28 Jun 2014

29th June 2014 - Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (a.k.a. Monks of Moyross) (Part 2) - Feast of St Peter & St Paul

On this weeks programme we have the second part of our interview with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal about their life and ministry. We have our reflection on the Sunday gospel which this week is the gospel of the feast of St Peter & St Paul.

You can listen to the podcast of this weeks programme HERE
 
Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (Part 2)
 
This week we have the second part of our interview with the Franciscans Friars of the Renewal and this week learn more about the community and their experiences. John has an interview in St Patricks Friary in Moyross with Fr Charles and other members of the community.
 
You can read more about the friars including the first part of this series of interviews HERE.
 
You can listen to the interview excerpted from the main programme HERE.
 
 
Gospel - Matthew 16:13-19 
 
"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli'jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.""
 
Reflections on this weeks gospel:
 
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans - Beloved Criminals
Word on Fire
Centre for Liturgy
 
Feast of St Peter and St Paul
 
Today we mark the feast day of St Peter and St Paul - the two great patrons of the Church of Rome. In a sermon in the year 395, St. Augustine of Hippo said of Sts. Peter and Paul: “Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles' blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith.”

From CatholicCultre.org:

Veneration of the two great Apostles, Peter and Paul, has its roots in the very foundations of the Church. They are the solid rock on which the Church is built. They are at the origin of her faith and will forever remain her protectors and her guides. To them Rome owes her true greatness, for it was under God's providential guidance that they were led to make the capital of the Empire, sanctified by their martyrdom, the center of the Christian world whence should radiate the preaching of the Gospel. St. Peter suffered martyrdom under Nero, in A.D. 66 or 67. He was buried on the hill of the Vatican where recent excavations have revealed his tomb on the very site of the basilica of St. Peter's. St. Paul was beheaded in the via Ostia on the spot where now stands the basilica bearing his name. Down the centuries Christian people in their thousands have gone on pilgrimage to the tombs of these Apostles. In the second and third centuries the Roman Church already stood pre-eminent by reason of her apostolicity, the infallible truth of her teaching and her two great figures, Sts. Peter and Paul.

You read more about the feast day at:
 
AmericanCatholic.org
Domincans Interactive
Catholic News Agency
Blue Eyed Ennis - 2012 post; 2013 post
SS102fm previous blog posts on the feast - here and here
 
Liturgical odds and ends
 
Liturgy of the Hours - 13th week in ordinary time; Psalter week 1
 
Saints of the week
 
June 30th - First Martyrs of the Church of Rome
July 1st - St Oliver Plunket (martyr)
July 2nd - Saint Marcia of Campania
July 3rd - St Thomas (apostle)
July 4th - St Elizabeth of Portugal
July 5th - St Anthony Zaccaria

27 Jun 2014

Limerick Diocese pilgrimage to Lourdes 2014 - Coming down from Mount Tabor

The planes are arriving in Shannon this morning (fingers crossed after the debacle of the French strike over the last few days! Obviously the prayers were heard for a resolution to the crisis) and our diocesan pilgrims have to re-enter "normal" life again. Like any experience where you have been out side your regular routine, where quick friendships are made over shared experiences, eventually the pilgrims like the apostles must come down from Mount Tabor.

Bishop Brendan offers some thoughts on what we can do as a faith community, invigorated by the experience of the pilgrimage both physically, emotionally and spiritually.





26 Jun 2014

Limerick Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes 2014 - Holy Hour

As our listeners and blog readers are aware, the Diocese of Limerick's annual Pilgrimage to Lourdes took place between June 21st and June 26th 2014.  A very special part of the pilgrimage is the Holy Hour - time spent in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament - which was held last Sunday evening.



This year Fr. Liam Enright and Fr. Noel Kirwan led a beautiful meditation for the Holy Hour which is available HERE.

More photos and reflections from the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes are available HERE.

Limerick Diocese pilgrimage to Lourdes 2014 - A poetic memory

Shared over on the Limerick diocese Facebook page,


From Peg Prendeville:

"Reading about the trip to Lourdes reminds me of a trip I made in 1990! I wrote this afterward. I hope you don't mind me sharing it with you.

