News/Wisdom/Saints
Advent/Christmas 2021-202
“From death, from dark,
from deafness, from despairs.
This Life, this Light, this Word,
This Joy repairs.”
The Nativity of Christ – R.Southwell.
We truly need the Joy and Light of the Lord to heal all the darkness and pain that haunts our world today.
We had hoped that 2022 would bring humanity some respite as we emerged from the Covid Pandemic which had paralyzed society for so long. We could not have imagined that we would face the Russian invasion of Ukraine which has brought us to the brink of a third world war. 
In 1990 Abp. Cassidy brought Metropolitan Sergey of Odesa and Kherson to visit us. Our archivist wrote: “One look at the formidable Russian ‘interpreter’ squashed any idea of raising awkward questions about the Ukrainian Church. We could sense the tension as well as the hope of ‘Glasnost’. Now, thirty-two years later, as we write this, a deadly battle is being fought over Kherson. It seems that humanity never learns.
We live out our lives against an ominous background.
However, as Christians, we are called to witness to hope.
Because – ‘With all its sham drudgery & broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.’
So, the joys of our simple lives do matter and we celebrate them with you
because God is greater than humanity’s sin and shame.
St Teresa of Jesus, ‘of Los Andes’
Juanita Fernandez Solar was born at Santiago, Chile on July 13, 1900.
From her adolescence, she was devoted to Christ.
She entered the monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns at Los Andes on May 7, 1919,
where she was given the name Teresa of Jesus.
She died on April 12 of the following year after having made her religious profession.
She was beatified by John Paul II on April 3, 1987, in Santiago, Chile,
and proposed as a model for young people.
She is the first Chilean and the first member of the Teresian Carmel in Latin America to be beatified.
[St. Teresa of the Andes was canonized on March 21, 1993, in St. Peter’s Basilica.]
Gathering of Irish Contemplative nuns
Photo courtesy of Glencairn Abbey – glencairnabbey.org
The gathering of the contemplative nuns of Ireland was held
at Ballyvaloo Conference and Retreat Centre in Co. Wexford,
from 9 – 12 May 2022.
Two of our Sisters were delighted to attend the course
and were among the twenty-eight nuns who came from various communities
including Poor Clares, Carmelites, Benedictines, Redemptoristines, and Dominicans.
The conferences, presented by Sr Maureen Cusick NDS
on the theme of Human Development and the Word of God,
were excellent and left us longing for more.
It was a great joy to meet the other sisters and the venue is heavenly!
June 9th. Feast of St. Colum Cille
St Colmcille is one of Ireland’s three patron saints.
The other two are St Brigid and of course, St Patrick.
His feast day is June 9, the day he died in the year 597 AD – at the impressive age of 75.
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Colmcille was born on December 7, 521 in Gartan, near Lough Gartan in Co. Donegal.
He was also known as Columba, a Latin version of Colum.
Columba founded a monastery in 563AD on Iona, an island off the west coast of Scotland,
which became one of the leading intellectual and artistic centres of northern Europe.
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He died in 597. He collapsed before the altar of the church in Iona and his last words were:
“Raise my hand, that I may bless my monks.
Higher still that I may bless the land of Erin and all
I Love there, my oakgrove and my children”.
June 7th. Feast of Bl. Anne of St. Bartholomew,
companion, secretary and infirmarian
to St Teresa of Jesus. (Avila.)
Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi – Feast Day – May 25
Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi was also called Mary Magdalen de’Pazzi, Caterina or Lucrezia.
She was born with the name Caterina de’ Pazzi on April 2 1566 in Florence, Duchy of Florence, Italy.
She was an Italian Carmelite nun and mystic who became a Saint in the Catholic Church.
She died on May 25 1607 at the age of 41 in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Italy.
Her feast day is celebrated on May 25.
“The last thing I ask of you — and I ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ —
is that you love him alone, that you trust implicitly in him
and that you encourage one another continually to suffer for the love of him
Titus Brandsma, Carmelite, journalist-martyr –
Members of the Carmelite Family in Ireland, the Netherlands, and around the world celebrate with great joy the canonization by Pope Francis of the Carmelite friar, Titus Brandsma, on Sunday, May 15th. 2022
Titus Brandsma is described as a journalist-martyr of the 20th Century.
1. Father Brandsma wrote and spoke against the Nazis’ laws and propaganda.
In 1942, he was arrested after trying to persuade Dutch Catholic newspapers
not to print Nazi propaganda (as was required by the Nazi occupiers).
2. He died a martyr. Father Titus Brandsma was transferred to the concentration camp at Dachau
in February 1942. In July of that year, he was executed by lethal injection.
He forgave the nurse who administered the injection and gave her a rosary.
Though not religious at the time she later became a Catholic.
Forty Years living and praying in Knock! 1981-2021
We give praise to You, O Lord for bringing us to this Holy Place.
On the 15th of October 1981, our community transferred from Dublin to Knock. We give thanks to God for all the blessings of these years and a very sincere ‘Thank You’ to all who made this possible and who have been with us throughout the joys and sorrows of daily life in our adopted County Mayo.
We also give thanks that our community continues to grow and the Solemn Profession of Sr. Elizabeth was the best anniversary gift God could give us!
We include this in our Prayer Space and hope you will join us in prayer and praise for all God’s Blessings.
‘We give thanks to the Lord with you our Mother’.
My soul glorifies the Lord,
My spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.
He looks on his servant in her lowliness;
henceforth all ages will call me blessed.
The Almighty works marvels for me.
Holy his name!
His mercy is from age to age,
on those who fear him.
He puts forth his arm in strength
and scatters the proud-hearted.
He casts the mighty from their thrones
and raises the lowly.
He fills the starving with good things,
sends the rich away empty.
He protects Israel, his servant,
remembering his mercy.
The mercy promised to our fathers
to Abraham and his sons forever.
Praise the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
both now and foever. Amen.
October 15th. Feast of St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila)
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