Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

In the so-called 'selfie' culture, this poem struck a chord with me, it is entitled "My Master's Face'. "No pictured likeness of my Lord I have; He carved no record of his ministry on wood or stone. He left no sculptured tomb nor parchment dim but trusted for all memory of Him, men's heart alone. Who sees the face but sees in part; Who reads the spirit which it hides, sees all; he needs no more. Thy life in my life, Lord, give Thou to me; and then, in truth, I may forever see my Master's face!" William Hurd Hillyer

Today we had the blessing of having a day of retreat! It allowed me a little extra time for musical creativity. I had put this little song down a few years ago but sang it once and let it there. Given that today is Good Shepherd Sunday, Vocations Sunday, I thought it would be appropriate to wipe the dust off it and tweak it a little. The words are adapted from Psalm 22/23 (depending on your version!)It still needs some work but as they say, God loves a trier! Hope you enjoy it!

Pope Francis Message for Vocations Sunday 2016 The Church, Mother of Vocations Dear Brothers and Sisters, It is my great hope that, during the course of this  Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy , all the baptized may experience the joy of belonging to the Church and rediscover that the Christian vocation, just like every particular vocation, is born from within the People of God, and is a gift of divine mercy. The Church is the house of mercy, and it is the “soil” where vocations take root, mature and bear fruit. For this reason, on the occasion of the 53 rd  World Day of Prayer for Vocations, I invite all of you to reflect upon the apostolic community, and to give thanks for the role of the community in each person’s vocational journey. In the  Bull of Indiction for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy , I recalled the words of the venerable Saint Bede, describing the call of Saint Matthew: “ Miserando atque eligendo ” ( Misericordiae Vultus , 8). The Lord’s merci...

Meeting Pope John Paul II, 2004 Today we recall the 11th 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...

Love overcame Emerging from a cold tomb All the truth, majesty and creativity of a living God Transforming a broken heart Making a quiet return, in a still and sorrowful garden The grave stone rolled away, to release redemptive love Jesus resurrected and restored Comforts a weeping woman Speaks with travellers on a journey Meets with his faithful friends And they bow down before Christ alive And acknowledged that the saviour has arrived That the word of God has come alive And that the extraordinary transformation of heaven and earth Is complete.

From the 5th to the 13th of March 2016, the fraternal visit took place in the Irish Delegation of the Disciples of the Divine Master. Sr. M. Celine Cunha, pddm who is the Vicar General of our Congregation, visited our two communities in Dublin and Athlone, carrying out the formative, communitarian and personal encounters. There, she had the opportunity to see the ministry of the sisters and meet their collaborators and friends. You might be wondering what a canonical visitation is! Well in Ireland, our grouping of our sisters in the two communities in Ireland is known as a Delegation and there is a Delegate Superior who has the mission and task of guiding and animating the sisters in the Delegation to ensure that we are all doing our best to incarnate the mission of our Founder and the values of religious values in the society and Church of today.  The Delegate Superior is helped by a team of two councillors, a secretary and a bursar. Her term of office is usually three years s...

You can do it! Go team! Hang in there! Yes, we can! Seize the day! Each day is a new day! Live life! You know more than you think! Keep going. Don’t give up. You can do it! You are nearly there. You are almost there. You are getting there. Nice try. Don’t worry ... You are doing great. Good try, but not quite right. Have another go, I’m sure you’ll do better. That’s almost it. or You’ve almost got it. Go on. Have another try. That is nearly perfect. Better luck next time. Don’t worry about it. Hey, look how far you've come. Tomorrow is another day! Or as one of our saints, Maggiorino Vigolungo would say: "One step forward every day!"