Podcasts about Glenstal Abbey

Father Martin Browne, Benedictine Monk of Glenstal Abbey in Limerick, currently working at the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, an Father Jim Corkery, and Irish Jesuit Theologian based in Rome discuss watching the Pope work with other Christian leaders

On this weeks podcast, John and Shane are delighted to catch up with Fr Columba McCann, the recently elected abbot of Glenstal Abbey, one of the oasis of prayer in the Limerick region.We have our regular part one looking at the liturgical odds and ends for the coming week and prayer space to start things off. And in part three we have a brief reflection on what is an awkward enough gospel from Luke this week (Lk ) which is definitely one to sit and commune with to see what way the Lord is speaking to us as we enter into this third week of Lent. Elected and called to AbbotFr Columba McCann joins with us to share how things have been going for him since his election as abbot of Glenstal and what it means both to be a monk but also the leader of that monastic community in Ireland today. He shares his journey from being a priest of the Dublin archdiocese as to what drew him to monastic life. He reflects on both the day to day challenges of the role but also with the reminder out before him in the chapter two of the Rule of St Benedict that that ultimately the abbot's primary role is to bring the monks towards God. You can also have a listen to Fr Columba's story of coming to Glenstal in more depth in a video that was made in a series from Glenstal back in 2021.Text us at +353 874668950 or email at comeandseeinspirtaions@gmail.com

On this weeks podcast excerpt, John and Shane are delighted to catch up with Fr Columba McCann, the recently elected abbot of Glenstal Abbey, one of the oasis of prayer in the Limerick region.Fr Columba McCann joins with us to share how things have been going for him since his election as abbot of Glenstal and what it means both to be a monk but also the leader of that monastic community in Ireland today. He shares his journey from being a priest of the Dublin archdiocese as to what drew him to monastic life. He reflects on both the day to day challenges of the role but also with the reminder out before him in the chapter two of the Rule of St Benedict that that ultimately the abbot's primary role is to bring the monks towards God. You can also have a listen to Fr Columba's story of coming to Glenstal in more depth in a video that was made in a series from Glenstal back in 2021.Text us at +353 874668950 or email at comeandseeinspirtaions@gmail.com

We had a busy podcast this week here on C&SI with a couple of visitors joining John and Shane. In part one, we have our regular run through saints of the week and Sr Caitriona Kavanagh OP joins us to tells us about news from the Dominican community. In part two, Br Justin Robinson OSB joins us from Cairo to share with us about the situation of Christians in the Holy Land and the challenges they face. Part three is our regular weekly reflection on the Sunday gospel (Mark 10:2-16)As our first guest this week, we welcome Sr Caitriona Kavanagh OP from St Saviour's church in Limerick city. Sister Caitriona is a member of the Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia whose motherhouse is in Nashville in Tennessee. Sr Caitriona shares with us about the celebration of the 800th Jubilee of the Dominicans coming to Ireland and the Irish Dominican's upcoming pilgrimage to Knock Shrine on October 13 2024. She also tells us about the faith formation work her community does in St Saviours parish in Limerick city and extends invitations to others to come and join them. You can read more about their activities here. Br Justin Robinson OSB is a Benedictine monk of Glenstal Abbey in Ireland. After studying theology at the Salesian Pontifical University in Jerusalem, he is now undertaking an MA in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the American University in Cairo. On the podcast this weeks Shane and Br Justin explore who are the Christian communities in the Holy Land looking at some of their history, relations with one another and wider society both Palestinian and Israeli. We focus in on what are their current challenges and what the impact of it means for the wider Christian community around the world and its impact on the Holy Land - the fifth gospel. If you wish to support Christians in the Holy Land you can find some additional information at these sites:Latin Patriarchate of JerusalemAid to the Church in NeedTrocaireFurther information about Christians in the Holy Land:Terra Sancta News - news channel of the Custos of the Holy LandThe Tablet - Why the number of Christians living in the Middle East is in decline but Christianity itself is notNational Catholic Register - Holy Land Pilgrimages Decline to a Trickle, Because of the Gaza WarCNEWA - Is Christianity in the Middle East Facing Extinction?The Economist - Why Christians are leaving the Middle EastMECC - The Future of Christianity in the Middle EastACN - Christian presence in the Holy Land under "extreme threat"

In this weeks podcast excerpt, Br Justin Robinson OSB joins us from Cairo to share with us about the situation of Christians in the Holy Land and the challenges they face. Br Justin Robinson OSB is a Benedictine monk of Glenstal Abbey in Ireland. After studying theology at the Salesian Pontifical University in Jerusalem, he is now undertaking an MA in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the American University in Cairo. On the podcast this weeks Shane and Br Justin explore who are the Christian communities in the Holy Land looking at some of their history, relations with one another and wider society both Palestinian and Israeli. We focus in on what are their current challenges and what the impact of it means for the wider Christian community around the world and its impact on the Holy Land - the fifth gospel. If you wish to support Christians in the Holy Land you can find some additional information at these sites:Latin Patriarchate of JerusalemAid to the Church in NeedTrocaireFurther information about Christians in the Holy Land:Terra Sancta News - news channel of the Custos of the Holy LandThe Tablet - Why the number of Christians living in the Middle East is in decline but Christianity itself is notNational Catholic Register - Holy Land Pilgrimages Decline to a Trickle, Because of the Gaza WarCNEWA - Is Christianity in the Middle East Facing Extinction?The Economist - Why Christians are leaving the Middle EastMECC - The Future of Christianity in the Middle EastACN - Christian presence in the Holy Land under "extreme threat"

Brendon James Botha (BJ) is a 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok prop and the current SCT Rugby Head Coach at Glenstal Abbey. He is also the UL Bohemians Men's Head Coach and a world-renowned scrum specialist.

With just a couple of weeks left until the summer Solstice, Fr Simon Sleeman, a Glenstal Abbey monk has been thinking about light, and its meaning in our lives.

