May 26, 2012
By my very nature I’m not a nervous passenger. In fact I love travelling. I love the sights, trying the food, making new friends, and experiencing different cultures! But by any measure this trip has gotten off to a rocky start.
I’m sitting in Cork Airport with an incessant ringing in my ears typing fast and furiously. It’s because there’s a power cut and I forgot to recharge the laptop last night. The aiport siren though is working perfectly, letting us no there’s no power. One would have thought that the complete absence of lights anywhere in the building would be a good enought indicator, but better safe than sorry. On top of that my flight to London is delayed an hour and a half. And to make mtters just that little bit worse there no coffee, because the coffee machine isn’t working, because there’s no power. Even Job would be getting a little antsy at this stage and I’m definitely no Job.
Fr. Herman in the after school project
However it’s all for a great cause. I’m off to South Africa for two weeks to look at setting up a volunteering programme with our Missionary of the Sacred Heart brothers in the Region. Along with Sr. Susan Jones, a member of the Holy Faith Congregation and a chaplain in DCU, we’ll be travelling around the country, working in the various projects and looking at possibilities for short term volunteering ( three months ). We’re going to begin in Tembisa, one of the largest townshops just outside Johannesburg. Fr. Herman van Dyke, based in the Ivory Park parish, is involved with the local Tshwaranang AIDS Hopsice and the Pilani youth project. We should be starting on Monday, so I’ll fill you in as it happens.
In the meantime God has taken pity on my plight. The electricity is back on. The sirens have stopped. Perhaps now is a good time to see if the coffee machine is running again. Things are beginning to look up!
May 21, 2012
Steve Colbert
“If you don’t have it, don’t spend it.” As far as common sense goes it doesn’t get any more self evident than that. But are there certain things that are absolutely essential, things that we cannot abandon, without sacrificing values that make us who we are?
This was evident last week when the Irish Government stated that is was still committed to keeping its UN target of allocating 0.7 per cent of gross national income to overseas aid by 2015. We are in a time of cut back, redundancies and closures and one could be forgiven for thinking that the future looks a bleak. You would think that this would be a time when we need to look after our own first, after all charity begins at home. (more…)
May 10, 2012
You’d be hard pressed to find a country which has been traditionally more Catholic than Spain. It’s been at the centre of the story of the Church for hundreds of years, but in recent times it has faced many of the same challenges we have in Ireland and England. There has been a falling off in attendance, an aging of the parish congregations and of course a dramatic drop in vocations. Times however seem to be changing, most especially on the last issue.
A still from one of the Bishops’ campaigns
The bishops of Spain have launched themselves into the world of social media and their work around vocations has gone viral. They’ve posted a number of videos on Youtube to mark the country’s Seminary Day on May 19th. Faces of different men appear on screen saying things like, “I can’t promise you a life of adventure, but I can promise you one that will be exciting.” As the camera pulls back we see that the men are priests. This year in Spain there has been a 4.2% increase in men coming forward for the priesthood. A modest increase, but when placed in the context of an almost continuous freefall over the past years it’s a significant result.
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Parishioners from our MSC Parish in England at WYD in Madrid
But where is this shift coming from. Is it a result of the economic downturn in Spain at the moment? Is it part of a wider spiritual awakening that may have been prompted by events like World Youth Day in Madrid last year? What is clear is that there is a need for people to come forward to devote themselves in a special way to following Christ. There is a need for people who have a passion of the Gospel message, a heart sustained by faith and compassion and courage to go out to the whole world.
For more information on the situation in Spain check out this week’s edition of The Tablet.
May 4, 2012
The Eucharist Congress Bell has travelled all round Ireland
There’s an App apparently for everything. There is no aspect of our lives, no matter how obscure, how bizarre that doesn’t have an associated smart phone feature that can make our lives more hassle free. Today I found out that these handy features now extend to our upcoming Eucharistic Congress. Fair play to Dominican Friar Luuk Dominiek Jansen and the Congress team for all their work.
There is a real sense of anticipation growing about the upcoming Eucharistic Congress. The line up of speakers and workshops is impressive, with a range of themes and topics explored. Pilgrims are traveling to Ireland from all around the world, not just from England and Europe, but from North and South America, Africa and Asia. There are expected to be 20,000 people attending each day, with a total of 80,000 attending for the final Mass in Croke Park. It will be an opportunity to experience the true universality of the Catholic Church and to celebrate it in prayer, song and fellowship.
