St Cassian's Centre, Kintbury seeks new Damian Lundy song

Photo by Mark Pan4ratte on Unsplash

St Cassian's, Kintbury, the Lasallian youth retreat centre in Berkshire, is preparing to celebrate 50 years of ministry to young people from across Britain and beyond. As part of the festivities they are asking for musical submissions setting the lyrics of one of its founders, Damian Lundy, to music.

Damian Lundy FSC is remembered with fondness for many things. Friends and family remember his kindness and fun; young people continue to experience his legacy through retreats. For many more people, he is associated with hymns - from The Spirit lives to set us free (Walk in the Light) to Laudato Sii.

Emma Biggins, the director of St Cassian's Centre is excited about the project. She said: "We've taken the lyrics from three different pieces from Damian Lundy's files that don't have accompanying music and are looking for contributors to bring life to these words. This isn't a competition, but a community project where we want as many people as possible to take part. It could be the first time you set words to music, or it could be your profession. You might do this alone, or work with friends and community to create something, just as Damian did."

This is one of several events planned to mark the Centre's golden jubilee. Brother Armin Luistro FSC, the Superior General of the De La Salle Brothers, will be taking part in a youth retreat for all the UK Lasallian schools, as well as young people from the wider province.

Appeal to past team members and retreatants

Tens of thousands of young people, teachers and chaplains have come through the doors of St Cassian's Centre and followed the much loved programme to explore their faith and relationships. Each year, a set of young people volunteer their time to bear witness of Christ's love and help. It is an incredibly formative experience and the Centre are very keen to reach out to those who have been part of that community.

"The network of past team members is thriving but we only have contact details for about a third of past team members. Most connections are through social media and we aren't in touch with as many people as we'd like from a pre-internet age.

"We would love to hear stories and reconnect with anyone who lived and worked at St Cassian's, especially those we have lost touch with" urged Nick Smith, a member of the Centre's management committee.

Information about the song application is available on the Kintbury website: www.thekintburyexperience.com/song