Ireland is rich with ancient wisdom and has a unique connection to spirituality and the land that has been carried forward by some incredible souls.  In this episode, Niall is joined by the beautiful soul Nóirín Ní Riain, an Interfaith Minister, an internationally acclaimed spiritual singer, theologian, writer, musicologist, and Celtic Spirituality expert. Nóirín's relationship with spirituality began as a small troubled child, when she spent a lot of time in Glenstal Abbey near her home in Limerick. This relationship grew all through her music career and expanded outside of christianity when she was ordained an interfaith minister in 2017. Niall and Nóirín discuss Ireland's complex relationship with spirituality and how institutionalisation ripped away our rituals and connection, how listening to our hearts and to the land will always guide us home and share a mutual ‘grá' for the wisdom of Nóirín's good friend John O'Donohue.  This podcast discusses some difficult topics, please take care when listening.  Check out our 31 Days Of Mindfulness over on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com. Where is My Mind? is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try and get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/mymind  Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. Stay up to date with Lemonada Media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it's important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free.  In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/ In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this weeks podcast we begin our preparation for the "joyful season" of Lent which starts next Wednesday, 14th February. On this weeks podcast we are delighted to be joined by Fr Frank Duhig who gives us a reflection on preparation and how to unlock the possibilities of the Lenten Season. We have our regular liturgical odds and ends including a brief look at the saints for next week with the reminder that during Lent our celebrations of the saints are muted to reflect the penitential season. We have our weekly reflection on the Sunday gospel (Mark 1:40-45) reflecting on the encounter of Jesus with the Leper Man.  Preparing for Lent with Fr Frank Duhig.Fr Frank reminds us that Lent is a season or a Springtime for the Soul which give us an opportunity to undertake a spiritual spring clean or soul service ala car service! Throughout life we can be tempted or diverted like Satan tried to divert Jesus as we will hear about in next weeks gospel. Lent is a period of retreat, a time to keep God and the things of God on our radar. It can be seen as a battle for identifying how we have drifted from Christ. The traditional Lenten foci of prayer, alms and fasting are keys to help us to benefit from this spring time. NoticesGlenstal Abbey - Journey through Lent – ‘A New Springtime for Life' – with the monks of Glenstal Abbey each Sunday of Lent at 4.30pm in the Monastery Library. Cost is €20 per Sunday, with talks made available later on our YouTube page. Each talk will be followed by refreshments and an invitation to join the monastic community for Sunday Vespers in the Abbey Church. To book please email events@glenstal.com or call 061 621005. Ruah Rest - "Spring time in the Soul" Lenten Journey ​. An online 6 week retreat plus a lovely guided Good Friday online reflective hour (29th March 12p.m. - 1p.m.) Main series of retreat evenings are on Monday evenings beginning 19th February 7.30p.m. - 9p.m. Presented by Martina Lehane Sheehan & Invited Guests. Join us on this very special weekly retreat where we will attend to our need for healing and transformation as we journey into Lent and the beautiful season of Spring.

We continue our journey through the season of Advent. Over the four Sundays we are sharing various reflections on the season  of waiting which often gets subsumed into the mayhem of the rush to Christmas. We ask ourselves what Advent is for and how can we create space to let Advent be Advent.  Lets not get to the end of Advent and regret that we missed it!On this weeks podcast Fr Luke McNamara OSB from Glenstal Abbey gives us a reflection this week focusing on the person of Mary as a witness and modal for us as we prepare for Christmas.

We continue our journey through the season of Advent. Over the four Sundays we are sharing various reflections on the season  of waiting which often gets subsumed into the mayhem of the rush to Christmas. We ask ourselves what Advent is for and how can we create space to let Advent be Advent.  Lets not get to the end of Advent and regret that we missed it!On this weeks podcast Fr Luke McNamara OSB from Glenstal Abbey gives us a reflection this week focusing on the person of Mary as a witness and modal for us as we prepare for Christmas.We have our regular run through the liturgical odds and ends, some local notices and also our weekly reflection on the Sunday gospel (John 1:6-8, 19-28) where we once more encounter John the Baptist this time through the lense of the gospel of St John.

This week's episode of Ours to Protect looks at how one Limerick school is thinking big when it comes to climate action. Live 95's Anne Mairie Geraghty caught up with the Glenstal sustainable energy committee to find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday's Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Luke MacNamara, Assistant Bursar of Glenstal Abbey School, and Br. Colmán Ó Clabaigh, as Glenstal Abbey School to tell us more about the regional information meeting. The meeting will take place in the Old Ground Hotel this Wednesday, November 15th, at 7:30 p.m.

We kick off the "Ours to Protect" series with a panel of guests including- Orla Ahern from Ahern Nurseries in Kilmallock, Brother Luke McNamara from Glenstal Abbey and Anne Maher, managing director of the Urban Co-op in Limerick. The panel and Gillian discuss the importance of being eco-friendly, and how we can do our bit to protect the planet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rev. Nóirín Ní Riain PhD is an Interfaith Minister, an internationally acclaimed spiritual singer, theologian, writer, musicologist, and Celtic Spirituality expert.  00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:31 As a singer coming out of stage fright 00:06:00 Living for years at Glenstal Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Ireland 00:06:56 Blessing a separation or a divorce 00:12:45 Noirin sings her favorite Psalm.  00:14:00 Gregorian chanting and healing power 00:16:00 Theosony, listening to the divine, the ear of the heart and listening all around. 00:21:00 Stories of her friendship and time with Irish poet and Hegelian philosopher John O'Donohue 00:24:00 Learning patience and trust 00:27:00 On choices and mistakes 00:30:00 Qualities of loving 00:36:00 Rituals and being with people during times of transition   LINKS: Norin https://www.noirin.love Podcast https://oliviaclementine.com/podcasts Support Enjoy these episodes? Please leave a review here. Scroll down to Review & Ratings. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/love-liberation/id1393858607

Welcome to this weeks podcast where we continue a series of reflections from the monks of Glenstal Abbey called "Lord teach us to pray". We originally started this series in May 2022 and continuing with the series on this weeks podcast we share two of the reflections from the series:"Difficulties in prayer" - Fr Columba OSB"An inherited instinct" - Fr Fintan OSB 

Welcome to this weeks podcast where we continue a series of reflections from the monks of Glenstal Abbey called "Lord teach us to pray". We originally started this series in May 2022 and continuing with the series on this weeks podcast we share two of the reflections from the series:"Difficulties in prayer" - Fr Columba OSB"An inherited instinct" - Fr Fintan OSBAs always we have a run through the saints of the week and any notices which we think we should bring to your attention with a particular focus on the national novea at Knock which is on going at the moment. We also have our reflection on the weekly gospel (Luke 13:22-30). 

