Church of Mary of the Assumption, Newcastle, Co. Down

God The Friend

God in the bad times
God in the good
God in the flame
And God in the wood.

God in the labour
God in the rest
God in the shallows,
God in the crest.

God in the healing,
God in the care
God on the wing
And God in the prayer

God in the living
God at the end,
God the faithful
God the friend.

Newcastle Harbour, Co. Down

Memories

He spoke of an unforgettable
Journey to the Holy Land
Of being on a boat
On a beautiful day
On the Sea of Galilee
A sea of starry light
When a powerful feeling seized him
As a calming faith assured him
That he, too, with eyes fixed on his Master
Could have walked on water.

Annual Novena To Mary Help of Christians

15 - 23^rd May

Feast Day : 24^th May

Prayer To Our Lady Help Of Christians

Mary, Help of Christians,
You listen with a Mother’s love
To all who look for your guidance.
I ask you to keep all those I love
In your tender care.
Give me strength
To face up to life’s difficulties
And protect me from all
Spiritual and bodily harm.
Grant me an abundance of love
So that I, too, may be
A help to others,
Sharing with them
In their time of need,
And caring for them
In their moments of distress.
Amen.

Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us.

http://www.salesians.ie/about-donbosco/ihavedone.htm

St. James Church Of Ireland, Cliftonville Road, Belfast

Spirit Of The Living God, Fall Afresh On Me

Veni Creator Spiritus


Come Holy Spirit, Creator, come
from Thy bright heavenly throne,
come take possession of our souls
and make them all Thine own.

Thou who art called Paraclete
blest gift of God above,
the living spring, the living fire,
sweet unction and true love.

Church Of The Immaculate Conception , Castlewellan
www.kilmeganparish.com/

Church Of St. Therese Of Lisieux, Holy Family Parish
www.holy-familyparish.com

One day Within Your House...Psalm 84

Often the most meaningful dialogue is not that which takes place round a conference table or in a committee room; but that which takes place between God and us in the confines of our hearts.

Within the walls of His house there is a dispensary of divine proportion where mercy and grace and love are poured out. The gentle voice that has echoed down centuries still resounds today within these walls ready to engage in dialogue private and profound. We may come before Him downcast or bewildered, heavily burdened or holding nothing back, but we come as one into the Father’s house. He smiles on us in our coming and blesses us in our going. His house is our family’s - God's family's - gathering place, a home until we reach our final home, a place of shelter from life’s storms and gales, a source of joy and endless love.

Blessed Edmund Rice
Feast Day 5th May

Edmund Rice was born in Callan, Co. Kilkenny, in 1762 and died in Waterford in 1844. As a young man, Edmund went to Waterford to work with his uncle, Michael Rice, a merchant and ship-chandler. Edmund had the necessary personality, talents and dedication to be a very successful businessman and, soon, his uncle entrusted him with the management of the entire firm. Eventually, he took out ownership and was on his way to being a very wealthy man.

When Edmund's wife died after an accident in 1789, he began to devote himself more and more to prayer and charitable work, especially with the poor and marginalised. He was especially drawn to the plight of poor children whose parents could not afford to send them to the paying schools of the time.

When his handicapped daughter reached adulthood, Edmund Rice made provision for her and resolved to go to Rome to enter a monastic congregation and serve God in prayer and silence. However, his great compassion and concern were also drawn to the human, spiritual and educational plight of the children of Ireland who had no opportunity.

He built and opened his first school in 1802 and over the next twenty years a considerable number of men from all walks of life began to join him. (Presentation Brothers). Eventually, they resolved to form a new Religious Congregation (Christian Brothers) which was formally approved by Pope Pius VII in 1820. Edmund saw his congregation grow in Ireland, England and Australia. He died, 29th August 1844. His reputation for holiness spread rapidly and he was Beatified by Pope John Paul II in October, 1996.

http://network.edmundrice.eu/

Queen Of The May

Bring flowers of the rarest,

Bring blossoms the fairest,

From garden and woodland and hillside and dale;

Our full hearts are swelling,

Our glad voices telling

The praise of the loveliest flower of the vale.

O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today,

Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May.

I would like to encourage others who have not already done so, to pay a visit to a wonderful site, devoted entirely to Our Lady.
Consecrated to Mary is its title and there you will find many beautiful writings, prayers, recordings and devotions including all the guidance and encouragement necessary for the 33 day preparation for Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Gabrielle, who is the site owner has also a second site , Contemplative Haven, which is listed in the side bar. Here is the link to the former: http://consecratedtomary.wordpress.com/

Belfast Zoo on a misty morning.

