Focolare Movement

Welwyn Garden City (UK): Are you getting enough happiness?

Apr 3, 2014

Young people from Word of Life groups in Belfast, Dublin and from University College Dublin made their way to the ‘Centre for Unity’ in Welwyn Garden City, on the outskirts of London, for the annual Focolare Regenerate event.

The event, now in its sixth year, saw its numbers double from last year as around ninety young people from the Netherlands, Finland, Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland came together for the occasion. All over Europe the event was followed online as talks were streamed live through the internet. In fact, at its peak, as many as twenty-eight laptops were linked to the event and joined in the discussion. This year “Regenerate” took the theme of happiness as its focus point. Bishop Brendan Leahy from Limerick, the key speaker, led the group in questioning the difference between happiness and joy and between happiness and sorrow. The programme was interspersed with workshops, break-away group discussions as well as large feedback sessions in order to interrogate the subject most fully. The youth had the choice to attend lectures on happiness and psychology and happiness and economics by Angela Manning and Fabio Tufano respectively. As well as questioning the meaning of the word ‘happiness’, the weekend presented the very practical ways in which we can look for, work for and, indeed, find happiness. It reinvigorated those attending to return home living the Focolare spirituality anew in the pursuit of a very real and shared happiness. You can still watch part of the Happiness discussion online at http://www.livestream.com/regenerate2014 Source: www.focolare.org/gb

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Newsletter

Thought of the day

Related post

Towards the 2026 General Assembly

Towards the 2026 General Assembly

Articles and contributions published in preparation for the General Assembly of the Focolare Movement, which will begin on 1 March 2026.

Nostra Aetate: 60 years of journeying in Interreligious Dialogue

Nostra Aetate: 60 years of journeying in Interreligious Dialogue

The 28th October, 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of “Nostra Aetate,” the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on the Church’s relationships with non-Christian religions. After six decades, the document which has inspired and guided the steps of interreligious dialogue, invites us to renew our commitment to continue to build relationships of genuine brotherhood.