Welcome to this weeks podcast where we introduce a new series of reflections from the monks of Glenstal called "Lord teach us to pray". On this weeks podcast we share two of the reflections from the series:"What is prayer?" by Fr Christopher OSB"How to pray" by Fr John OSBIn addition we have our regular weekly podcast items include the saints of the week, some local notices and odds and ends as well of course as our reflection on this weeks Sunday gospel where we continue to have short bite size parts from the Last Discourse from the Gospel of St John with this weeks gospel focusing on the great commandment "Love one another just as I have loved you".Apologies to listeners this week, Shane is back travelling with work in far off remote places so there are a few places where the sound quality isn't the best, so thanks for your patience with us!

Welcome to this weeks podcast where we introduce a new series of reflections from the monks of Glenstal called "Lord teach us to pray". On this weeks podcast we share two of the reflections from the series:"What is prayer?" by Fr Christopher OSB"How to pray" by Fr John OSB

On this weeks podcast we are joined by Martin Browne OSB from Glenstal Abbey to discuss the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2022. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is traditionally observed from the 18th to the 25th January – the octave of St. Peter and St. Paul. However, some areas observe it at Pentecost or some other time. With Martin we reflect on what is the WPCU, and why are such events still important today. The theme chosen for this year is ‘We Saw His Star in the East'. Materials for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have been prepared by the churches of the Middle East. We have our regular run through the liturgical odds and ends as well as our weekly podcast reflection on the Sunday gospel . WPCU 2022 The story of the Magi visiting the Holy Family in Bethlehem is one very familiar to us. The Magi have sometimes been seen as a symbol of the world's diversity – different religions and cultures – that comes to pay homage to the Christ–child. The story might therefore represent the unity of all created that God desires.The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2022 has been prepared by the churches of the Middle East, the history of which was, and still is, characterised by conflict and strife, tainted with blood and darkened by injustice and oppression. The Christians of the Middle East offer these resources conscious that the world shares many of the travails and much of the difficulties that it experiences, and yearns for a light to lead the way to the Saviour who is the light that overcomes darkness.Serving the Gospel today requires a commitment to the human being, especially the poorest, the weakest and those marginalised. It requires from the churches transparency and accountability in dealing with the world, and with each other. This means churches need to cooperate to provide relief to the afflicted, to welcome the displaced, to relieve the burdened, and to build a just and honest society. This is a call for churches to work together so that young people can build a good future according to God's heart, a future in which all human beings can experience life, peace, justice, and love.Resources available HERE.

On this weeks podcast we are joined by Martin Browne OSB from Glenstal Abbey to discuss the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2022. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is traditionally observed from the 18th to the 25th January – the octave of St. Peter and St. Paul. However, some areas observe it at Pentecost or some other time. With Martin we reflect on what is the WPCU, and why are such events still important today. The theme chosen for this year is ‘We Saw His Star in the East'. Materials for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have been prepared by the churches of the Middle East.The story of the Magi visiting the Holy Family in Bethlehem is one very familiar to us. The Magi have sometimes been seen as a symbol of the world's diversity – different religions and cultures – that comes to pay homage to the Christ–child. The story might therefore represent the unity of all created that God desires.The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2022 has been prepared by the churches of the Middle East, the history of which was, and still is, characterised by conflict and strife, tainted with blood and darkened by injustice and oppression. The Christians of the Middle East offer these resources conscious that the world shares many of the travails and much of the difficulties that it experiences, and yearns for a light to lead the way to the Saviour who is the light that overcomes darkness.Serving the Gospel today requires a commitment to the human being, especially the poorest, the weakest and those marginalised. It requires from the churches transparency and accountability in dealing with the world, and with each other. This means churches need to cooperate to provide relief to the afflicted, to welcome the displaced, to relieve the burdened, and to build a just and honest society. This is a call for churches to work together so that young people can build a good future according to God's heart, a future in which all human beings can experience life, peace, justice, and love.Resources available HERE.

C&SI brings together a series of reflections to share over the Christmas Season. Originally available for listening on Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day, we are sharing the individual reflections to allow listeners a bite size moment over the days of Christmas - to allow us to pause and reflect for a few moments and also as a reminder that Christmas is not just "the day" but a season of faith where we celebrate the wonder of the coming of Emmanuel into the messiness of human suffering and existence.Fr Luke McNamara OSB from Glenstal Abbey reflects on the origins of the crib - one of the most familiar signs of religious celebration of Christmas. Luke reflects on the inspiration from the apocryphal gospels and of course the original crib of Greccio created by St Francis after his pilgrimage to the Holy Land.   

C&SI brings together a series of reflections to share over the Christmas Season. Originally available for listening on Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day, we are sharing the individual reflections to allow listeners a bite size moment over the days of Christmas - to allow us to pause and reflect for a few moments and also as a reminder that Christmas is not just "the day" but a season of faith where we celebrate the wonder of the coming of Emmanuel into the messiness of human suffering and existence.Bethlehem - the city most associated with the Christmas story but what is it like to live in the "capital of Christmas" in 2021? Br Justin shares with us what it is like to live in Bethlehem behind the security wall facing the challenges of the restrictions on the Palestinian community from both a security and also pandemic related ones. He shares with us the huge challenges facing the Christian community who depend so much on tourists and pilgrims but who still maintain hope.

talking about Advent and the origin of the crib. Interview originally broadcast live as part of Saturday Chronicle Hosted by Tom Hanley and Patricia Ann Moore on the 11th of December 2021. Saturday Chronicle is Sponsored by JAMES M NASH Solicitors AND DERG KITCHEN DESIGN http://dergkitchendesign.ie   

