in which our missions can grow. The Brouwen en Bidden mission would not be possible without this fraternal context. For me, the primary goal of this mission is to bear witness to the joy we have found in Jesus and, through him, in our fraternal life. I take great pleasure in carrying out this mission with my brothers, and it is also a place where we can share our lives more deeply. People today aren\u2019t looking for grand words or teachings, but for brotherhood, community, and sharing. And we cannot share that if we do not live it out among ourselves. <\/p>\n\n What does she bring to your life?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Fraternal life helps me persevere in times of doubt and crisis, and it also helps me discover more deeply God\u2019s great love for me. For me, it is also a place where I can give my life in service to my brothers and sisters, and to all the people who come to visit the abbey on their journey in search of Jesus. It is a great honor to see how God accomplishes his work in our lives and in the lives of those who come here. <\/p>\n\n When and how do you rely on your brothers and sisters in the community?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n These are very often simple moments\u2014quite often just the chance to talk and share what\u2019s on my mind. Sometimes it\u2019s a walk around the abbey with my brother; sometimes it\u2019s a coffee or a beer we have together, and we simply share our struggles, but also our hopes and dreams. Sometimes we do a few repairs together, or brew a batch of beer for the community. I think that as men, it\u2019s important to have a space to work together; it brings a lot of joy and nurtures our brotherhood. What also gives me breathing room is knowing that I don\u2019t have to be perfect, that I can make mistakes, and that we have time to ask for forgiveness and reconcile. These moments are very precious. <\/p>\n\n What requirements might the fraternity have for carrying out a mission?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n The most important aspect of the mission, it seems to me, is the process of reflection. If we can honestly share what worked and what didn\u2019t, it can help us avoid investing our time and energy (and money) in works for God, and instead seek His works. Another aspect is fellowship. I think it\u2019s good to ask one another: Does this mission help my heart to live fully? Do I find joy in what I\u2019m doing? Sometimes there are moments when we must persevere faithfully, but without joy, no mission would be complete. The apostles surely found great joy in walking alongside Jesus, even though it was often very demanding. Reconciliation also plays a very important role in our mission. Each of us should be ready to ask for forgiveness and to acknowledge our mistakes or sins. In this way, we can bear one another\u2019s weaknesses, and that gives us great strength. <\/p>\n\n Karoll, a member of the Chemin Neuf community, gives us a tour of the abbey where he is on a mission in the Netherlands<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":89829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actualites-internationales-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dam.chemin-neuf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-06-24-at-10.40.09-768x1024.jpeg\")
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