Een netwerk van vriendschap in Christus

Ariëns Katholieke Studenten Enschede is een community van jongeren die geïnspireerd zijn door de blijde boodschap van Jezus en de Katholieke Kerk. We zijn een community waar Nederlandse en internationale studenten en jonge academici elkaar ontmoeten. Samen ontdekken we het geloof en ervaren we de gemeenschappelijke vriendschap met Jezus Christus.



De community bestaat al meerdere jaren in verschillende vorm. In 1948 stonden we bekend als de Katholieke Studenten Kring Enschede. Sinds 2008 noemen we ons Ariëns Katholieke Studenten Enschede. We komen nu regelmatig bij elkaar om ons te verdiepen in de boodschap van Jezus en zijn Kerk. We bezoeken bijvoorbeeld inspirerende plaatsen in de omgeving of we nodigen een bijzondere spreker uit. Ariëns vormt een netwerk van katholieke jongeren die elkaar bemoedigd in het geloof. Verder verwijzen wij steeds naar de Katholieke Kerk zoals zij hier leeft en het geloof verspreidt.

Kortom: Ariëns Katholieke Studenten Enschede: Ontmoet & Ontdek, Ervaar het Samen!



This is our community of Ariëns:

The common thirst to knowledge on faith, the common desire to communicate about faith and the common experience of faith are the fundamental grounds of us, catholic students and youth in Enschede, to unite ourselves in Ariëns Katholieke Studenten Enschede.

We help new students finding their way in Catholic Enschede. We pray together, learn about Jesus, the Church and the saints.

Our community wants to be:
in the spirit of Alphonse Ariëns
a place,
rooted in  the Catholic faith,
where students can come together and built up friendships.
There we can reflect on faith and meaning,
and reflect on our role and meaning in society.
(May 15, 2008)

Knowledge: The faithful of the Church are the bearers of the gospel and those bearers should be strengthened (Mgr. De Korte, 2009). In our activities, we have a strong focus on faith education.
Communication: Father Alphonse Ariëns promoted the use of leaflets and brochures as new evangelization medium. Our goal is to be a living sign on campus, pointing to Jesus and the Catholic Church, being the students' guide in Catholic Enschede.
Experience: In our activities we focus on the experience of the Eucharist, the experience of prayer, the experience of communion, friendship and charity. In short: we focus on fostering the experience of the Catholic faith in all its richness.
(September 10, 2009)

We do this by meeting, learning, and by experiencing together, the Catholic faith.
(August 20, 2010)


How does Father Ariëns inspire us?

• Alphonse Ariëns was a man who combined three activities smoothly: to analyze, to think and to work. Alphonse Ariëns analyzed with close attention, he thought what to do, and he let love inspire him to really work in the world.
• Alphonse Ariëns wanted to get close to the people around him. He was and we are called to work in the vineyard of the Lord, the society.
• For Alponse Ariëns reflection was a serious activity. ‘My friend is he who dares to correct me.’
• Alphonse Ariëns fought against alcohol abuse, but he really liked good wine and cognag. It is Alphonse Ariëns opinion that not everyone is called to abstinence. However Alphonse Ariëns promoted sobriety as a major value.
• Alphonse Ariëns gave much importance for liturgy and Eucharistic adoration.
• Alphonse Ariëns promoted the use of leaflets and brochures as new evangelization medium.
• Alphonse Ariëns was born on the name day of Our Lady of Good Counsel. He prayed the rosary every evening with his housemates.



 
This is our history:

The following speech was given at the 63rd dies natalis on May 19 2011 by Aryo Breton van Groll, board member of Ariëns Katholieke Studenten Enschede.

Welcome at the 63rd dies natalis celebration of Ariëns Catholic Students. We celebrate this memorable event at Catholic Christian Students’ House Patmos were three years ago, on May 15, at this same table, the name Ariëns was chosen for the Catholic Students’ Community in Enschede. After a meditation of Pope Benedict XVI on last Sunday’s gospel of the Good Shepherd, we will pray the Holy Rosary. Then I will give you a short overview on the history of the Catholic Students’ Community in Enschede. After that we will talk together about Alphonse Ariëns. Father Alphonse was chaplain of Enschede (1886-1901) and during the heydays of industrialization living example of Christian social teaching. We are very honoured to have Mr. Jan Hinke of the Ariëns Committee in our midst who will guide us in our exploration on the life of Alphonse Ariëns. Warm greetings and felicitations come from Father André Monninkhof who is now on his way to Lourdes in France.