C&SI team are delighted to be joined by Rose O'Connor, Michael Kelly and Con Buckley to share their experiences about the Limerick Diocese Lay Pastoral Ministry Programme which is open for new applicants for the up coming training cycle with up coming information evenings. We have our regular notices (with reminders about the Advent talks at Glenstal Abbey and also Knock Shrine), the national memorial Mass at Knock on 14th November for all those who have died during the pandemic plus of course our regular saints of the week. We also have an attempt to reflect on this weeks challenging gospel (Mark 13:24-32) which is one of the discourses on the end of times and the return of the Son of Man - appropriate as we are coming to the end of the churches year.Limerick Diocese Lay Pastoral Ministry ProgrammeCurrently Limerick Diocese is over halfway through the first cycle of its Lay Pastoral Ministry Programme and are now recruiting for the second cycle. This week John chats with Rose O'Connor, (Pastoral Implementation Manager) and Michael Kelly (Pastoral Outreach and Formation worker), both with the Limerick Diocesan Centre.  We are also joined by Con Buckley from St Munchin's parish in Limerick city who is currently participating in the Lay Pastoral Formation Programme. Con shares with us how he became involved with the programme, his experience to date with the programme and what he hopes will be part of his faith journey in the future.The programme is aimed at people who are involved in, or wish to become involved in, Lay Pastoral Ministry in their Parish, Pastoral Unit or in the Diocese.  The programme is a 2.5 year programme which involves a Diocesan ‘wraparound' programme covering discernment, pastoral training and pastoral placements as well as a 2 year Level 6 Certificate in Pastoral Ministry delivered and accredited by Mary Immaculate College. There are a number of upcoming information evenings where those attending will be taken through the rationale and aims of the programme, details of the programme itself, and also have some participants in the first cycle of the programme present to share their experience.The three information evenings are:Monday 15 Nov Rathkeale House Hotel 7.30 - 9.00pm  Tuesday 16 Nov Limerick Diocesan Centre 7.30 - 9.00pmThursday 18 Nov on Zoom 7.30 - 9.00pm Those interested in attending are being asked to  register to allow management of numbers on each evening, and for those who wish to attend the zoom session they will need to subit an an email address.  You can register for the Information Evening of your choice HERE.

On this podcast John and Shane begin to unpack the Synod on Synodality called by Pope Francis which formally began on 10th October 2021 in Rome and will continue until Oct 2023. We look at the meaning of "Synod" and with the help of a few people we try to share various talks and thoughts on the whole process and the opportunity it presents for the whole People of God through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  We have some thoughts from:Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg who will serve as relator general (chairman) of the Synod of Bishops on synodality.Some thoughts from Limerick Diocese - Bishop Brenda, Rose O'Connor and Fr Chris O'DonnellBrief homily from Fr Dan Lane from Sunday Mass on October 10th with the invitation to the people of God to participate in the whole process.We have our regular run through the up coming saints of the week and of course our reflection on the Sunday Gospel (Mark 10:46-52)We have also have quite a long segment this week with local notices: Advent reflection with PrayAsYouGoAdvent at the Abbey series of talks (at Glenstal Abbey during Advent)FCJ House of Spirituality House in Spanish Point up coming events during November(tell Noirin we sent you :) )Mount St Joseph Abbey Roscrea Restoration Fund AppealSynod 2021 - 2023 - "For a Synodal Church - Communion, participation, missionThe Church of God is convoked in Synod.With this convocation, Pope Francis invites the whole Church to question itself on synodality:a decisive theme for the life and mission of the Church.Pope on Synod: The participation of everyone, guided by the Holy SpiritHomily of Pope Francis at the Mass opening the Synod on Synodality - 10th Oct 2021Limerick Diocese local launch of the Universal SynodPope to Rome's faithful: Synodality expresses the nature of the ChurchWebsite of the Universal SynodListening to the Faithful: Vatican releases Synod Preparatory Document'Click To Pray' 2.0 at the service of the synodal process

On this weeks podcast, we dig into the archive to a broadcast from June 2012 with Br Martin Browne OSB. We dug it out from the archive following Bishop Brendan Leahy's announcement that the 2016 Synod proposal to institute the permanent diaconate in Limerick diocese will be implemented.  As well as this interview, we have our regular notices including Saints of the Week, papal prayer intentions for the month of October and of course our reflection on the weekly gospel (Mark 10:2-16)************ Br Martin Brown OSB joined us on the programme to discuss the restoration of the permanent diaconate to the Irish diocesan church fifty years after Pope Paul VI restored it to the universal church at the Second Vatican Council.The diaconate is seen as the public manifestation of the servant nature of the church. Deacons are ordained ministers of the church who also serve in a liturgical function."The restoration of the ministry of permanent deacons is somehow looked on in terms of what the deacon can or cannot do compared with the priest and ministry of the deacon is looked on as some sort of second-class ministry. People who speak or write in this framework fail to understand the deaconate and fail to understand ministry. The order of deacons is not just about doing things; it is a call to be configured in a special way to Jesus who serves and to represent in a special way in the life of the Church Jesus who serves." - Archbishop Diarmuid Martin The Acts of the Apostles describes how, in the first century, the Church was faced with the challenge of responding to the needs of those who were at risk of being marginalised, either through culture or through material poverty. Keeping in mind the example of Jesus, the Apostles selected and ordained a number of men specifically for this service. For a number of centuries, deacons ministered in close co-operation with the bishops of the Church, assisting at the Eucharist, preaching the Gospel, and exercising a ministry of charity. Gradually, in the Western Church, the functions of deacons were absorbed into the ministry of the priest, and the diaconate became a transitional order, for those on the way to priesthood. The Second Vatican Council envisaged a renewal of ministry, both lay and ordained, in the Church. The Council's Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, explains that the lay faithful, by virtue of their Baptism, are commissioned to an active apostolate and insists that “every opportunity be given them so that, according to their abilities and the needs of the times, they may zealously participate in the saving work of the Church. The Second Vatican Council also proposed the restoration of the diaconate as a “distinct ministry of service” to be exercised “in communion with the bishop and his group of priests”.Many of the functions which deacons perform can also be carried out by members of the lay faithful. The restoration of the diaconate is not intended in any sense to change that situation. The idea is that some of those who already exercise these functions would be “strengthened with the grace of diaconal ordination” and in that way would be designated to be a visible public sign of the Christ the Servant in the community of the Church. Deacons are ordained to service, to charity and to proclaim  the Word.Other links and information on the permanent diaconate:Permanent Diaconate page at the Irish Episcopal ConferenceCatholic Deacon The Permanent Diaconate - National Directory and Norms for Ireland

Fr Brendan Quinlivan presents this edition of Beyond Belief and talks to Anne Peer from Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) in Ireland speaking about the Global Catholic Media Organisation and its remarkable founder Mother Angelica. He also talks to Clare’s most recently ordained priest - Fr. Damian Casey from the Franciscan Friary in Ennis. There is a Pentecost reflection on the Holy Spirit from Dom Mark Patrick Hedderman OSB from the Benedictine Monastery at Glenstal Abbey in Murroe, Co. Limerick.

