Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Benedict, father of monasticism and one of the patron saints of Europe. During my early days of religious life, I was discerning whether God was calling me to the Benedictine life because of my love for liturgy and my discovery of the Rule of St. Benedict which has so many gems for Christian and religious living. The Rule begins with the words: "Hear and heed my child, the voice of the Master." As I discerned, I realised that the Master for me was the Divine Master and so here I am! As I grew to know more about the charism of Blessed James Alberione, I was so happy to discover that he gave to us a life motto borrowed from the words of St. Benedict: "Ora et labora", that is, "Pray and work." He also gave prominence to the place of St. Scholastica in our spirituality and proposed her discipleship as a model for us. St. Scholastica was the twin of St. Benedict and our first sister was given the religious name …

Heart speaks to Heart- Cor ad cor loquitur! This motto of Blessed Cardinal John Newman is what comes to my mind and heart for the feastday today.
Today and tomorrow we will celebrate the hearts of Jesus and of Mary. Today, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart -one of my favourites and tomorrow the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Nowadays it seems that the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has been archived back to the time of our grandparents or our parents. I remember in school learning to sing 'Sweet heart of Jesus' with great fervour as taught to us by the Sisters of Mercy. Even now when I hear it, I am still somewhat nostalgic. I doubt somehow that these are the songs which my nieces learnt for their school choir for Mass. also remembered how often we prayed the short prayers to the Sacred Heart in class, in assembly, when we were in trouble or anxious: "Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you" or "Sweet heart of Jesus, make me love you more and more&qu…

PROMO for Adoration Programme in the Chapel of Adoration- Dublin. The pace of life gets faster and faster and we risk being sucked into the tornado of work, meetings, full diaries and professional multitasking. Can we allow ourselves an hour to sit with Jesus? To switch off, no mobiles, no social media. Just face to face with Jesus.
Despite being on a busy N11 and close to the M50 motorway, the Chapel of Adoration at White’s Cross is a quiet haven for those who are discovering a need to digitally detox and reconnect with Jesus. Many call it an oasis of peace and tranquility, a place to recharge and refuel for the next stage of life’s journey. Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament and we are blessed to be able to keep him company all day from 8 am weekdays until late evening and from the afternoon until late evening at weekends.
Alongside the sisters, there is a steady stream of people in and out throughout the day at the Chapel. Some people are signed up for a scheduled hour.Others …

The Beatitudes are the Gospel's commentary on "attitude"

Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves; they will always have entertainment.

Blessed are those who can distinguish between a mountain and a molehill; they will save themselves a lot of trouble.

Blessed are those who can rest and sleep without looking for excuses; they will become wise.

Blessed are those who are intelligent enough not to take themselves too seriously; they will be appreciated.

Blessed are you if you can look seriously at small things and peacefully at serious things; you will go far in life.

Blessed are you if you can admire a smile and forget a scowl; your path will be sunlit.

Blessed are you if you can always interpret the attitudes of others with good will, even when appearances are to the contrary; you may seem naive, but that is the price of charity.

Blessed are those who think before acting and who laugh before thinking; they will avoid foolish mistakes.

Blessed are you if you kn…

PRAYERS FOR THE PROTECTION OF LIFE IN THE WOMB
Prayer of Saint Pope John Paul II – Evangelium Vitae
O Mary, bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause of life
Look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of life
with honesty and love to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude
throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it
resolutely, in order to build,
together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the Creator and lover of life.
Prayer to God the Father of All Life
Eternal God, You have revealed Yourself as the Father of …

Guided Holy Hour
Vigil of Prayer for the protection of the 8th Amendment
8th of April 2018



Opening Hymn: Be not afraid
(Bob Dufford, S.J)

1)You shall cross the barren desert
But you shall not die of thirst
You shall wander far in safety
Though you do not know the way.
You shall speak your words in foreign lands
And all will understand
You shall see the face of God and live.

Ref: Be not afraid, I go before you always, come follow Me and I shall give you rest.

2) If you pass through raging waters
In the sea, you shall not drown
If you walk amidst the burning flames
You shall not be harmed.
If you stand before the pow'r of hell
And death is at your side
Know that I am with you, through it all.

3)Blessed are your poor
For the Kingdom shall be theirs
Blest are you that weep and mourn
for one day you shall laugh.
And if wicked men insult and hate you
All because of Me
Blessed, blessed are you!

Introduction: We gather this evening for this vigil of prayer and fasting to intercede for our…

Today we recall the 13th anniversary of the return home to God of Blessed John Paul II. When he came to Ireland in 1979, I viewed this historical event from the tranquility of my mother’s womb (I was born a few months after!). My father, who played the french horn in the Band of the Western Command was part of the military band for the occasion and played at the Papal Mass in Knock. So did my godfather Gerry Lacey too who wrote about this in an interview with the Westmeath Independent here. I felt I could say ‘I was there too’. Little did I know some years after I would meet JP II face to face and have the opportunity to speak to him and tell him about this little antedote. Our God is truly a God of surprises!
Never in a million years did I ever contemplate being in Rome for such memorable events: the death of our beloved John Paul II, a conclave, and the consequent election of Pope Benedict XVI. I had come to Rome three years previous and as I attended the various ceremonies in St.…

Lord of Life,
we rejoice this Easter because Easter has loosed its grip on you.
The tomb cannot hold you.
The stone is rolled away.
The burial cloths testify to your triumph over death.
We sing our hymns of rejoicing to you,
because as you are freed from death so are we. We rejoice as you call us by name, O Lord
and we follow you! Good news! Glad tidings! Christ is RISEN! With my prayers for you before the Empty Tomb and in the presence of the Eucharistic and Risen Saviour!
Sr. M. Louise pddm