film afternoon: Where God and Nature Whisper

Film afternoon for the benefit of Calcutta Sponsor Aid. Waar God and Nature whispering For some of us, Jan Rossey is no stranger. He was a priest for many years in Gullegem and later in Sint Kruis, Bruges. Priester Jan, Monnik Jan and now Abt Jan. A few years ago, Jan decided to trade parish life for a secluded life in an abbey, located on a small island off the coast of Wales. In the meantime, this community has elected him abbot. In 2025, Bruno Verhenne and Sabine Tavernier visited the island and became acquainted with the religious life of the monks. Bruno had the opportunity to ask the monks about their motivation for their existence in the sign of prayer. The choice to build an abbey on an island at the time turned out not to be a coincidence but was well thought out. Bruno and Sabine were able to experience how God was omnipresent on the island. Not only in the monastery and the church but in every tree on the island, in the sturdy sea breeze and in every wave that splashes on the cliffs. Islands always exert a certain attraction, whether they are small or large. In one afternoon, Calcutta Sponsor Aid brings two documentaries in which a search for experience and awe are central. It will be a meeting between two worlds that share surprisingly much with each other. Two worlds that each take place on an island but in a totally different context. Both on Caldey Island and in rugged Iceland, people live who consciously choose a place that challenges them. The monks of Caldey Island seek silence to get closer to their calling. The inhabitants of Iceland remain faithful to a landscape that confronts them every day with the power of nature. On both islands, a special form of awe arises: for life, for the environment, for something that is greater than themselves. In “Oh my God!” you discover how the monastic community of Abbot Jan in the year 2026 chooses simplicity, rhythm and inner peace. In “Awe” you see how Icelanders live with a nature that is simultaneously ruthless and wonderful and why they continue to live in this rugged area despite everything. Together, these documentaries form a diptych about places that shape people. About silence and storm. About faith and nature. About the question of what makes us stay, choose and, above all, persevere. The number of available places is limited. So do not wait too long to register. Hopefully see you soon.