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I love the concept of a litany as a poetic form of ‘call and response’.  Also the fact that it is both prayer, petition and pleading but with a comforting rhythm and trust that it will be heard and heeded.  The Greek origin of the word means “entreaty” or “supplication”. In prayer and religious ritual it has such positive cogitations, ...

Having read many pieces written in the past weeks about what is needed to maintain one’s sanity and balance in these perilous and challenging times that we are living now, it seems to me that what is needed is something more than maintaining our balance and well-being.  It is also about sustaining and nurturing our relationship with each other and ...

Earth Hour takes place on Saturday 28th March at 8.30 pm your local time!  The theme for Earth Day 2020 is climate action.   ‘Earth Hour’ initiated the first symbolic ‘lights out’ event which took place in Sydney in 2007.  This gesture of ‘switching off’ back then was initiated as a trigger to remind humanity to stop, conserve, ponder and act in solidarity ...

  At 12 noon today, Wednesday 25th March, 2020  on the Feast of the Annunciation of Mary, families, individuals and religious communities joined with bishops and priests from all over the island of Ireland in consecrating the people of Ireland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for strength and protection from the Coronavirus, Covid-19. This Consecration also coincided with an ...

Today, 24th March is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of  Oscar A. Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador.  He  was assassinated on March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass in a small chapel in a cancer hospital where he lived. This prayer was composed by Bishop Ken Untener (1937-2004), drafted for a homily by Cardinal John Dearden in 1979 for a celebration of departed ...

“Catholic sisters who have worked for more than two years in getting the United Nations to address the issue of homelessness and affordable housing are hailing 10 days of meetings that resulted in an outcome document they say affirmed many of their concerns about a growing global problem”. ~ Chris Herlinger, Global Sisters Report 24 Feb 2020 see HERE The ...

Often one can get to know a person in a totally different way (aside from their public persona) from studying their writings.  St. Patrick’s Day is fast approaching (17th March) and much is ‘greened’ and said and sung about him, oft times woven from and into myth and celebrations. Who was Patrick? I grew up nearby the familiar and often ...

I am reflecting on ‘doorways’ today.  Seemingly ordinary things. In Roman mythology, Janus represents not only the god of doors and doorways but also the god of new beginnings and of endings. Janus is a two-faced god.  One face looks to the past, the other, to the future. Doors open, close, and revolve.  An open door points to a new ...

As the seasons change it can often be seen as nature’s cue to us to change our wardrobe.  Fashion magazines are full of glossy spreads selling us the desire for clothes we think we need, and the new colours that will be ‘in vogue’ this time around informed by the fashion gurus.  Fashion is a billion euro industry impacting subconsciously ...

The focus of the World Day of Prayer (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) on 6th March 2020 (#WDP2020) is praying with the Christians of Zimbabwe. “This Friday, [when] millions of us – men, women and children – worldwide will be praying with and for them”. When reading the information about this day it struck me that prayer truly has ...