Ann and Emma caught up with a woman who has interwoven her way into both of their lives in various ways: the ordained interfaith minister who married Ann and her wife Jenny; a tutor and mentor to Emma in University; and a friend to both. During this month's podcast we learn why Reverend Nóirín Ní Riain has such respect for the arts of silence and of listening.  Nóirín generously shares the story behind suddenly losing her voice for 20 years at the age of 14; as well as the journey that brought her to her faith, to her late ex-husband Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, to working with Sinéad O'Connor, living with the monks in Glenstal Abbey, and to her sense of contentment and self in recent years. We also look in this episode at the Irish Spring festival of Imbolc and Brigid the Goddess and Saint, spirituality, what it means to us as humans, and why we as Irish people often shy away from it. Nóirín has kindly offered listeners to the podcast a discounted rate to join her virtual hedgeschool gathering, the "Turas d'Anam Bealtaine" course taking place from the 24th of April 2021 - to avail of the special offer use the code below. Coupon Code: LIMERICKLADY for 20% off   "Bealtaine: The Hearth of Your Soul — Turas d'Anam" Follow Reverend Nóirín Ní Riain on Instagram at noirininterfaith And visit www.turasdanam.com and www.noirin.love for more information on Reverend Nóirín Ní Riain and her work  Follow Ann on Twitter at @annblake78 and Instagram @annblakeplay and her band The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra on twitter @BPLO. Catch her other podcast, 'Ann and Steve Talk Stuff' on Twitter @annstevetalk Follow all things Emma Langford at www.emmalangfordmusic.com and support her on patreon at https://www.patreon.com/emmalangford Recorded with support from Ormston House Feminist Supermarket and The Limerick Post Newspaper Follow all things Ormston House at www.ormstonhouse.com Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie This podcast goes out the third Thursday of every month or 'Thirdsday' - if you will. Follow The Limerick Lady on Facebook at TheLimerickLady, on Twitter at @LkLadyHQ and on Instagram at @thelimericklady Tweet using #LKLadyPod

Michael and Marc sit down this week to discuss #MonkLife with Brother Mark Patrick Hederman, former Abbott of Glenstal Abbey. He tells us why the Eurovision is **** and why the education system in Ireland is complete and utter **** Flood can't find a decent breakfast roll.  

SS102fm is joined this week by Fr Luke McNamara to share with us some Benedictine insights in this time of pandemic while drawing on over 1500 years of lived monastic life. Taking the monastic vows of obedience, stability and conversatio morum as his starting point Fr Luke shares with us some thoughts on what the Rule of St Benedict could bring to us in this very changed landscape in Ireland. Articles referred to in this weeks programme:We are all monks now - America MagazineWe are all monks now - Bearing Online (same title, different article)Monks aren’t the ones living in silence and solitude. We are - America Magazine

Nóirín Ní Riain (pronounced Noreen Nee Reeun) is an Irish spiritual singer, theologian, teacher, author and Interfaith minister. Known as the High Priestess of Gregorian Chant (plainchant, plainsong), she is also known as a singer of Celtic music, Sean-nós and Indian songs.  Nóirín has released sixteen albums since 1978, including three with her sons Eoin and Mícheál (Owen and Moley) Ó Súilleabháin under the performance name A.M.E.N. Her voice has rung out for peace on many continents, from United Nations conferences to gatherings with the Dalai Lama. Born in 1951 in County Limerick, Noirin resided in Glenstal Abbey, a Benedictine male monastery for sixteen years and now lives at the back gate. In the eighties, she recorded several discs with the monks of both Irish spiritual song and Gregorian chant. She has also performed with John O Donohue, Anjelica Huston, Gregory Peck, Paul Winter, David Whyte, Sinead O Connor, and Markus Stockhausen, to name but a few, and she has several times in Ireland and abroad introduced His Holiness, the XIV Dalai Lama, in song. Author of several books, including her autobiography, Listen with the Ear of the Heart, and Theosony: A Theology of Listening, she is currently compiling an Inter Faith Book of Prayer. In 2003, she was awarded the first ever Doctorate in Theology from MIC, University of Limerick Ireland. This was a theology of LISTENING to the Divine, for which she coined the neologism Theosony (Greek Theo (God) and Latin sonans (sounding). In 2017, Nóirín was ordained an Interfaith minister with One Spirit Interfaith Foundation Seminary in London and now she spends much of her time officiating at diverse rituals such as marriages, funerals, naming ceremonies, divorces, house blessings, and other sacred ceremonies. Nóirín also travels extensively, performing with her two sons and offering very popular workshops on Celtic Spirituality, Imagination, Sound as a Spiritual Experience, and Creativity. With her sons, she also leads a select group on pilgrimages of Ireland through Turas D’Anam (Journey of Your Soul), visiting the megalithic stone circles and ancient sites, and experiencing Irish music and art in both tradition and contemporary expression. She began singing lessons at age seven and later studied at University College Cork (UCC), specializing in religious music for post-graduate work. Persuaded by a teacher to become a singer instead of studying law, she developed as a performer despite an almost incapacitant fear. Despite having a voice that seems a divine gift, in public performances, she has said “I went through agonies. I've let so many people down, because I wouldn't turn up on the day. I remember even a live television program, and being just stuck to the seat. Not being able to get up and sing my song. I was a nightmare…Now, I'm nearly the opposite really," she says. "I can't sing for enough people. Nervousness is narcissistic. It's all about yourself. It's when you get in the way. Now I know that it is only the voice coming through me, I'm only a tiny vehicle, of something else." Nóirín attributes this change to "a lot of different little incidents,” including a divorce. “I went back to do a doctorate in theology; I was around 49 when I finished my doctorate. Until then, I had been wandering around, I had never found the answer. Then I found the answer – it's not you. It's not my will be done, it's thy will. There is a force – call it whatever you will – much bigger than us." Nóirín’s first triumph as an ordained reverend nearly 15 years after receiving her theology degree was administering divorce blessings. “I hate the word divorce – it’s ugly. In the same way that two people came together they can come apart. It’s a formal way of saying, ‘this is God’s thing too’. The church regards divorce as a failure. I don’t. It has been a blessing in my life. I wouldn’t have done the doctorate. I wouldn’t be here talking about my ordination, if I hadn’t been divorced.” That she is uniquely placed to do so is evident from her attending the marriage blessing of her ex-husband, composer Micheál Ó Súilleabháin, to Helen Phelan. “There are two kinds of heartbreak: the one that shatters the heart and the one that splinters and lets the light in.” Nóirín feels the light has been coming in all these years. In the context of the 2020 global pandemic, she and her sons Owen and Michael Ó Súilleabháin have initiated Dámh Imeall - The (h)Edge School -- a series of  retreats that offer immersive online experiences around thoughtfully curated themes. Join us in conversation with this deeply inspirational figure!

