Community
Community in Orava youth centre
In the Orava youth centre, there is a community 'Chesed Racham', which serves and lives by the Gospel daily. What does it mean? People there get up together, eat together, pray together, work together, live together, and above all, love together.
Gospel in practice
The community is trying to live by these two Hebrew words – Chesed and Raham.
Chesed means loyal and faithful type of love. And Raham means to show love or compassion like a mother shows for her child – motherly type of love.
Every day people come to the centre for retreats, trainings, Holy Masses, catechesis, and other activities, meaning that every day is an opportunity to serve them! Preparing beds with love, lighting the stove with love, cooking with love, cleaning, tidying up with love, and simply offering a warm smile and being there for them.
Location
Our centre is located in Ústie nad Priehradou, shich is part of the town Trstená, situated 4 km away from the centre. It is a quiet place, surrounded by nature and dam. Most people in the area live in private houses, and there are no shops nearby. However, there are three towns near Ústie nad Priehradou where everything people need can be found.
Accommodation
The whole community lives in the centre, typically two people per one room. Boys and girls live separately. One bathroom is shared by two rooms. Boys and girls have their own shared living room and kitchen. Here, you do not need to provide your own food; everyone eats what is in the community.
Daily activities in short
The day starts with early morning community prayer and breakfast. Then, everyone goes about their daily duties. In the afternoon you can participate in Eucharistic adoration during the Hour of Mercy (at 3 pm). The community celebrates Holy Mass every day. Afterwards, there is some practical work for the centre; you can help in the kitchen, assist with cleaning after retreats and camps, or join in repair work. Once a month, we focus solely on community activities, with a more spiritual programme. Life in the community is very active, as there are often retreats for young people from the Orava region. We also participate in helping at the retreat camps.