History of the Catholic Students’ Community in Enschede

For the first signs of Catholic students coming together in Enschede, One has to go back to the thirties of the 20th century. Handwritten notes of students dated 1934 describe meetings where Catholic students came together to deepen themselves in faith and philosophy.

The Capuchin time 


In May 1948, the Catholic students’ community, Katholieke Studenten Kring Contardo Ferrini (KSK) became a formal organization. Contardo Ferrini was the patron Saint of Universities. The KSK was founded as an umbrella organization for the groups of Catholic students of the different educational institutions housed in Enschede: the Textile High School, Secondary Technical School, School of Marine Engineering, the Academy of Art and Industry and the Roman Catholic School of Social Work. It was initiated by a lodging-house keepster who asked Father Leonard OFM Cap to organize something for the Catholic students. Every month there was a Holy Mass with breakfast, and there were discussions, lectures and courses, a fun evening and a dance club. From 1954 the KSK published a periodical named ‘Brandpunt’ and the motto of the KSK sounded: ‘Spe Gaudentes’ (Rejoicing in Hope). (Source: Catholic Documentation Centre, Radboud University Nijmegen.)
It is said that a house keeper of some of the students said to Father Leonard, 'They all just run around.' Father Leonard said: 'Woman, what do you want from me? I haven't got all time!' But the house keeper said to the students: 'Just do whatever he tells you.'

The Saint John time 
During the nineties the Catholic students’ community was named ‘Rooms-Katholieke Studentenvereniging Johannes’ (RKSV Johannes). RKSV Johannes organized meetings including theology and philosophy nights together with the Community of Saint John. Faith and living that faith were central issues of the meetings. In 1995, students from RKSV Johannes were present at the visit of Pope John Paul II in Brussels. (Source: UT News.)
In order to attract also other young people who were not studying, the name Roman Catholic Youth Enschede 'Crossroads' (RKJ Crossroads) was launched. This group resided in the Assisi Catholic Students’ House GJ van Heekstreet 394. Every first Tuesday of the month there was a meeting. On such an evening one came together to eat together and celebrate Holy Mass at the chapel of the Community of Saint John. (Source: RKJ Crossroads.)


After World Youth Day in Cologne in 2005, the group renamed to Roman Catholic Student Twente (RKST). They met twice per month during lunch meetings held in the Vrijhof and preceded by UT-prof. Alfred Driessen. Subject of those meetings was the Catechism of the Catholic Church. RKST organized in 2006, together with the Community of Saint John a theme night around the movie "An Inconvenient Truth. " In 2007 the Catholic students moved from House Assisi to House Patmos, GJ van Heekstreet 406, the former guesthouse of the of the Community of Saint John. In the same period the brothers of Saint John left Enschede, for focusing on the students’ parish Thomas Aquinas in Utrecht. In the following period the RKST kept going on with the lunch meetings around the catechism. Also, various theme lectures, followed by the feasts of the ecclesiastical calendar were organized. The group visited together with UT-prof. Alfred Driessen and Norbert Kuipers in 2007 Kevelaer. (Source: RKS Ariëns.)

The Ariëns time
On Thursday May 15, 2008, 60 years after the founding of the Catholic student community in Enschede students of RKST came together in House Patmos to decide on the new name of the group of Catholic students at the University of Twente: Rooms-Katholieke Studenten Alfons Ariens (RKS Ariens). Inspired on the story of the initiation of the lodging-house keepster today’s motto of RKS Ariëns is: “Do whatever He tells you”.
In September 2009, RKS Ariëns merged with an international Catholic students’ prayer group in Enschede. Every week the rosary is prayed followed by an informal drink and chat together. Since RKS Ariëns came in touch with international students more and more, it became also common to address the group in English: Ariëns Catholic Students Community Enschede.


Holy Mary, Pray for us.
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of the Church,
Spiritual Vessel,
Seat of Wisdom,
Queen of the holy Rosary,
Queen of families,
Queen of peace,
Saint Peter,
Saint Willibrord (patron of the Archdiocese of Utrecht),
Saint James the Great, (patron of Enschede, our parish and the church in the town centre),
Saint Paul (patron of the church closest to the university),
Saint Lambert (patron of the basilica in Hengelo),
Blessed Pope John Paul II (patron of the World Youth Days),
Blessed Contardo Ferrini (patron of Katholieke Studenten Kring Enschede),
Saint John the Beloved Discipl (patron of Rooms-Katholieke Studentenvereniging Johannes and of House Patmos, the residence house of the Catholic students community in Enschede),
Alphonse Ariëns, Servant of God ('patron' of Rooms-Katholieke Studenten Alfons Ariëns), Pray for us.