What happens at a CPW event?
A CPW is not a retreat; nor is it just a holiday. It’s a unique chance to become, for a short time, part of a small community with a shared interest in deepening its understanding of what God wants his people to be. We have often been at the forefront of changes in Catholic thinking over the past 60 years, but you will find all shades of opinion represented at our events.
Every CPW event is centred on a theme. For adults, the theme is explored through a variety of talks, discussions, workshops and other activities as appropriate. For the young people at all-age events, the theme is explored through as many avenues as the ingenuity of the team of leaders can rise to - often encompassing art, drama, film making, and so on. These explorations take place simultaneously, mainly in the mornings, with the adults confident in the knowledge that their children - whatever their age - are being offered stimulating and enjoyable activities.
Afternoons are free to relax, and perhaps take a trip out. Evenings offer a mixture of formal sessions, similar to those in the morning, and a wide range of leisure activities, often centred round an informal 'bar' run on a self-help basis.
Liturgy is an integral part of all CPW events. Mass is usually celebrated each day, and there are other opportunities for prayer and worship. We try to make our liturgy lively and inclusive - everyone should be able to take part (but only if they so wish: there's no compulsion) in preparing and presenting it.
All CPWs take place in locations that offer lots of local interest. All-age events take place in school holidays, usually hosted by schools with live-in accommodation, or centres designed to accommodate the needs of young people. 18+ events are in retreat centres or other locations with a calmer atmosphere.
CPW is a non-profit-making charity, run by unpaid volunteers, and its events are planned to just break even. At some locations, we ask everyone to help with some of the domestic chores, to keep the catering costs down. All this makes CPW great value for money, and there are no hidden extra costs. However, a tradition that is now firmly established is that those who can afford to cheerfully pay a bit more on top of the advertised price, so that a 'friendship fund' has been built up. This enables individuals or families to come to an event without bearing the full cost if their circumstances would make it hard to do so. Just ask.
We do hope that you will join us this year. Take a look through the events on offer; get in touch with the organisers if you would like to know more. We can assure you of a warm welcome, and look forward to meeting you.
You will find here some comments made by people who have experienced CPW weeks and weekends.
