Celebrating Blessed Dom. Columba Marmion

-

“Only the heart touches hearts. We influence people in proportion to our love for them.” (Blessed Columba Marmion). Today, 3rd of October,  in the Irish Church we remembered Blessed Columba Marmion. As an Irish diocesan priest in the Dublin Archdiocese he felt called to the monastic way of life. He served in Dundrum which is just up the road from us here in Blackrock. He entered the Benedictine Maredsous Abbey several years after being ordained a priest. In 1909 he was elected abbot of Maredsous Abbey and served in that capacity until his death on January 30th, 1923.

One of my favourite books is a composition of letters written by him, called "Union with God". He wrote to people who sought his spiritual counsel with questions about prayer, faith, temptation, suffering, and the struggles of daily life. Marmion excelled in the art of letter-writing — his advice was always simple and direct, yet profound. Last Sunday 30th of September we were privileged to be part of the solemn Evening Prayer for the blessing of a new icon of Blessed Columba Marmion in beautifully restored Holy Cross Church, Dundrum. I felt privileged to be asked to sign the Psalm at the Evening Prayer and I know our dear Sr. M. Paul, RIP, would have been definitely there for the celebration as she had huge devotion to him and recalls how our Founder, Blessed James Alberione, often quoted him during his meditations which he gave to them as young postulants and novices.

Unveiling the icon (Archbishop D. Martin and Fr. John Bracken
 If you're in the Dublin area you should check it out- it portrays the life of Bl. Marmion wonderfully and prayerfully. Well done to Fr. John Bracken and his team in the Parish for a wonderful celebration which was presided over by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and with Dom Columba McCann, OSB and Vice-Postulator of the canonisation cause of Dom Marmion being the homilist. We continue to ask the intercession of this great monk so that we may progress in our spiritual journey and come closer to God!
Dom Columba McCann, OSB and Vice-Postulator of the canonisation cause of
Dom Marmion gives a reflection after the Scripture Reading

Comments

  1. TheresaOctober 17, 2021 at 9:25 AM

    Today during our Eucharistic visit with my fellow Pauline Cooperators in Singapore, we came across the name of Marmion as quoted by Alberione. We wondered who he was and my search led to your blog post. Thanks for sharing the information about Marmion and his book Union with God. That's going into my reading list. God bless!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Just to say 'thank you' (Sr. Louise's words of thanksgiving for the celebration of her Perpetual Profession)

-
Image
When I look at the mosaic of my life and all the people who compose it. God’s hand gathering lives of colour to form a masterpiece, a body, cell by cell.  Tiny little pieces put together colour by colour and forging something unforgettable, something that fits perfectly into the master plan, God’s handiwork where his grace allowed our paths to meet in life. Reflecting back upon the years of my life, I have found that the pieces fit perfectly, not always by my doing and not always by my understanding. Happiness and pain fitting together because one can’t know one without the other.  The ups and downs, the ins and outs, all mean there is a perfect balance somewhere and we spend our waking hours searching for it, knowing that we are restless until we rest in God. Each one of you here today would merit a personal ‘thank you’ : by your presence, your accompaniment, you remind me that this vocation is not my vocation but a vocation for the Church, for the world, for each of you! Everyon
Read more

Holy Hour of Thanksgiving for our Silver Jubilee of presence in Dublin.

-
Image
The following is a guided holy hour prepared in occasion of our silver jubilee of presence in Dublin, celebrated this year. The Holy Hour follows the method of prayer given to our Pauline Family by Blessed James Alberione- to honour Jesus as Way, Truth and Life. Song: Open the eyes of my heart, I want to see You, I want to see You (x2) To see You high and lifted up, shining in the light of Your glory Pour out Your power and love, as we sing holy, holy, holy Guide: We pray before Jesus as we behold the mystery of the God who became flesh out of love for us. We gather here to pray and spend time wi th the Lord, in silence, in prayer and in song . Each of us have a different story but tonight Jesus has united us in mind and in heart just as He did with the early Christian communities. In   Acts of the Apostles we read: ‘they were all of one mind and one body’. This evening we let our hearts enter into communion with the Lord Jesus and with our brothers and sisters. Let us op
Read more

The Icon of Friendship

-
Image
Icon of Friendship Last week I received a beautiful surprise parcel in the post containing an icon and a book. Those who know me know that this almost equates to being Christmas for me: books and icons, both on my list of 10 favourite things! The icon was one I had actually never seen before and was a gift from Taize, a copy of the Coptic icon which belonged to Brother Roger Schultz, the former prior there. The original icon dates from seventh century Eygpt and is usually referred to as “Christ with the believer” but is just as frequently referred to as “the icon of friendship”. Although simple in its presentation, it is nevertheless a sophisticated image. Jesus is shown putting His arm around the shoulder of a friend; this man is called Menas, but he represents each one of us. Jesus does not face Menas, rather He stands alongside him; He accompanies him, sharing in the burdens of life. In His left arm Jesus holds the Scriptures, God’s word. The word tells the story of the love b
Read more