God’s Summoning

Our happiness in the created goods of the world can draw us to their Creator. And our unhappiness, because no created thing gives the infinite joy we try to wring from it, can also lead us to the True Infinite. These experiences constitute the first dim stirrings of the soul to God. There is a primitive awareness of Sovereign Goodness in His handiwork on the one hand, and the longing for a Merciful Redeemer to free us from sin and anxiety on the other.

St. Frances de Sales gives us the analogy of mother partridges; these birds often steal the eggs of other partridges in order to hatch them. When the chick which has been hatched under the protective wing of the thievish partridge first hears the cry of its true mother, it immediately abandons its false parent and flees to the true one. Apparently the baby partridge is drawn by some affinity in its nature, so that it is never satisfied until it finds the mother bird. God puts some such affinity to Him into our natures - a nostalgia for Him which renders us dissatisfied with the fleeting enticements of the flesh, wealth, and power; until we finally respond to our inborn need and fly to His loving embrace. But we are not guided by instinct as the partridges are. Reason and free will are our human faculties, so that the return to God is, for us, the result of a free choice.

Whether we respond or not to God’s summoning of our souls, notice that the first impetus always comes from Him. He seeks us before we dream of seeking Him - there is God-priority everywhere. God knocks before we invite Him in - He loves us before we respond. We are all recipients before we are donors; our life was given to us; our education was given to us; our graces are given to us, too.

Lift Up Your Heart

Fulton Sheen

http://www.stmalachyscollege.com

Gloria Ab Intus

There is something about music and the Celtic heart that is forever in tune. Just a few nights ago I and about 2000 others attended a night of celebration to mark the 175^th anniversary of one of Belfast’s leading grammar schools, St Malachy’s College. The school is recognised as one of academic excellence in the field of music and it was not hard to see why as the audience were enthralled by a wide variety of musical performance which included operatic arias, classical compositions and traditional Irish music.

Although St. Malachy’s is an all boys’ school it is sharing its musical expertise with the wider community, supporting an enriched curriculum in 10 local primary schools and developing a greater sense of community. Little Flower Girls’ School joined the boys for several operatic pieces which highlighted the talent and versatility of both schools admirably. Irish traditional music groups from the ten participating primary schools combined on the night and succeeded in holding the audience spellbound with a faultless performance that included the Fields of Athenry and Lannigan’s Ball.

When I think of the pressures on young people these days, pressures coming from many different directions, I thank God that there are still those in our midst who give of their time and talent, bringing out what is best in the young, for the good of all.

For many years now there has been talk of integration. But please don’t let our Catholic schools lose what they have spent many years building up. A school like St Malachy’s College which has maintained its hard-earned and well-deserved reputation over 175 years is a fine example of what is best in our education system.

There is great beauty in our Irish culture; we have in our schools many bright children with a variety of talents who respond well to encouragement from gifted and forward-thinking educators. Let us not dilute what is ours but continue to share it in a generous exchange with those of other religions and outlooks. Let us explore and respect the beliefs and cultures of others while at the same time letting the light of our faith shine for all to see.

Holy Family Church ( Photos: Ann D'Arcy)

Mosaic Flooring: Laura O'Hagan

Tabernacle embodied within Reredos
Designed by George Walsh

www.holy-familyparish.com

Year Of Vocation

The ‘ Year of Vocation’ which begins on April 13^th 2008 gives us all a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the beauty and meaning of Christian calling…

Whatever we do, wherever we are - whether we are single or married, young or older, priest or religious, men or women. It will have something to say to all of us in our following of Jesus Christ. It will also be a ‘ Year’ when everyone can deepen their appreciation of belonging to the Church.

The above is an extract from Holy Family Parish Bulletin, to mark the start of the Year of Vocation.

Holy Family Parish Administrator, Fr. Sean Emerson, in his homily identified three key elements involved in vocation as ones of

risk, courage and love.

A parish-centred time of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament for and throughout the Year of Vocation will immediately follow Sat. 10 am mass in St. Therese of Lisieux Church.

‘I understood that the Church has a heart and that this heart is burning with love; that it is love alone which makes the members work, that if love were to die away apostles would no longer preach the Gospel, martyrs would refuse to shed their blood. I understood that love comprises all vocations that love is everything, that it embraces all times and all places because it is eternal! ‘

St Therese of Lisieux

Story of A Soul, Chapter XI