Montserrat International Scout Centre (MISC)
What is MISC? Montserrat International Scout Centre (MISC) is an international Scout Centre, open to Scout and Guide leaders who want to develop their spiritual dimension, to make it grow at a personal level and thus be able to enrich their work as leaders. A place for Scouts and Guides to follow a work programme based on materials of Christian inspiration, open to all, believers and non-believers, in direct contact with nature, living everyday by themselves, true to the Scout and Guide Method. Within the Montserrat Nature Park, a geologically unique mountain with fascinating natural surroundings, a very interesting cultural centre, an important spiritual sanctuary, and a welcoming monastic community which is closely tied to Catalan Scouting and Guiding from the beginning of this movement in Catalonia.
The centre Where is it? Within the Montserrat Nature Park, MISC was created to become the Scout and Guide Centre of reference in southern Europe and the Mediterranean area; a place for camaraderie and a meeting point for Scouts and Guides from all over the world, a short way from such an important international communications hub as Barcelona is. What to do? MISC offers a 7-day programme full of activities which help each Scout/Guide follow their personal path. It is something more than a place to stay in. It is a place for people willing to look deep into their lives and listen to their selves, while being close to lovely paths and fascinating mountains; a place to read, a place for personal growth, a place imbued with silence and peace. Who is MISC for? The centre is open to Scout and Guide leaders from all over the world, as well as Rovers over 18. It is advisable to live the experience at MISC individually, but it is also possible to do it in a small group. When? The centre is open every day all over the year. You just need to check availability beforehand. The complete programme is planned for a 7-day stay, with the possibility to do it in fewer days if convenient.
Facilities The facilities of Montserrat International Scout Centre are inside the Abbey of Montserrat, which offers participants all the necessary facilities and materials for a fully self-managed stay. Cooking is also self-managed; food can be bought in Montserrat, to be cooked at MISC. 30 beds in 5 rooms Plates, glasses and cutlery 1 working/dining room Toilets/showers Kitchen with utensils Reading space
Abbey of Montserrat The origin of religious life in Montserrat goes back to the 9th century. Since then, it has always hosted some kind of religious life. The chronology of the first centuries of its history is very unclear. It is believed to have been a priory until 1409, when it was raised to an abbey by Pope Benedict XIII, and it has kept this status up to the present day. Having become a place for worship and pilgrimage for the faithful from all over the world, Montserrat is one of the most important symbols of Catalonia. From its beginning, Catalan Scouting and Guiding has been closely related to the monastery, so as to the creation of a Scout group which served the abbey for many years. This is now reflected in the many places and objects displaying Scout motifs which can be found both in the basilica and its surroundings. The Benedictine community of Montserrat has always been a welcoming one, not only to Scouts and Guides but also to pilgrims, associations and organizations which, at any time in history, have looked for the refuge and retreat of the monastery and its surroundings. The Sanctuary offers the possibility to participate in some of the celebrations, helping with the logistics or, more actively, in the preparation and the celebration itself. Moreover, guidance and revision of the experience by a monk is also offered, making it possible to get to know the Monastic life.
Monastery of Sant Benet The Monastery of Sant Benet de Montserrat is an abbey of Benedictine nuns which was canonically created as a result the joining of the communities of Santa Clara in Barcelona (probably founded in the 1230s) and Sant Benet in Mataró (founded in 1881). The current monastery, built in 1954 and now part of the municipality of Magranell, is located on a slope of the mountain of Montserrat, close to Colònia Puig, on an empty cliff head, overlooking the path that goes from Monistrol to the Monastery of Montserrat. The abbey offers the possibility to participate in some of the celebrations, as well as the chance to do some service to the community. This spirit of collaboration is mainly addressed to Guiding in order to make it possible for girls living the MISC experience to have the opportunity to get to know the life at the abbey more closely.
Natural surroundings MISC is fully integrated into the natural surroundings, featuring pre-designed routes (some of them specially intended for the work on spirituality) and many opportunities to discover the mountain and the hidden corners it offers. Activities like hiking and climbing are very popular in the mountain. So, it is very easy to follow marked routes like GR-172, GR-5/96, GR-5 even the Way of Saint James. The geological origin of the massif is sedimentary. Over time, rain and wind have shaped its monoliths in different ways, which results in its current unique, incomparably beautiful appearance. Popular imagination has connected its silhouettes to human and animal shapes, given them names, and invented legends which explain their fantastic origin. In Montserrat there are about 1.250 different plant species, and the prevailing vegetation is the holm oak and the laurestine, typical of Mediterranean forests. However, the changing climate in the massif results in species from dry areas growing next to those from humid areas. The fauna is also very diverse. The most common species are the woodpigeon, the song thrush, the falcon, the squirrel, the wild goat, the wild boar and the salamander, among many others which, given some luck and some patience, may be found there.
Programme Spiritual, cultural and natural values in Montserrat are completely in tune with the Scout and Guide idiosyncrasy. So, the mountain becomes a perfect setting for the work of spirituality from all sides. The essence of MISC is: A vital place of recess, in where to open your eyes to life, and of discovery. An opportunity to appreciate one s origins, enjoy the present moment and build a strong life project. A unique and special place, Montserrat, full of possibilities to find oneself and to find God. A personal gift to review one s vital path, reaffirm convictions and fill one s personal bag-pack with hope. A fascinating surrounding which connects our soul with nature. Scouting and Guiding, an option for life, a commitment with the world, to service. Methodologically speaking, the experience is based on self-management. There is a proposal of daily activities, and each Scout/Guide follows their own personal path. Even if participating in a small group, it is advisable to do activities individually. Each participant will have materials specially created for the occasion, created for people who want to share life and listen to themselves. There are paths and mountains to walk; written documents to work with and deepen in; silences to experience inner peace. It is all planned to help you lead your own adventure. So it will all depend on each person.
Mail: info@misc.cat Web: www.misc.cat