On this weeks programme we broadcast an RTE interview by the late Marian Finucane with Mark Patrick Hederman OSB from Glenstal Abbey which was originally broadcast by RTE in June 2019. Marian interviews Dom Mark about his new book "Living the Mystery" which is published by Columba Books. We have our regular visit to the celestial guides of the week and a reflection on this weeks Sunday gospel.

SS102fm re-broadcasts an RTE interview by the late Marian Finucane with Mark Patrick Hederman OSB from Glenstal Abbey which was originally broadcast by RTE in June 2019. Marian interviews Dom Mark about his new book "Living the Mystery: What lies between Science and Religion" which is published by Columba Books.The Irish Catholic newspapers review of the book was published on 1 August 2019."Life is a mystery quite beyond the comprehension of our normal ways of understanding. Having lived as a Benedictine monk for over fifty years, Mark Patrick Hederman has learned how to engage with mystery and sets out to explain how to bring a new sense of the sacred into your life.Despite clamorous reports to the contrary, he argues that religion is alive and well in our world. In this fascinating book he contends that most of us are religious and can’t help being religious. Being human means being ‘religious’, otherwise we would die of despair. Along with his, he touches on the inaccurate idea that science and religion are opposing forces and focuses on the fact that the arts are the only way we can convey the sacred to today’s disbelieving world. Through this exploration, Hederman suggests that a mytho-poetic language could provide a ‘middle voice,’ a ‘third language’ that bridges that gap between science and religion in our society."

On this edition - a Kerry sailor follows the course of the Cork sailor who discovered Antarctica - Damian Foxall, Ireland’s renowned world sailor is heading for Antarctica. And Brother Anthony Keane from Glenstal Abbey has reasons for taking an interest in the sea.This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Following Facebook's ban of an advert for the new book Glenstal Abbey- Through the season which includes paintings featuring nudity. Former Abbot at Glenstal, Mark Patrick Hederman joined Marian in studio.

We are taking you to Ireland. Our expert Trina Vargo has an Undercover Jetsetter tour.Trina is the founder and president of the US-Ireland Alliance. www.us-irelandalliance.org She is the author of a new book called Shenanigans The US-Ireland Relationship in Uncertain Times. And she has spent years visiting Ireland.We talked about the tournament she held at the K-Club outside Dublin. Those were Ryder Cup format tournaments where we had 12 Americans playing against 12 Irish. The last one we held was just before the economy crashed around 2008. As the economy is coming back, if we find sufficient interest from sponsors, we would look to bring them back – people really enjoyed them. Those tourneys led to a lot of craic.Any chance The Open will be held in Ireland?Other courses we discuss: Old Head; links courses like Lahinch and Waterville; the buzz now is the golf course at Adare Manor, which is outside of Limerick which owner JP McManus has put a lot of money into the course and it will host the 2026 Ryder Cup.What is best time of year to visit Ireland?Where to stay in Dublin? Westbury Hotel in the center of Dublin.; walk nearly everywhere you want to go, they have two restaurants in house, a great bar and afternoon tea … it’s an easy place for people to meet me there. And they have great concierges who have been there forever and really know the city. It’s just become a home away from home.First-timers to Dublin should see: Guinness Storehouse, the Book of Kells at Trinity College, and Kilmainham Jail to get your head around Irish history in about two hours. Writers Museum at Parnell Square, Hugh Lane Gallery, and art gallery, which has Francis Bacon’s studio, home of James Joyce is also nearby. For many years there has been an exhibition of the poet W.B. Yeats at the National Library of Ireland which is also worth checking out, EPIC Museum. It is a museum about Irish Emigration and it’s interactive, very well done, a great spot for the whole family, see plays at The Abbey and The Gate theaters.Where to eat? Dunne and Crescenzi which is an Italian place with great coffee excellent food and good prices. For authentic Irish cuisine, you could try the Winding Stair. And there is a new great Asian place called Pickle. Bewley’s Café on Grafton Street is an institution and it was closed for years but when it reopened, they really retained what was special about it. There is no shortage of good restaurants in Ireland. The Irish cuisine is excellent … a foodie culture has definitely developed. Immigrants from around the world have brought their traditions and dishes to Ireland and that’s made it all the better. Gone are the days of only fish and chips. Go to Burdock’s if you want good fish and chips.How about hiking?About 40 minutes outside of town you can do a cliff walk from Bray to Greystones, which is lovely on a nice day. It’s not strenuous, it’s pretty flat. And the gardens at the Powerscourt estate are nearby and a nice place to find a quiet spot, as well as grab a bite.Star Wars shot there. off the beaten path: Lough Hyne. Lough is the Irish word for lake and this lake is not far from the town of Skibbereen. You can do a night kayak trip there from about 9 p.m. ‘til midnight. It’s magical. The lake is bioluminescent. incredible meal at O’Connors Seafood Restaurant in Bantry in West Cork. The Chef there, Anne Marie Butler, is one of Ireland's finest.Benedictine monks at Glenstal Abbey, the former Abbot, Mark Patrick Hederman, attend vespers and often get to enjoy

On this weeks programme the SS102fm team are joined by Fr Luke McNamara OSB from Glenstal Abbey to reflect on Lent and to discuss the traditional practises and customs to observe the penitential season which begins on March 6th. We have our regular reflection on the Sunday gospel as well as some notices, our latest instalment of catechesis on the Virtues as well as other liturgical odds and ends.

March 6th is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the season of Lent and our preparations for celebrating the Sacred Triduum this year. On this weeks programme Fr Luke McNamara joins the SS102fm team and reflects on the meaning of Lent and especially the call to metanoia through prayer, fasting and alms giving. Lent is a season which presents us with an opportunity to reconnect with God, ourselves and our neighbours if we take the opportunity.

On this weeks programme the SS102fm team are joined by Fr Columba McCann OSB from Glenstal Abbey to discuss and explore the idea of Benedictine Oblates. We have our regular reflection on the Sunday gospel as well as some notices and other liturgical odds and ends.