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On Thursday there’ll be a special focus on vocations to priesthood and religious life and the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart will be there in force for the week. If you around drop in to Stand 71 and say hello. If I can borrow a Nespresso machine in the meantime there may even be a coffee on the go! For more information on the Eucharistic Congress check out their website http://www.iec2012.ie/
May 2, 2012
Last Sunday, as part of our celebration of World Day of Prayer for Vocations, about sixty people gathered for an Emmaus walk outside of Muckross Abbey. It was to be a day of reflective prayer, where we walked in two or threes, thinking about the story of those disciples fleeing Jerusalem after their experience of Holy Week. It was about a journey from despair to hope and from darkness to light. Thankfully the day was beautiful and our spirits were high as we set out. (more…)
Apr 27, 2012
A modern take on Caravaggio's Call of St. Matthew
“God encounters us ever anew, in the men and women who reflect His presence, in His Word, in the Sacraments and in the Eucharist“. Pope Benedict XVI
This coming Sunday is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. It’s an annual event where the universal Church comes together to pray in a united way that men and women will be raised up by their communities to serve God in a special way as priests, sisters and brothers. It’s about a life of service, compassion and love. It’s about being open to hearing God’s call and resonding as best we can, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”
On Sunday I’ll be part of a group celebrating a vocations event in Killarney ( You’ll find all the details below of this and a number of other events around Ireland ). We’re planning an afternoon based on the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. It’s perhaps one of the best stories in the Bible to illustrate the call of God in our lives. It begins with two disciples leaving Jerusalem, after the events of Holy Week. They’re on their way home, but in reality they are truly lost. All their dreams, their hopes had come to nothing, ending in a violent and inexplicable death on a cross. It’s not long before they Jesus himself catches up to them and continues to journey with them. He listens to their story, he hears the pain of their loss, but he challenges them to open their heart to the real meaning of His life and death. It’s only when they stop for the night at Emmaus and during the breaking of the bread that they realise who He is. The two disciples who return to Jerusalem are fundamentally different from the ones who left it earlier that day.
A number of things strike me about that story. Firstly when the disciples meet Jesus on the road He has caught up with them and slows to their pace to hear their story. His revelation is gradual. He listens to what they have to say. He doesn’t reveal himself immediately, but using their experience he shows them how His life, death and resurrection were inextricably bound together. We’re told that their hearts burned within them as they walked along the road. How often has Christ journeyed at your side, particularly when you’ve felt lost, guiding you and watching over you? More often than not we haven’t been able to discern His presence until afterwards.
Next when they reach Emmaus Jesus makes as if to travel on, but at their invitation he stays for a meal. When we speak of vocation we are really talking about invitation. God first extends the invitation to us as His children, calling us to serve Him and one another in love. But this can only take effect when we accept it. God will never force us or coerce us in how we choose to live our lives, however in responding generously to Him we have the opportunity to make a real difference in our world. The Gospel message of compassion, forgiveness and faith has never been more relevant.
Finally we have that wonderful moment of revelation in the breaking of bread. Because of their openness to God, even in spite of their doubts, the two disciples finally recognise that Jesus had been with them all along. As soon as they realise it though He leaves them, because He has achieved what He set out to do. Their eyes have been opened and their faith has been restored. At the beginning of the story they didn’t know where they were going, but now the direction is clear and they immediately return to the other disciples to share the good news. As the disciples recognised Jesus in the breaking of the bread maybe we can open our eyes to recognising Him in one another. Maybe we can look at those around us with new eyes, seeing people who are called, who are beloved, who are touched by the divine.
Killarney Vocations Event
Join with us on this World Day of Prayer for Vocations for an Emmaus pilgrimage through the ground of the beautiful Muckross Park. We’ll begin at Muckross Abbey, at 1.00pm, with a short prayer service. We’ll then walk the three miles to the Franciscan Friary for Mass led by Fr. Alan Neville MSC. This will be followed by refreshements. (transport available from Railway Station car park to Muckross from 12.15 pm)
All are welcome
Enquiries: 086 7857955
Dublin Vocations Event – Clontarf
WHERE: At the statue of Our Lady of the Port of Dublin, Dollymount, Clontarf for an hour of prayer for vocations. All are welcome.
WHEN: Sunday 29th April 2012 3.00pm -4.00 pm
Dublin Vocations Event – Blackrock
On the 29th of April 2012 at 5pm, you are invited for a Hour of Prayer for Vocations in the Chapel of Adoration, Disciples of the Divine Master,White’s Cross, Blackrock, Co. Dublin.
Limerick Vocations Event
A Eucharistic celebration to mark World Day of Prayer for Vocations will take place in St. Michael’s Church Limerick at 4pm. All are welcome to attend.
Armagh Vocations Event – Mellifont Parish
There will be an hour of Eucharistic adoration from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Church of the Assumption, Tullyallen on this special day of prayer for vocations, Sunday April 29th.