The Miracle of Lourdes

Away from all the toil and noise
Which whirls this world around
On a little corner of this earth
A heavenly place I’ve found.
It’s only a simple little cave
From which a spring does flow
It was there that Bernadette of Lourdes
Met her “lady” long ago.

And still the spring it gushes forth
And still sway the whispering trees
The river Gave flows gently by
While candles flicker in the breeze.
A tranquillity you’ve not felt before
I guarantee you’ll find
There in the deafening silence.
It relaxes body and mind.

The murmuring of incessant prayers
Waft like incense to the sky
Petitioning, pleading pilgrims
Begging God to reply.
This power of prayer uplifts the soul
It has to be for good.
Despair then dies and hope lives on
It’s the miracle of Lourdes.

When now, back in the world once more,
My fears are hard to quell
I shut my eyes and my thoughts drift back
To the grotto of Massabielle.
Mary and Bernadette come smiling through
And fill me with their peace
“Don’t worry, Love” I hear them say
“The miracles will never cease.”

22 Jun 2014

22nd June 2014 - Interview with Paul Glennon - Solemnity of the Body & Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)

On this weeks programme John is joined by Paul Glennon who is a deacon of the Dublin archdiocese ordained on June 1st in Maynooth. Paul shares his faith journey with us on the feast of Corpus Christi.We also have some reflections on the feast as well as links to reflections for the gospel of the day.

You can listen to the podcast of the programme HERE.

Rev Paul Glennon - A journey towards priesthood


On this weeks programme we are joined by Paul Glennon who shares with us his on-going journey towards priesthood. Paul was one of the 15 men ordained deacon in Maynooth on June 1st for the archdiocese of Dublin but he also has links to the Emmanuel Community in Ireland (you can learn more about the community from our previous blog posts HERE). He tells us of his re-discovery of faith through the Charismatic Conference, his experience at WYD2005 in Cologne and how he went on to explore his faith and the Emmanuel School of Mission in Rome with the Emmanuel Community before starting the journey to ordination.


Solemnity of Corpus Christi

Gospel - John 6:51 - 58

"I  am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."

Today the church honours in a special way the Blessed Eucharist - the Body and Blood of Christ. One of the ancient reflections on this feast day from St John Chrysostom is below. While it was written in the 5th century, today the reflection still challenges us:
Would you honor the body of Christ? Do not despise his nakedness; do not honor him here in church clothed in silk vestments and then pass him by unclothed and frozen outside. Remember that he who said, ‘This is my Body’, and made good his words, also said, ‘You saw me hungry and gave me no food’, and, ‘in so far as you did it not to one of these, you did it not to me’.In the first sense the body of Christ does not need clothing but worship from a pure heart. In the second sense it does need clothing and all the care we can give it.

We must learn to be discerning Christians and to honor Christ in the way in which he wants to be honored. It is only right that honor given to anyone should take the form most acceptable to the recipient not to the giver. Peter thought he was honoring the Lord when he tried to stop him washing his feet, but this was far from being genuine homage. So give God the honor he asks for, that is give your money generously to the poor. God has no need of golden vessels but of golden hearts.

I am not saying you should not give golden altar vessels and so on, but I am insisting that nothing can take the place of almsgiving. The Lord will not refuse to accept the first kind of gift but he prefers the second, and quite naturally, because in the first case only the donor benefits, in the second case the poor gets the benefit. The gift of a chalice may be ostentatious; almsgiving is pure benevolence.

What is the use of loading Christ’s table with gold cups while he himself is starving? Feed the hungry and then if you have any money left over, spend it on the altar table. Will you make a cup of gold and without a cup of water? What use is it to adorn the altar with cloth of gold hangings and deny Christ a coat for his back! What would that profit you? Tell me: if you saw someone starving and refused to give him any food but instead spent your money on adorning the altar with gold, would he thank you? Would he not rather be outraged? Or if you saw someone in rags and stiff with cold and then did not give him clothing but set up golden columns in his honor, would he not say that he was being made a fool of and insulted?

