Saturday 2 June 2012, Glendalough

To celebrate the Feast of St. Kevin, Glendalough Hermitage Centre and friends are holding a day of Pilgrim Prayer on 2 June (eve of the feast day). All are welcome.

Different experiences of prayer will be offered from which people can choose:

Session One – 10.30-11.45 am

Pilgrim Walk

Fr. Michael Rodgers SPS will lead a pilgrim walk through Kevin’s valley, stopping at points of spiritual interest to let the ancient stones speak to us and let the beauty and peace be absorbed by our souls.

Lakeside Healing Prayer

According to legend, Kevin met and befriended a monster at the lower lake. Geraldine Collins RSM will lead us through a ritual where we too can experience the peace of letting go of our demons and the joy of transformation.

Lectio Divina

The Celtic Christian church spent much of their time contemplating the Word of God. Kieran O’Mahony OSA will introduce us to the ancient practice of Lectio Divina where we meditate upon scripture and what it says to our lives today.

Session Two – 2.30-3.45 pm

Wisdom of Kevin

Kevin’s life of contemplation and communion with all of creation has much to say to us today. Sr. Genevieve Mooney OP will guide us through the stories and legends around Kevin to find the deep wisdom at the core of his life.

Mastering Meditation

The experience of solitude led Kevin to know himself at a deeper level. Drawing on the insights of Anthony de Mello and the spiritual treasures of the East, John Callanan SJ will lead us in reflecting on our lives and getting in touch with the deepest core of ourselves.

Loving Kindness – the Heart of God

Kevin’s journey brought him from solitude to community. This meditation, freely adapted from the Buddhist tradition and in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, will open our hearts to the Source of all loving kindness and lead us to a deeper communion with ourselves and others.

Session Three – 4.15-5.30 pm

Centering Prayer

Solitude led Kevin into a deeper relationship with God. Margaret Prendergast RSM and Ruth McCullagh will introduce us to this method of silent prayer which helps us to experience the presence of God within and to develop a personal relationship with the indwelling Trinity.

Sacred Movement

Using sacred movement and dance, Breda Ahearn CP will help us to connect with the earth and reawaken our sense of the beauty of God’s creation which figured so largely in the awareness of the early Celtic Christian church.

Adoration

Love for God drew Kevin to this lonely valley of Glendalough where he spent his life giving praise to God. Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament will give us the opportunity to spend time in the company of God, our Beloved, looking and being looked at, delighting in each other’s presence. Led by Fr. Thady Doyle.

The day will finish with Eucharist in St. Kevin’s Parish Church at 7 pm

followed by Taize Prayer in the Cathedral in the Monastic Site at 8.30 pm

Guest Speaker: Fr. Liam Lawton

Come and join us in following in the footsteps of St. Kevin…

Come and connect with the beauty of nature as Kevin once did…

Come and be immersed in the healing power and sacred energy of prayer…

“All you who are thirsty, come! Come to the waters!” (Isaiah 55:1)

Info and booking: Glendalough Hermitage Centre – email: failte@glendaloughhermitage.ie Tel: (0404) 45571 www.glendaloughhermitage.ie Bookings close Friday 25 May

9.30am at Glendalough Saturday 2nd June 2012

Celebrate the feast of St. Kevin with a day of Pilgrim Prayer

“All you who are thirsty, come! Come to the waters!” Isaiah

Choose from different experiences of prayer:

• Pilgrim Walk
• Wisdom of Kevin
• Mastering Meditation
• Healing Prayer
• Sacred Movement
• Loving Kindness
• Centering Prayer
• Lectio Divina
• Adoration
• Taize Prayer
• Eucharist

Book by Friday 22 May 2012

Download the booking form and more information here

‘Following in the footsteps of monks and others who have lived and prayed here for centuries, we draw our energy from the inspirational and sacred landscape of mountains, valleys and lakes and open ourselves to its healing and restoring power. We are conscious that in this place, we walk on holy ground.’