On this weeks programme we are joined by Fr Columba McCann OSB to explore the idea of Benedictine Oblates. Oblates are people who make a formal linkage to a particular abbey and community and commit themselves to living out the Rule of St Benedict in their personal lives as much as their circumstances permit. Fr Columba takes us through the process of discerning when and how a person may decide to enter into the preparatory programme before making the final oblation to become an Oblate of the abbey.Fr Columba makes the point that like the fact each Benedictine community is autonomous, each community will take a different approach as to how they discern and integrate their Oblates into the extended family associated with each community.

Fr Brendan Coffey OSB, Abbot of Glenstal Abbey joins us on this weeks programme to reflect on what is means to be a Benedictine and what the example of monastic life and in particular Benedictine life can offer us is Ireland today in this fast paced and hectic space. He introduces us to the Rule of St Benedict and the life of a monk and what it means to be a monastic in the modern world.

We are joined on this weeks programme by Fr Martin Browne OSB from Glenstal to discuss the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2019 and the imperative for all Christians to urgently work towards the unity of Christians. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Fr Martin Browne OSB, a Benedictine monk based at Glenstal Abbey, Co. Limerick, and a member of the international group tasked by the Vatican and the World Council of Churches with preparing texts for the week, said the annual reminder of the need for ecumenism can be “a wake-up call”. Ongoing divisions between churches make it all the more important that we do pray for unity, Fr Browne said. “It is the Lord’s will, and Christian disunity is a scandal. “Realising the unity that is inherent in the Body of Christ will require not just ingenuity and imagination, but conversion and repentance.” Maintaining that “Christian unity is not an optional extra”, but adding “I don’t think it is considered a priority in many places in Ireland”, Fr Brown concluded that “if we take unity seriously then the Week of Prayer can be a real grace”

Fr Luke joins us to reflect on the season of Advent which begins next week. Advent - Adventus - is the season of preparation ahead of the festival of Christmas and in the modern world, now more than ever, we need a reminder, a tool if you will to allow us a time out - a sacred moment - to prepare. Advent is a period of waiting both for the Second Coming of Christ but also the coming of Christ at Christmas. Fr Luke takes us through a reflection on the need to make some real time of preparation and also invites listeners to the Advent at the Abbey series as part of the preparation that one could make in this busy season.

On this weeks programme Fr Luke McNamara OSB joins John and Shane to reflect on Advent season which begins Sunday week as well as telling us about the "Advent at the Abbey" series of reflections which are being carried out on the Sundays of Advent at Glenstal Abbey. We have our regular reflection on this weeks Sunday gospel as well as liturgical odds & ends.

The SS102fm team is joined this week by Fr Martin Browne OSB from Glenstal Abbey to introduce us to ecumenism and the role it plays between the Christian Churches. We have our regular run through the liturgical odds & ends of the week plus our (short) lectio on this weeks Sunday gospel.

Fr Luke McNamara OSB joins us on this weeks programme to discuss with us about preparing to celebrate the "joyous season" of Lent reflecting on what the different elements of Lent mean of us and the opportunity they present to reconnect with God and ourselves in the season of metonia. Reflecting on the opportunity to rebuild our relationships with God, others and ourselves, Fr Luke takes us through the chances presented to us as we prepare for Easter. As part of that preparation, making time and finding the opportunity to participate in Lent can be difficult. Fr Luke also shares with us an opportunity being presented by Glenstal Abbey to take time during Lent to reflect on our journey of faith towards Calvary and beyond and reflecting on the relationship God has maintained with his Chosen People throughout history in a series over the Sundays of Lent reflecting on the readings of the Easter Vigil.

On this weeks programme John and Shane are joined by Fr Luke McNamara from Glenstal Abbey to reflect on preparing to celebrate the season of Lent as well as telling us about a series of reflections on the readings of the Easter Vigil being hosted at the abbey. We have our regular reflection on the Sunday gospel as well as a quick run through this weeks liturgical odds and ends.

Fr. Simon Sleeman says that Christmas offers us a chance to reflect and joined Claire on the line from Glenstal Abbey to discuss the notion of Natality.

Fr Luke McNamara joins John and Shane on this weeks programme to introduce the series of talks and reflections coming up over December as well as to share on the preparations that the abbey community make to carve out the liturgical space for Advent.With the celebration of American Thanksgiving this week, the cross pollination of cultures has seen the concept of "Black Friday" cross the Atlantic with force this year and even though there is still five weeks to Christmas, the commercial exploitation of the religious holiday has started with some effort this year.As we try to remind ourselves why we celebrate in December, each year, on the programme we try to emphasis the need to give space to the season of Advent and to all time and space to properly prepare but often easier said than done for many people.However, this year the community at Glenstal are providing a time out in this busy time to explore over the Sundays of Advent the message of the prophets who awaited the coming of Messiah and how they still speak to us today.

In 1972, a group of women fled Belfast, with their children, to take refuge in Glenstal Abbey. They came from trauma and violence to an exclusive boys’ boarding-school run by Benedictine monks in rural East Limerick. The children were described as “rude and bold”. It was a clash of cultures that the monks managed with one simple rule… (2016)

A special Christmas programme recorded at the beautiful and world famous Glenstal Abbey, where Eileen Dunne and Gerry McArdle meet Sean Nós singer and Gaelic and Theological Scholar Nóirín Ni Riain, the prophetic figure of Abbot Mark Patrick Hederman, the Benedictine Monks and the boys choir from the Abbey's school.

