No Angels All Cried Out

The road out of Hell

Near the world-famous pilgrimage destination of Lourdes, renowned for its miraculous healings, he found healing of a different kind. Just outside Lourdes is one of 60 new Catholic Church communities that have been established around the globe in the last three deacades, each part of the Cenacolo (Cenacle) movement established by a Catholic Religious, Sister Elvira, in the early 1980s. The Cenacolo is the last stop on the trainline of hope for men and women addicted to drugs and alcohol, the last chance for life before succumbing to death from their addictions. The Cenacolo communities have established remarkable records of successfully helping those who come to them escape from the bondage of drugs and alcohol, and their unique approach is one hundred per cent rooted in faith, friendship, re-learning usefulness and prayer.

 

There are miracles happening in Lourdes every day - but the world will never hear of them. Those who were once blind can now see and those who were once dead have been given new life - but the Church will never investigate them. These miracles are not the kind that occur only a few kilometres away at the internationally-known Grotto where Mary appeared to the young Bernadette Subirous in 1858, and, unlike those which regularly occur at the shrine, they are not scientifically or medically inexplicable - yet miracles of a kind they are. And, one strongly suspects, the supernatural grace behind them is the same. This haven of the miraculous is the Cenacolo Community, home to almost 50 young men, all at different stages of healing from traumatic lifestyles usually bound up in drug and alcohol addiction. Nestled within the confines of the famous Pyrenees mountains, this picturesque, five-hectare sanctuary seems a world apart from the busyness and activity of the pilgrim town nearby. It is a place of restoration that offers a second chance at life to those who have become trapped in a shadow of death; it provides them with opportunities to see themselves and the world in a new light. The men, aged on average from 18 to their late forties, are mostly from France and Italy, but also from other European countries, the US and the Philippines and have been drawn to the Cenacolo by a common desire to escape lives of spiritual and emotional darkness. An atmosphere of serenity gradually embraces the visitor as you stride up the steep driveway, giving you a sense of leaving behind, and rising above, the world outside. The sense of peace is reflected in the genuine welcome you receive from those who reside there, beginning with the warmth of Franco, the man responsible for the overall management of this refuge of hope. But despite the peace that I, as a visitor, experience, Franco is under no illusions as to the difficulties and struggles that confront those who arrive here seeking rehabilitation. Having himself experienced the journey from addiction to freedom within the Cenacolo Community, Franco is well aware of the challenges involved in shedding the shackles of self-destruction. “When I first arrived at the Community in Italy as a 38 year old, I was carrying the baggage of a 20 year addiction. I thought the place was some sort of cult. There was a lot of praying, it was isolated from the outside world - and everyone was smiling,” he says with a grin. Franco admits that if he had had somewhere else to go, he would have, but deep down he knew that this was his last chance at life. Franco’s gentleness does not detract from the harsh realities he presents to those desperate to begin a new life. He emphasises that it will be a life of discipline and order that will be in stark contrast to the chaotic and uncontrolled lifestyles they have been used to until now. As well as abstinence from drugs and alcohol, there are no prescribed medications or cigarettes allowed, and no contact with family for at least three months. No television or newspapers are permitted on the premises. Every day is a strict routine that begins with a 6am wake-up call for prayer in the chapel before breakfast. This is followed by manual work around the property that can include milking the cows (which begins at 4am), chopping wood, building (there are ongoing extensions as the community continues to grow), gardening, maintenance, agricultural production, baking, laundry, domestic and kitchen duties, woodwork and craft production. Residents own minimal possessions, eat every meal in a communal dining area and sleep in dormitory style (five or six bunk beds crowded into each bedroom). They are expected to always be punctual, maintain healthy levels of personal and communal hygiene, shave every second day, join in physical activity such a soccer or jogging and participate in small group and, at times, communal sharing.  However, Franco emphasises, difficult as this regimented lifestyle may be, one of the greatest challenges - as well as the greatest graces - is the constant presence of individuals described as Guardian Angels. These are individuals who have already been living in the Community for an extended periodand are assigned to newcomers. They will stay by the side of a new arrival 24 hours a day for up to three months. They work, eat, socialise and pray with them. Like a boot camp seargant, Guardian Angels teach and challenge new arrivals in their attitudes, demeanour and behaviour. They will wait outside the bathroom while they toilet and wash and they will know where they are at all times. This is a great hardship at first, Franco acknowledges, because people usually come from a background where they have not been accountable to anyone, often for most of their lives.To have suddenly someone by their side at all times is physically and emotionally challenging. “When I first began”, recalls Franco, “I hated my Guardian Angel. I wanted to kill him and we would nearly come to blows. But today I consider him one of my best friends”.  It is a life that is based on the three pillars of prayer, work and friendship. Many of the residents have tried other rehabilitation centres, other approaches, before they found themselves at Cenacolo.But the shorter-term secular programs, although helping addcits to chemically withdraw from their substance abuse, do not deal with the deeper spiritual and emotional issues that are often at the root of their addictions. Through experience, those managing the Community have learned that most of those who arrive at their doorstep need at least three years to be released from the chains of their past lives. Not only do old habits, self-perceptions and ways of thinking have to be stripped away, but the pains and hurts in which these behaviours and lifestyles were rooted have to be healed. Not all last the distance, but the many who do have radically transformed their lives. This success stems from the understanding that unconditional friendship, a disciplined work regime and a healthy diet can lead to spiritual, emotional, mental and physical healing, but it will only