Consider that Christ is that tramp who comes in need of a night’s lodging. You turn him away and then start laying rugs on the floor, draping the walls, hanging lamps on silver chains on the columns. Meanwhile the tramp is locked up in prison and you never give him a glance. Well again I am not condemning munificence in these matters. Make your house beautiful by all means but also look after the poor, or rather look after the poor first. No one was ever condemned for not adorning his house, but those who neglect the poor were threatened with hellfire for all eternity and a life of torment with devils. Adorn your house if you will, but do not forget your brother in distress. He is a temple of infinitely greater value.
Reflections on this weeks gospel:

Sunday Reflections
Word on Fire
Centre for Liturgy
English Dominicans


Corpus Christi procession - Rome June 2014
Reflections on the feast day:

'Eucharistic moments' – Mirroring the broken Christ
Blue Eyed Ennis





Written by St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), this is one of the great seven hymns of the Church. This hymn is also used on the Feast of Corpus Christi. The last two stanzas make up the "Tantum Ergo" (Down in Adoration Falling) that is used at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

Of the glorious Body telling,
O my tongue, its mysteries sing,
And the Blood, all price excelling,
Which the world's eternal King,
In a noble womb once dwelling
Shed for the world's ransoming.
Given for us, descending,
Of a Virgin to proceed,
Man with man in converse blending,
Scattered he the Gospel seed,
Till his sojourn drew to ending,
Which he closed in wondrous deed.
At the last great Supper lying
Circled by his brethren's band,
Meekly with the law complying,
First he finished its command
Then, immortal Food supplying,
Gave himself with his own hand.
Word made Flesh, by word he maketh
Very bread his Flesh to be;
Man in wine Christ's Blood partaketh:
And if senses fail to see,
Faith alone the true heart waketh
To behold the mystery.
Therefore we, before him bending,
This great Sacrament revere;
Types and shadows have their ending,
For the newer rite is here;
Faith, our outward sense befriending,
Makes the inward vision clear.
Glory let us give, and blessing
To the Father and the Son;
Honour, might, and praise addressing,
While eternal ages run;
Ever too his love confessing,
Who, from both, with both is one. Amen


**********************************************************

Homily of Pope Francis
Solemnity of Corpus Christi 2014

On the feast of Corpus Domini, we celebrate Jesus “living bread that came down from heaven” (Jn 6,51), food for our hunger for eternal life, strength for our journey. I thank the Lord, who today allows me to celebrate Corpus Domini with you, brothers and sisters of this Church, which is in Cassano allo Jonio. Today’s feast is that on which the Church praises the Lord for the gift of the Eucharist. While on Holy Thursday, we recall its institution at the Last Supper, today thanksgiving and adoration predominate. And, in fact, it is tradition on this day to have the procession with the Blessed Sacrament. To adore Jesus Eucharist and to walk with him. These are the two inseparable aspects of today’s feast, two aspects that mark the entire life of the Christian people: a people that adores God and walks with him.

Before all else, we are a people who adores God. We adore God, who is love, who in Jesus Christ gave himself for us, offered himself on the cross to expiate our sins and by the power of this love he rose from death and lives in his Church. We do have no other God than this!

When adoration of the Lord is substituted by adoration of money, the road to sin opens to personal interest ... When one does not adore the Lord, one becomes an adorer of evil, like those who live by dishonesty and violence. Your land, which so beautiful, knows the signs of the consequences of this sin. The ‘ndrangheta is this: adoration of evil and contempt of the common good. This evil must be fought, must be expelled. It must be told no. The Church, which is so committed to educating consciences, must always expend itself even more so that good can prevail. Our children ask this of us. Our young people ask this of us, they, who need hope. To be able to respond to this demands, faith can help us. Those who in their lives have taken this evil road, this road of evil, such as the mobsters, they are not in communion with God, they are excommunicated!

Today, we confess this with our gaze turned to Corpus Domini, to the Sacrament of the altar. And, for this faith, we renounce Satan and all of his temptations; we renounce the idols of money, vanity, pride and power. We, Christians, do not want to adore anything or anyone in this world except Jesus Christ, who is present in the Holy Eucharist. Perhaps we do not always realize what this means in all its depth, the consequences our profession of faith has or should have. Today we ask the Lord to enlighten us and to convert us, so that we truly adore only him and we renounce evil in all its forms.

But our faith in the real presence of Jesus Christ, true God and true man, in the consecrated bread and wine, is authentic if we commit to follow him and to walk with him, seeking to put into practice his commandment which he gave to the disciples at the Last Supper: “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (Jn 13,34). A people who adores God in the Eucharist is a people who walks in charity.