To mark our 10th anniversary and the launch of our new website, we in Glendalough Hermitage Centre hosted a celebration on Friday night last, 30 September featuring a Concert of Music and Spiritual Reflection with Fr. Liam Lawton and the St. Kevin’s Parish Choir. We were delighted with the number of people who came, friends, the founders and those who helped get the Hermitage Centre off the ground, our neighbours, parishioners and past guests. 

The celebrations began as evening fell. The gathering dusk was lit by beautiful glass candle holders decorated by the children of the nearby Scoil Chaoimhin Naofa as Fr. Oliver Crotty PP of St. Kevin’s Parish, Glendalough blessed the grounds. As a light mist fell on the gathering, a cherry blossom tree was planted amidst the Hermitages by Andrew Doyle T.D.

Andrew recalled being present ten years ago when Fr. Sean O’Toole, then PP at St. Kevin’s Church, saw a dream become a reality, when the five hermitages were officially opened.

At Fr. Sean’s invitation in 2001, two Sisters of Mercy – Sr. Kathleen Delaney & Sr. Mary McKeever – came to run the hermitages and to accompany pilgrims on their spiritual journey through the sharing of prayer, silence and conversation. Since then, Mercy sisters have maintained a contemplative and compassionate presence in Glendalough, seeking to make the riches of its peace and tranquility available to those who are looking for rest or are troubled or anxious in an increasingly busy and stressful world.

Andrew said that the Hermitage Centre was at the heart of the essence of Glendalough and that its continued growth and development would leave a legacy for the generations of pilgrims to come as had been the case with the thousands of pilgrims who had flocked to the Monastic Site in the past. He pointed out that Glendalough, while having a unique setting, had the edge on other tourist locations given its history as a centre for Celtic spirituality. “Anything we do here should sustain and enhance the special place that we have,” he told the gathering.

Chair of the Board of the Centre, Bernie Healy, said that ‘Spiritual Tourism’ was attracting ever increasing numbers as pilgrims of all persuasions find a welcome in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. “The Sisters here offer a space of silence and solitude where the peace and beauty of Glendalough can nurture and heal the soul,” she said.

The tree-planting was followed by the hauntingly beautiful and reflective music of Fr. Liam Lawton. Fr. Liam spoke movingly about how Glendalough has been a place of refuge for him over the years and has inspired much of his music. The landscape is filled with echoes of the lives of people who have come to this sacred place through the centuries seeking God and spending their lives in prayer and solitude.

These lives were remembered in a Ritual of Light held towards the end of the concert when Fr. Sean carried a lantern symbolizing the light of Christ which was tended so faithfully over the years and has now been rekindled in the Hermitage Centre. Mercy sisters passed the light from the lantern among the congregation until the whole church was a blaze of light. Sisters then invited people to see this light as a reflection of the light of Christ within and to nurture it by taking time apart for prayer – whether by themselves or by joining them in the Hermitage.

The evening ended with the large congregation enjoying refreshments at the nearby Brockagh Resource Centre. Pat Casey, a local councillor, and Sr. Peggy Collins rsm both spoke of the contribution made by the Hermitage Centre in its ten years of existence and looked forward to future possibilities and development.

We, Sisters of Mercy who work here would like to express our gratitude to all who came and to all who helped to make the evening such a success. We particularly thank the local people of Glendalough and Laragh who have made us so welcome and who are so much a part of our lives. We also thank our Board of Directors, in particular Bernie Healy our chairperson and the Sisters of Mercy who have provided us with so much support. We would also like to give a special mention to our fellow wayfarers, Fr. Michael Rogers and Sr. Breda Ahern of Tearmann and Sr. Genevieve of An Clochan - they pioneered the way in making Glendalough known and loved by a new generation. Finally, without the vision of Fr. Sean O’Toole and the generosity of Srs. Kathleen Delaney and Sr. Mary McKeever, the Hermitage Centre would never have become a reality and for this we thank  them sincerely.

We sisters, at this time, are very aware that we hold this sacred space of the Hermitage Centre in trust for others and we continue to welcome all who come to be nourished and find peace, hope, and the Sacred  here in Glendalough.

Angela, Liam and Geraldine