endure if it is built on a foundation of consistent and fervent prayer. It is only then that people are able to recognise their true identity in Christ. The journey to this new life can, at times, be painful. Once participants allow themselves to be embraced and supported by the Community, layers of their previous life are exposed, each aspect of their false self is confronted and challenged. Cenacolo is not a place where one can run away from the truth or live anonymously. But through the processes of “tough love” a deep camaraderie is borne. Residents, who already share the experience of a traumatic past, are drawn together by the intimacy and confrontation that evolves from this intense form of communal living. It is a place where one can make the life-giving journey from focusing constantly on self to focusing on the needs of others, a fundamental change in orientation, discovering along the way their own true identity as well. “People came to us”, she shares, “Saying, ‘I am tired … I am dying … I want life’. They came to us with all their pain”. Sr Elvira’s response was an even deeper surrender to God, “You are the Father”, she cried out. “I will go wherever you want, do whatever you want – reveal Your will to me at any moment”. It is a prayer that both founded and sustains the work of Cenacolo. However, while Sr Elvira may not have expected the rapid expansion of her ministry when she first saw the rundown premises in Saluzzo, she never doubted that God would always provide. So it came as no surprise that when the lost, lonely and addicted began to arrive, so too did the food and the work tools. It is a pattern that has continued for almost three decades. Sr Elvira made it clear from the beginning that the journey was going to be one of extremes. Most were coming from a past of drug and alcohol addiction, violence, crime and sexual immorality and were entering into a communal environment, in which the needs of others needed to be considered. But, she reassured them, through the grace of God and the love and support of the community, their destination would bring them new life. While the intricacies of daily community life have evolved through a process of trial and error, the three pillars of prayer, work and friendship have remained central. Those who enter live a simple, family-oriented lifestyle, but such is the depth of healing most residents require, that Sr Elvira soon realised that a minimum of three years of fulltime involvement was necessary. She also recognised that each day needed to be structured into a predictable and ordered routine to combat the undisciplined and self-indulgent lifestyles from which most of them had come. In 1998 the Community was officially recognised as an Association of the Faithful and the first house to be opened in Spain later this year will become the 61st Cenacolo community established around the world. Most are based throughout Europe, but there are a number in the US and South America. Communities for women have also been established, as have mission houses in Brazil, Mexico and Peru which aim to offer new life to children who once lived on the streets. “Selfishness is central to addiction”, Sr Elvira would reveal to those entering the Cenacolo community houses. It was a truth that became clearer with time as Tom gradually discovered his true identity over the next four years. “No one is born an addict”, he explains, “We become one by continually putting on masks to hide who we really are – that is, children of God.” Tom says that he was generous as a child and would often give away what he had, however as he entered his adolescent and early adult years he became entrenched in a world of drugs and he lost his God-given identity. “My true self became buried beneath the masks of addiction”, he shares. “I would change according to the group I was with at the time - whether it was family, friends, work associates or strangers”. “There is never a chance to get too comfortable”, he says. “In my four years within the Community I have lived in four houses in three different countries”. The purpose of this itinerant existence is to ensure that residents continue to challenge themselves as they dismantle the facades that they have erected within themselves. If they are seen as becoming too comfortable they will be transferred to an alternative community house – usually in another country. It was a difficult journey, Luca acknowledges. “It was hard coming from an existence of total selfishness to the regimented lifestyle of Community living”, he recalls. “I couldn’t eat what or when I wanted, couldn’t sleep when I wanted. I felt very frustrated and fearful and would have left if I’d had an alternative, but my mother said to me. ‘If you leave Community you cannot come home.’” It was a journey that also reignited his faith, although not without a battle. “When I first tried to pray before the Blessed Sacrament I was overwhelmed with sexual images and thoughts of drug use. I approached a priest and explained the problem and he simply told me that I needed to become ‘like a tomato in the sun’. From that point on I would just sit there and allow myself to be drenched by Jesus’s love. It was only then that I was able to receive Him in my heart”. Today, Luca is a man full of joy, laughter and a zest for life, who especially identifies with Jesus’ first public proclamation: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me … He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed…” He has been set free into a new life and he is determined to make the most of his second chance. When Gerhard entered the doors of the Cenacolo Community at the age of 44, he wore the masks that come with 25 years of drug and alcohol abuse. “I did not know who I was”, he says, “I felt trapped in a life of darkness and I thought I would never be free”. He said that, like most who find themselves in the Community, he did not love himself and it was reflected in the way he lived. “It is only when you discover God that you can begin to change”, he reflects. “I felt as though my heart was opened - like a zipper. I then felt what I can only describe as the presence of a father and mother - like I was being hugged by loving parents”, he recalls. “I would never be the same again”. Gerhard shakes his head slowly, still moved by his experience. “It was a moment that was both beautiful and terrible”, he recalls. “Because one side of my heart was filled with darkness and heaviness and the other side was pure love. He immediately recognised the battle within him, but he knew that the love was far more powerful. Gerhard now lives in the town of Lourdes and works as a painter. He exudes a presence of peace and gentleness that is in stark contrast to the life of addiction and torment that once imprisoned him. And he is in no doubt as to the source of his transformation. “I am only a little man”, he acknowledges humbly, “But I have been given a great treasure”. It is a treasure that he knows he must share with the world.