Today, as bishop of Rome, I am here to confirm you not only in faith but also in charity, to accompany you and to encourage you in your journey with Jesus Charity. I want to express my support to the bishop, the priests and the deacons of this Church, and also of the Eparchy of Lungro, rich in its Greek-Byzantine tradition. But I extend it to all the pastors and faithful of the Church in Calabria, courageously committed to evangelization and to promoting lifestyles and initiatives which put at the centre the needs of the poor and of the. And I also extend it to the civil authorities who seek to live political and administrative commitment for what it is—a service to the common good.

I encourage all to witness practical solidarity with your brothers, especially those who most need justice, hope and tenderness. Thank God, there are many signs of hope in your families, parishes, associations and ecclesial movements. The Lord Jesus does not cease to inspire acts of charity in his people who journey! The Policoro Project is a concrete sign of hope for young people who want to get in the game and create work possibilities for themselves and for others. You, dear young people, do not let yourselves to be robbed of hope! Adoring Jesus in your hears and remaining united to him you will know how to oppose evil, injustice, violence with the force of good, truth and beauty.

Dear brothers and sisters, the Eucharist has gathered us together. The Body of the Lord makes of us one, one family, the people of God united around Jesus, Bread of Life. That which I said to the young people, I say to all of you: if you will adore Christ, follow him and walk with him, your diocesan Church and your parishes will grow in faith and charity, in the joy of evangelizing. You will be a Church in which fathers, mothers, priests, religious, catechists, children, the elderly and the young walk alongside each other, support each other, help each other, love each other like brothers, especially in moments of difficulty.

Mary, eucharistic Woman, whom you venerate in many sanctuaries, especially at the one in Castrovillari, precedes you in this pilgrimage of faith. May she always help you to stay united so that, even by means of your witness, the Lord may continue to give life to the world.

Liturgical odds and ends
Liturgy of the Hours - psalter week 4, 12th week in ordinary time
Saints of the Week
June 23rd - Blessed Francis O’Sullivan - one of the Irish martyrs (St John's Eve)

Limerick Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes 2014



After the disappointment of last year when the 2013 diocesan pilgrimage was cancelled due to floods in Lourdes, the Limerick Diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes takes place this week. Over 500 pilgrims, including almost 70 invalids and 100 youth pilgrims will travel to the Marian shrine in the south of France.
 

On Monday morning 23rd June 2014 at 8:45 am as Bishop Brendan will be celebrating Mass at the Grotto in Lourdes as part of the Limerick Diocesan Pilgrimage. This Mass will be streamed live HERE. If you would like to feel part of the pilgrimage you are invited to watch and pray with the pilgrims on Monday morning.

You might also like to follow the pilgrimage on Limerick diocese Facebook www.facebook.com/dioceseoflimerick to see updates from the pilgrimage.

You can see some of the pilgrims at Shannon airport before departure:





Reflections and homilies on the pilgrimage to Lourdes can be read HERE.

20 Jun 2014

The Sacred Heart of Jesus

June is by tradition, the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is falling on June 27th 2014.

The Sacred Heart represents Christ's love for all mankind, and our devotion to it is an expression of our faith in His mercy.The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity.

The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism (read more
here).

On June 1, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI
urged Catholics everywhere to renew their devotion to the Sacred Heart during the month of June.

Understood in the light of the Scriptures, the term "Sacred Heart of Jesus" denotes the entire mystery of Christ, the totality of his being, and his person considered in its most intimate essential: Son of God, uncreated wisdom; infinite charity, principal of the salvation and sanctification of mankind. The "Sacred Heart" is Christ, the Word Incarnate, Saviour, intrinsically containing, in the Spirit, an infinite divine-human love for the Father and for his brothers. 

