I was a speaker at the recent conference by The Irish Catholic/Iona Institute on Pope Francis and the future of the family in Ireland. Afterwards a number of people came up to talk to me. One man spoke of his work with the Society of St Vincent de Paul and how their outreach is to…
We had a wonderful homily from our parish priest a few weeks ago. I’m not suggesting that we don’t generally have good homilies – but this one stood out. I went to Fr Brian after Mass to thank him for what he’d said and laughing, he responded, “It wasn’t the homily I had prepared at…
We have just completed our fourth session of the Confirmation programme ‘You shall be my witnesses’ with over one hundred children who will be confirmed in our parish on February 13. Our fifth and final session will take place a couple of weeks after the children have been confirmed. I have really enjoyed these weeks,…
The car is going in for a service on Thursday. It is just as well. It has been sounding a bit rough lately and could do with a tune up and an oil change. I’m much the same myself actually. I need a bit of a tune up too. Perhaps that is why I am…
I was asked today at rather short notice if I would facilitate a workshop on Saturday. The theme of the day is ‘Images of God’. I had already said yes to the request when I began to panic – what am I going to do with the group, have I time to pull together a…
So is the New Year starting for you with a diet or, like me, are you still celebrating the Christmas season right up until January 6? (After that there will be no more mince pies and caramel squares!) I’m often struck by the sense of anti-climax people sometimes experience at this time of year. “All…
Have you ever been in a room where the buzz of conversation grows louder and stronger and you can feel the energy in the room rise? In my work as a facilitator that is something I regularly get to be a part of. The Irish word for a facilitator is éascaitheoir – one who makes…
Our daughter Deirbhile started university in Dublin this year and was home last week for a few days during her Reading Week. She lives out near DCU but takes the bus into the city now and again. Over the weekend she said to me: “In Dublin, it’s great, almost every single person getting off the…
Our parish is using the Do this in Memory programme this year to support the children and families who are preparing for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist. The response to the programme from parents has been very positive with many commenting on how good it is to be involved, to feel more connected to the…
Grief is a personal journey, shaped by our life and relationships, but we all have to learn to live with the new reality, writes Bairbre Cahill