#glenstal #vesper

Br Martin Brown OSB joins us on this weeks programme to discuss the restoration of the permanent diaconate to the Irish diocesan church fifty years after Pope Paul VI restored it to the universal church at the Second Vatican Council.Br Martin is a monk of Glenstal Abbey and is also a permanent deacon who works as the headmaster to the Glenstal Abbey School. He joins John and Shane on this mornings programme to discuss what exactly the diaconate is and its role in the ministry of the church.The diaconate is seen as the public manifestation of the servant nature of the church. Deacons are ordained ministers of the church who also serve in a liturgical function."The restoration of the ministry of permanent deacons is somehow looked on in terms of what the deacon can or cannot do compared with the priest and ministry of the deacon is looked on as some sort of second-class ministry. People who speak or write in this framework fail to understand the deaconate and fail to understand ministry. The order of deacons is not just about doing things; it is a call to be configured in a special way to Jesus who serves and to represent in a special way in the life of the Church Jesus who serves." - Archbishop Diarmuid Martin The Acts of the Apostles describes how, in the first century, the Church was faced with the challenge of responding to the needs of those who were at risk of being marginalised, either through culture or through material poverty. Keeping in mind the example of Jesus, the Apostles selected and ordained a number of men specifically for this service.For a number of centuries, deacons ministered in close co-operation with the bishops of the Church, assisting at the Eucharist, preaching the Gospel, and exercising a ministry of charity. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan Orders, is probably one of the best known deacons, though many tend to assume that he was a priest. Gradually, in the Western Church, the functions of deacons were absorbed into the ministry of the priest, and the diaconate became a transitional order, for those on the way to priesthood. The diaconate continued to exist as a permanent ministry in the Eastern Churches, including those in full communion with Rome.The Second Vatican Council envisaged a renewal of ministry, both lay and ordained, in the Church. The Council’s Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, explains that the lay faithful, by virtue of their Baptism, are commissioned to an active apostolate and insists that “every opportunity be given them so that, according to their abilities and the needs of the times, they may zealously participate in the saving work of the Church. The Second Vatican Council also proposed the restoration of the diaconate as a “distinct ministry of service” to be exercised “in communion with the bishop and his group of priests”.Many of the functions which deacons perform can also be carried out by members of the lay faithful. The restoration of the diaconate is not intended in any sense to change that situation. The idea is that some of those who already exercise these functions would be “strengthened with the grace of diaconal ordination” and in that way would be designated to be a visible public sign of the Christ the Servant in the community of the Church.Deacons are ordained to service, to charity and to proclaim the Word.

Br Martin Brown OSB joins us on SS102fm to discuss the restoration of the permanent diaconate to the Irish diocesan church fifty years after Pope Paul VI restored it to the universal church at the Second Vatican Council. Br Martin is a monk of Glenstal Abbey and is also a permanent deacon who works as the headmaster to the Glenstal Abbey School. He joins John and Shane on this mornings programme to discuss what exactly the diaconate is and its role in the ministry of the church. The diaconate is seen as the public manifestation of the servant nature of the church. Deacons are ordained ministers of the church who also serve in a liturgical function. "The restoration of the ministry of permanent deacons is somehow looked on in terms of what the deacon can or cannot do compared with the priest and ministry of the deacon is looked on as some sort of second-class ministry. People who speak or write in this framework fail to understand the deaconate and fail to understand ministry. The order of deacons is not just about doing things; it is a call to be configured in a special way to Jesus who serves and to represent in a special way in the life of the Church Jesus who serves." - Archbishop Diarmuid Martin The Second Vatican Council envisaged a renewal of ministry, both lay and ordained, in the Church. The Council’s Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, explains that the lay faithful, by virtue of their Baptism, are commissioned to an active apostolate and insists that “every opportunity be given them so that, according to their abilities and the needs of the times, they may zealously participate in the saving work of the Church. The Second Vatican Council also proposed the restoration of the diaconate as a “distinct ministry of service” to be exercised “in communion with the bishop and his group of priests”. Deacons are ordained to service, to charity and to proclaim the Word.

Pentecost is the festival when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is celebrated on the Sunday 50 days after Easter (the name comes from the Greek pentekoste, "fiftieth"). Pentecost is regarded as the birthday of the Christian church, and the start of the church's mission to the world. Ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven, the twelve apostles, Jesus' mother and family, and many other of His disciples gathered together in Jerusalem for the Jewish harvest festival that was celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover. While they were indoors praying, a sound like that of a rushing wind filled the house and tongues of fire descended and rested over each of their heads. This was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on human flesh promised by God through the prophet Joel. The disciples were suddenly empowered to proclaim the gospel of the risen Christ. They went out into the streets of Jerusalem and began preaching to the crowds gathered for the festival. Not only did the disciples preach with boldness and vigor, but by a miracle of the Holy Spirit they spoke in the native languages of the people present, many who had come from all corners of the Roman Empire. This created a sensation. The apostle Peter seized the moment and addressed the crowd, preaching to them about Jesus' death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins. The result was that about three thousand converts were baptized that day. (You can read the Biblical account of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-41). On this weeks programme we are joined by Patrick Hederman OSB who is the abbot of Glenstal Abbey to reflect on the feast. Dom Patrick takes us back to the Upper Room where the disciples and Mary were sheltering in fear. When the Spirit arrived, it went to each of them as a tongue of fire over their head and for each of us today, the Holy Spirit is hovering over us asking us for our permission to land and enter into our hearts and lives. The Holy Spirit is often the most ignored person of the Trinity. It was necessary for Jesus to leave us, despite the fact that the disciples wanted to cling on to his human presence so that the Holy Spirit, the manifestation of the Divine Love could come to us. But it was not as if the Spirit was never there before, it was the Holy Spirit who brooded over the waters at Creation, it was the Holy Spirit who organised Christs arrival on earth and prepared the womb of Mary at the Annunciation and the Holy Spirit who descended on Jesus at his baptism in the Jordan. It is almost as if the Holy Spirit was the director of the play in which Christ had the main part. We have to really believe that the Spirit is in our hearts so that when we pray or want to pray, we don't have to make things us but rather we have to lower ourselves down into the conversation of love of the Trinity which are occurring all the time in our hearts so we can partake in the conversation of love. Pentecost isn't just something that happened 2000 years ago. It is still happening today, the Spirit came on the disciples and then drove them out into the streets of Jerusalem and across the world to spread the message of the love of God. Are we listening personally to the Spirit, as a community are we in dialogue to discern what the Spirit is calling us as a community to do and finally are we open to going out and sharing with the world what the Spirit has shared with us all.

Abbot Mark Patrick Hederman of Glenstal Abbey in Ireland, an advocate of an alternative church to replace the Catholic church in Ireland, meets with psychologist Sanford Drob, whose engagement with Jewish mysticism and psychology has led to three books on interpretations of the Kabbalah.

We take you to Glenstal Abbey, where the monks celebrate Mass in Gregorian chant, the gardens provide a peaceful respite for visitors and the Icon collection present a look into Church history. THIS EPISODE IS iTUNES ENHANCED. AN MP3-ONLY VERSION IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.IRISHFIRESIDE.COM