The origin of the idea of praying for a special intention for nine days is very attractive and worth thinking about - it comes from the alleged length of time that Mary and the eleven remaining disciples spent praying together in the upper room, waiting for the Spirit to come upon them at Pentecost. In our imitation of them in these nine days we'll surely be in good company, especially with Mary, the one who shows us what our attitude in prayer should be: she always trusted, despite confusion; she continued to hope, despite the seeming darkness. The disciples were a small community of fragile yet hopeful trust, of confusion yet deep desire within their hearts. In short, they were probably very much like ourselves at the beginning of this novena. On each day of the novena, try to have a few quiet moments with yourself or with others to reflect on the scripture passage. Then, in your own time, move on to the reflection and think about what it might say to you today. Then pass on to the short prayer and make it your own. Always end with the Novena Prayer and include in it any intention you would like to make.
Brendan Comerford, SJ

SACRED HEART OF JESUS—
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is depicted in a modern painting
by Stephen B. Whatley,
an expressionist artist based in London
(Source)
 
Novena Prayer (to be said each day)

Lord Jesus, the needs of your people open your heart in love to each of us. You care for us when we are lost, sympathise with us in loneliness and comfort us in mourning; you are closest to us when we are weakest. You love us most when we love ourselves least; you forgive us most when we forgive ourselves least; you call us to spread your love in whatever way we can.

Lord Jesus, your heart is moved with compassion when we are suffering, when we need your help and when we pray for each other. I ask you to listen to my prayer during this novena, and grant what I ask (make your request silently). If what I ask is not for my own good and the good of others, grant me always what is best for me, that I may build up your kingdom of love in our world. Amen
.




Over at the Irish Jesuits website Sacredspace.ie they have daily meditations for the novena.

The UK Jesuits also have online
daily meditations and reflections
 
Some other links for the month of the Sacred Heart:

CatholicCulture.org provides a number of links and prayers associated with the devotion including a short scriptural support for the devotion to the Sacred Heart.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Theology of Benedict XVI


Pope Pius IX encyclical on Devotion to the Sacred Heart - Caritate Christi Compulsi

Pope Pius XII encyclical on Devotion to the Sacred Heart - Haurietis Aquas

Homily of Pope John Paul II on his apostolic journey to Canada at Mass dedicated to the Heart of Christ (18th September 1984)

A Note to our Readers



You may have been wondering what has happened to SS102fm blog over the last few weeks as our posting rate (aside from our weekly programme blog posts) had stopped.

There is a little bit of musical chair going on in the background as various members of the team are re-organizing themselves such as moving back to Ireland, finalizing some exams, new jobs and other odds and ends which have meant we haven't been able to work on the blog as usual. Our sincerest apologies for that. Hopefully over the next week we will be able to resume normal service!

Thanks for visiting and bearing with us!

SS102fm team

15 Jun 2014

15th June - Mary's Meals - Trinity Sunday (Year A)

This week we are joined by Aoife Martin, the Fundraising Coordinator for Mary's Meals in Ireland and Martina O'Sullivan from Abbeyfeale.  The podcast of the full programme is available HERE.  

Martina O'Sullivan joined us for our Gospel reflection and on behalf of the Apostolate of Eucharistic Adoration told us of their upcoming trip from Abbeyfeale to Knock next Sunday, June 22nd, where there will be Eucharistic Adoration for children in the Adoration Chapel from 11.30am to 3.00pm.  



Aoife Martin shared a little of her faith journey with us including staying for 14 months with the Craig Lodge Community in the Family House of Prayer in Argyll in Scotland.  Her main focus today was Mary's Meals which began in 2002 as a one-off school feeding programme. Today Mary's Meals provide daily life changing meals to over 890,000 hungry children.  


Although the main focus of Mary's Meals is their school feeding programme, they also provide emergency relief and aid delivery and residential care for children when fund's allow. 

Aoife's interview on Mary's Meals is available HERE.  To find out more about Mary's Meals and how you can help, visit their website HERE.  The video Child31 also explains more about the origin and purpose of Mary's Meals:




Gospel - John 16:12-15



"Jesus said to Nicodemus, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life.  For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved. No one who believes in him will be condemned; but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already, because he has refused to believe in the name of God's only Son.'"

On this solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we are invited to reflect this great mystery.  "The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the great mystery of Christian life and faith.  God alone can make it known to us by revealing himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 261).

In this sense, the mystery of the Trinity is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be entered into.  Love is at the heart of the mystery... the mutual love of the Father, Son and Spirit within the Trinity which they desire to share with us. Rublev's Icon expresses this desire beautifully. God the Father, Son and Spirit invites us into a profound relationship of love with them... a relationship which will change our lives forever... a relationship which will make us children of God.

