It wasn’t a promising start. It was a morning of driving rain and misty drizzle as our bus headed through West Cork on the way to Kealkill. Whatever else it was it definitely wasn’t a morning for a pilgrimage. However with a simple prayer we began our 18km walk to Gougane Barra in honour of the feast of St. Finbarr. (more…)
The most essential piece of kit for the NPC
When people speak of the largest gathering of people in the world they often point to the Hindu celebration of Kumbh Mela, which can have more than 70 million pilgrims in attendance during the festival. As Catholics we often point to World Youth Day. In fact WYD in Manila in 1995 had over 4 million young people in attendance. How many there will be in Rio in 2013 remains to be seen, but we definitely plan on being there. Watch this space!
However all these events pale into insignificance when compared to the largest event in Ireland, the National Ploughing Championships, which will take place from September 25th to 27th at Heathpark, New Ross, Co. Wexford. It’s one of Europe’s largest outdoor exhibitions and agricultural trade shows and it attracts on average 189,000 visitors and 1,100 exhibitors. This year however there’ll be 1,001. I’ll be in attendance, along with some of my MSC brothers for the course of the festival. I’ve got my wellies and we’re ready for anything! We’ll be chatting with people, meeting benefactors and we’ve also got a novel of exploring what it means to have a vocation. It’ll involve centipedes, rotten eggs, moldy cheese and dog food. Enough said!
We’re in the lifestyle and tourism section called Barrow, Stand 756, Row W Block 1. If you’re around next week do drop by and say hello! You’d be most welcome! We’ll be blogging away during the Championship as well.
The call of the disciples doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense. Jesus, after spending time in the desert reflecting on who he was and what his Father was calling him to do, invites an unusual group of people to follow him. These are the men who are going to help him proclaim good news, to bring healing to the broken and to reveal the presence of a loving God to all. In these days of human resource management and professional recruitment there are criteria that must be fulfilled, references to be checked and qualifications to be earned. To this end one could have asssumed that Jesus would have chosen from among the powerful, the learned and the influential. But our God is a God of surprises and He rarely acts in ways we aniticipate.
So it was with the apostles. In Luke 5 Jesus invites Simon Peter and his companions to put out into deep water, to respond to an invitation that seems pointless. The resulting catch is astonishing and it opens Simon Peter’s eyes to the fact that something extraordinary is happening. Once again Jesus invites Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, but this time to do something far more profound. Their true vocation is to become fishers of men and women. Jesus wasn’t interested in the external trappings that people valued, as much today as back in his time. What Christ was looking for were people with a heart that was open to God’s call, not when they were ready, but when he needed them.
I’ve only been involved with vocation promotion for less than a year, but it’s been a powerful experience. It’s about journeying with people and listening to their story and how God continues to love, challenge and call them. For some they are thinking of becoming a priest, while others are interested in consecrated religious life. Very often though there is a sense that people feel that they don’t have enough faith; they are not holy enough; or maybe that they are not ready. But if we are going to wait until we ourselves are ready, well that day will most likely never come. Sometimes we need to take the risk, we need to leave our nets behind and we need to follow God’s call. If you look at the life of Peter and how he shaped his world and built up the people of God, it all began with that simple invitation to “Come and follow me.” That’s your invitation too. What’s your answer?
There are places like this all around the world. Whether you visit Glendalough in the east of Ireland, Iona off the coast of Scotland or Santiago in the northwest of Spain there is an ineffable sense of something sacred. It’s not just the location, which is as near heavenly as earth can be, but there’s something else that you can’t really describe. Places like these have been the destination of countless hundreds of thousands of pilgrims for well over fifteen hundred years. (more…)
One generally associates Our Lady’s Shrine in Knock with gentle hymns and heavenly choirs, but on the last Friday in July Knock rocked to the sound of a very different style of music. It was an evening of final sound checks for the musicians getting ready for the Knock Summer Festival. In fact the whole area next to the Basilica was alive with activity as teams of people set up marquees, arranged chill out spaces and sorted out workshops, all under the watchful eyes of Helen and Nic, the fantastic Knock Youth Team.
It was needed, because over the course of Saturday morning over five hundred young people descended on Knock looking forward to an amazing festival and they were not disappointed! The day was different to any other with insightful talks by Fr.Conall O Cuinn who spoke on God’s love, John Lonergan who spoke on community and the need for us all to make a difference in our local community and Bishop Mc Keown speaking about the church as One Body in Jesus Christ. The workshops were on Drumming, taize prayer, love and relationships and youth alpha.
Just some of the people at the One Call Vocation Worshop
I was also really delighted to be invited to lead a workshop on vocation in the afternoon. I was hoping we’d get 40 if we were lucky, but we ended up with over 60. It was literally standing room only! The group was great and really entered into the reflection and the creative activities with all their hearts. There was clay, candles and letters all over the place as we looked at how we are all called to be lights to the world; how we are all letters written by God, not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; and how we are moulded and created by a loving God.
Music was prvided by the amazing and talented Elation Ministries. There was loads of time for prayer and reflection and our final mass was celebrated by the parish priest in Knock Fr. Richard Gibbons. The day wrapped up with over five hundred people singing together, “Awake, Rise Up and Follow Me!”
Here’s a little bit of Elation to give you a feel for the sense of celebration we all had during the day.
[youtube 2LBY3Cq45s0]
It’s almost time. We’re nearly there. At the end of this month the Knock Youth Festival is kicking off. The Festival is for all people between the ages of 17-30. It is a chance to come away and experience something amazing. Hundreds of young people will gather together on the 28th of July for a day with a difference. Drumming, Gymnastics, Elation Ministries,Trocaire, Magis, inspiring speakers, practical workshops, celebration of the Eucharist, chill out time, a chance to meet new people. The festival is FREE, all you have to pay for is your food. The day will begin at 12:00 and finish at 6:00pm. There are some buses coming from around the country. For more information click here.
Last years event saw over 600 people coming together, this is what they said….
‘The atmosphere in the chill out marquee was relaxed and welcoming. The weekend overall was one to be remembered’.
“It was great!! Countin down till next year already!!” says one festival goer.
“I had a brilliant time at the Youth festival. I will definitely be back again next year” said another.
In the run up to the Festival young people from the dioceses of Clogher, Raphoe, Kilmore, Elphin and Achonory will take part in a pilgrim relay. Young people will begin their walk in Lough Derg and walk to Knock Shrine, starting on the 22nd July. This walk will be organised by the different dioceses.
While your in the West, why not climb Croagh Patrick on ‘Reek Sunday’ Sunday the 29th of July. It is an amazing experience to climb the Holy Mountain with thousands of other pilgrims that will make the climb that day.
For any further information on the event you can contact me at fralan@mscvocations.ie or get in touch with the fantastic Knock Youth Team by clicking here.