W e rejoice to tell you that our new house at Mary Immaculate is well under construction! Those of you, who have faithfully prayed for Comunita Cenacolo America since we purchased the land in 2004, know that

we experienced a long, arduous process to secure the building permit. We prayed for years to be able to begin the project, but we also knew that even the difficulties and obstacles were part of God’s divine providence. Although we wanted everything to move more quickly, we always had peace that God’s timing is perfect, not our timing! He sees the big picture, not us! At

the end of 2015, we finally received the building permit! We leveled the pad, put in the drain field, laid the piping, put in a well, and put in the septic system. With the site work completed, we started building up by preparing the foundation. The concrete walls were built, and the trusses now are on. Now we are preparing to dry it in!

Our guys are working directly on the project. The reality is that very, very few of our guys know anything about con-struction at all, but in true Community style, the few that have skills and experience are teaching the many who don’t. Many of our guys didn’t work at all before entering Community. They didn’t clean their rooms, do any household chores, help with yard work, do their laundry, or even fry an egg! Most of them were pretty spoiled in their homes, and just about everything was done for them. Most arrived home super late

A New House is Born!

JULY 2016

CenacoloA Hope Reborn

from the darkness to the Light

Our Lady of Hope Mary Immaculate St. Maria Goretti Our Lady of Joyful Hope

1050 Talleyrand Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32206 www.hopereborn.org

Dear Friends & Family,

and woke up whenever they felt like it. Coming to Community, everything changes! They are

up at 6AM, in the chapel on their knees at 6:15, and they do whatever job they are assigned to contribute to the life of this new family. They’re cleaning toilets, dusting, sweeping, raking, cooking, washing clothes—some by hand—and hanging it out to dry, and mowing the expansive property for hours in the extremely humid, hot Florida weather! Hard, yes, but they come to life through the struggles, difficulties, and challenges that they never had to do and never wanted to do!

Comunita Cenacolo offers to each young man and woman the discovery of work to be lived as a gift. As we build exterior structures, God builds the inner man. Through working together, we learn to communicate more effectively, accept criticism, listen to the ideas of others, and resolve conflicts. Obedience and acceptance of authority, values previously rejected in attitude and behavior, slowly develop within us. Hard work helps us to build the interior discipline we have always lacked. It combats our fears and our laziness, both of which have prevented us from persevering with difficult challenges. It builds our will, which has always been weak, and bridles our

passions, which have always ruled our lives. No one gets paid for all the work he does in Community,

but the wealth he receives far exceeds any amount of money! He receives new life! Through the lived experience of work in Community, each young man awakens to the truth that work is a gift from God, which instills a sense of dignity and manhood when he genuinely gives his effort, commitment, and sacrifice to the service of others. Our skills and experience, as well as our hands, mind, and back become God’s providence for others—they become life for others!

The entire project will house 36 young men, who will enter Community hopeless and desperate, as did the guys who are now working on the construction of this first phase of the

house. “The first day I was asked to help the construction crew I was excited. Right away I felt the strain of it. Physically and mentally it took a toll. Being on the crew is individually heavy at times. However, it is a heaviness that grows from the reality of what we are doing. It is a real project, with real risks, real deadlines, and real problems. But that same reality which makes it a struggle makes it a gift. It is a gift to learn new skills, to deepen friendships, to know that the work of my own hands and my own back will help to shelter future generations of Community—lost souls like myself discovering hope, here.” (Nick, 3 months)

“Building this house has been a blessing and a test of perseverance. Some days I feel my patience running thin with certain obstacles I must overcome. I try my best to look at the work I put into build-ing the house as a

form of prayer and love. It gives me great encouragement to know that I am taking part in something that will one day help save more lives.” (Josh, 3 ½+ years)

“Doing this work has allowed me to work on many of the things that I still need to improve. The work is often quick paced, especially lately when the roof was being put up. It requires focus and thinking ahead to keep up the pace. It’s helping me to practice staying at peace and happy when the situation gets to be stressful. I have struggled a lot in the past with this, and I know this is important in life. A daily confrontation with this weakness of mine has really been helping a lot. For sure, it’s tough at times, and can feel really heavy if I’m having an off day, but I know that doing this now will help me to do it when I am outside in the world after Community.” (Ian, 3 ½+ years)

“My experience working on the new construction of the house has been such a blessing. I feel like God has helped me to see that this is my true mission in Comunita Cenacolo. I thank God that I’m able to transmit and give back the knowledge that I have in the construction field. I think often of my father and brothers and of all the experiences and things in construction I learned from them as I was growing up. I try to use the same patience and love with the men here working on the project with me. I feel a great joy that what we are building now is not just a building but a great instrument of God’s love and mercy! I know this because Community has brought that same love and mercy to my family and myself, and I know it will do the same for generations of families to come.” (Jacob, 5 ½ years)

We pray for you and all those you love, Comunita Cenacolo America

“I feel like God has helped me to see that this is my true mission in Comunita Cenacolo.”

-Jacob

We are very grateful for donations to

this major project!