In Ireland today is Father's Day.  We give thanks for the gift of our fathers, those still living and those who have travelled before us to their eternal reward.  We give thanks too for our Heavenly Father who revealed Himself to us as Father through His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.  Have you wished our Heavenly Father a Happy Father's Day today?  What do you think would make our Heavenly Father happy today?  There is a glimpse of an answer to this question in today's Second Reading of St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians: "we wish you happiness; try to grow perfect; help one another. Be united; living in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you" (2 Cor 13:11-12).

More reflections on the Trinity:

The Trinity: On Loving Love Living
God is Three and God is One
Paul, Trinity and Community

Our good friend Phil has some excellent thoughts on Trinity Sunday HERE.

A reflection for Father's Day:
What would Joseph Do?

As we are in the midst of the World Cup which Brazil is hosting, here is a thought-provoking article on Rich and Poor: Faith and Life in Brazil.

Other reflections on today's Gospel are available here:

Word on Fire
English Dominicans
Centre for Liturgy
Sunday Reflections

Liturgical odds and ends

Liturgy of the Hours - Psalter week 3; 11th Week of Ordinary Time

As we return to Ordinary Time, this is a great reflection on Ordinary in an Extraordinary Way by another great friend of the programme Sr. Louise.

Saints of the Week

June 16th- St. John Francis Regis
June 17th- St. George Barbarigo
June 18th- St. Marcus and St. Marcellinus
June 19th- St. Romuld
June 20th- St. Silverius
June 21st - St. Aloysius Gonzaga

Notices

The Meaning of Religious Freedom
The Iona Institute and the Irish Catholic are co-hosting a talk on 'The Meaning of Religious Freedom' by Bishop Brendan Leahy (Chair: Professor Eamonn Conway) in The Strand Hotel, Limerick at 8.00pm on Tuesday, June 17th.  Admission is free.  If you would like to attend, please email bconroy@ionainstitute.ie or phone 01-6619204.

7 Jun 2014

Pentecost in 2 minutes - BustedHalo


8th June 2014 - Interview with Bishop Trevor Williams - Pentecost Sunday

On this weeks programme we are joined by Bishop Trevor Williams who is the Church of Ireland Bishop of Limerick. He joins John and Shane and tells us about his ministry and looks forward to his retirement as bishop. We have a short reflection on this weeks gospel and some other notices.

You can listen to the podcast of this weeks programme HERE.

Bishop Trevor Williams

On this weeks programme, we are joined by Bishop Trevor Williams who is the Church of Ireland bishop of Limerick - or to give him his full title Bishop of Limerick, Ardfert, Aghadoe, Killaloe, Kilfenora, Clonfert, Kilmacduagh and Emly (that is a lot of area to cover considering that he would have 7 contemporaries in the Roman Catholic church one of whom is technically Pope Francis as there is no bishop of the diocese of Kilfenora). The United Diocese stretches from the heart of the midlands in counties Tipperary and Offaly, West to the outskirts of Galway city and South all the way to Co. Kerry. The natural centre of the diocese is Limerick City with its ancient cathedral of St Mary.

Bishop Trevor tells us of his life journey and how he went from the northside of Dublin to being Bishop of Limerick focusing on the winding path that his life has taken with its focus on reconciliation and the need for outreach and listening among communities. He tells us of his studies in Dubin, his ministry in England before returning to Northern Ireland in 1977 where he lived and ministered until his appointment to Limerick in 2008 including his work at Queens University and his involvement with the Corrymeela Community which promotes reconciliation and peace-building through the healing of social, religious, and political divisions in Northern Ireland. He looks to the future after his retirement as bishop with his wife Joyce and plans to continue his involvement with Corrymeela Community.

Gospel - John 20:19-23


"On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Reflections on this weeks gospel:

Word on Fire
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans
Centre for Liturgy

Liturgical odds and ends

Liturgy of the Hours - with the end of Eastertide we return to ordinary time in the LOTH and this week we start Week 10 in ordinary time, psalter week 2.

Saints of the Week:

June 9th - St Columcille (Abbot and missionary, secondary patron of Ireland)
June 10th - Bl Thomas Green
June 11th - St Barnabas (Apostle)
June 12th - St Leo III (Pope)
June 13th - St Anthony of Padua
June 14th - St Davnet