No Angels - The Best Of No Angels (2003) - ↓↓↓Download Music ...

The Best of No Angels is the first compilation album by the German pop group No Angels. It was released on December 1, 2003 (see 2003 in music) via Polydor's sublabel Cheyenne Records, following the group's disbandment in fall 2003. Apart from a collection of all of the singles the quintet had released between the years of 2001 and 2003, the album also spawned a reworked version of one of the debut album tracks, "Reason.

No Angels Songs, Disappear, Daylight in Your Eyes, There Must Be an Angel, Something about Us, Teardrops, Goodbye to Yesterday, Maybe, Atlantis

The Churchman

The weakness of his nature had found him out. Farewell everything — love ... Oh come, after all," cried Charley Lan- dale, " Murray's no impostor. ...

Encyclopaedia Londinensis, or, Universal dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature

The people were astonished ; all cried out, " A miracle! ... and not angels, were the instruments of the elevation of the hospitable wheelwright. ...

Barnes' notes on the New Testament

11 He cried out, etc. The reasons why Paul resolved to take advantage of their .... T Neither angel. That there are no angels. They deny the existence of ...

It's All about Him, Finding the Love of My Life

No angels danced on my dashboard. No rays of light shone through my giant ... Once that storm broke my heart wide open, though, I finally cried out to God. ...