After work was completed over a year ago at our FCJ Spirituality House – Teach Spioradálta in the beautiful Spanish Point, County Clare in Ireland, participants have been welcomed for residential retreats again. The full list of retreats and workshops is on their website. Here is the latest newsletter.
Across the Waves
A chara,
Welcome to the March newsletter friends. We hope that this monthly email helps you to feel connected with us here in Spanish Point and that it encourages you to join us and to share the good news of what’s happening here with others. This morning the north and east coasts of Ireland awoke to snow, but there isn’t a flake here, so we hope everyone is warm and well where they are.
February reports:
February was a month to welcome Brigid, to support community and to deepen our practice of Centering Prayer. Maria Gillen facilitated guests from Cork, Tipperary and Clare through three stories of Brigid’s cloak. Maria’s energy is contagious and no one wanted to go home! Suddenly it was St Valentines Day and Ash Wednesday and we reflected in the calm.
Fionnuala Quinn OP returned to meet with those already practising Centering Prayer, for a very grounded and inspiring few days together. It was wonderful to meet returning retreatants who had been living this practise for a year now. Fionnuala will return in November with an introductory course for those curious. Our day time events – movies, coffee, songs, and an unexpected concert with Jimmy Crowley! – have been a lovely support to local groups across the darker days of winter and we have been blessed by the company of so many men and women living locally.
March News:
We are delighted to offer another Oasis Day on March 16th. This one will focus on Lent and our Irish saints as we celebrate Patrick. What might the missionary have to say to us as we accept Pope Francis invitation this year to walk through the desert with God to freedom?
The following weekend is Palm Sunday, and so its very special that Martina Lehane Sheehan will join us for a weekend of meditation, scripture, film, music, and poetry, as we create spaces for deep stillness. We will unite our own broken places with the healing promises of Holy Week.
Across Holy Week we plan to offer time for reflection, prayer and community. Bob will be bringing a series of three movies for Mon, Tues and Wed of Holy Week – you are invited to come to the movie and then stay for a 30 min sharing about it after. Then on Holy Thursday, our annual Seder Meal will be held. About 20 people will gather to listen to our faith story, to recognise God at work and to see how this brings us into the Holy Week story.
Looking ahead:
April will bring another great opportunity to learn about the Story of the Universe with Niamh Brennan – How did our universe come to be, What is our place in it, and How are we called to live in harmony here?
The May bank holiday weekend brings a very special Burren Outdoor retreat back to Spanish Point. (Please note the change of date to allow us extra time with the bank holiday weekend). Mary Lillis will team up with Noirin to offer a retreat weekend out in the Burren, amongst the rocks and the mysteries.
Please do let us know if you are interested in an event, by booking online or emailing/texting us on 087 447 9115.
God bless
Nóirin Lynch
Director
Photo: The waves roilling (rolling and boiling) in Cleadagh last week (Feb 21st). Nature keeps us on our toes here!
Featured Upcoming Retreats in Spanish Point
Finding our Feet in the Universe Story
On Christmas Eve, 1968 the crew of Apollo 8 captured a spectacular sight as they orbited the Moon: the illuminated Earth appearing above the barren lunar horizon. This iconic image showed humans for the first time, how earth looked from outside. Much like a baby discovering life outside the womb, this was a transformational moment and it resonates still with us as we consider humanity on this pale blue dot, in a small solar system, among trillions of solar systems in our universe.
We have learnt a lot about our human history, but what about the story of the amazing universe our story is set in. What might the story of the Universe have to teach us about our story and who we can be on this beautiful planet together?
We are learning so much, so quickly in these decades, that it can be overwhelming. This weekend offers a chance to become aware of the timeline but also to step back from the sheer volume of numbers and to notice the patterns and possibilities of our unfolding universe.
In a balance of input, reflection and ritual, we will share the story together. Join us in west Clare, on one of the most western edges of Europe to reflect a little on how all life came to be, how all things are connected and what that might mean for a well lived life in the short time we humans each have here.
Dr Niamh Brennan writes and lecturers about cosmology, ecology, and philosophy. She is the author of The Human in the Universe and co-author of The Universe Story in Science and Myth. For the past ten years Niamh has been conducting research in the areas of eco-cosmology, subjectivity/philosophies of the self, religious studies, and poetics. She is a master teacher with a toolbox of many pedagogical skills. She has worked with graduate and undergraduate students, religious congregations, and a variety of other groups.
This weekend retreat starts at lunchtime on Friday April 5th ,and finishes on Sunday afternoon April 7th . It is available with residential and non-residential options
Full details here https://fcjspiritualityhouse.ie/event/finding-our-feet-in-the-universe-story-2/
Find all upcoming events at https://fcjspiritualityhouse.ie/events/
Please note that as we only have 11-12 residential places on our weekend retreats, they do fill up quickly. So we encourage you to contact us in writing/email to register your interest as soon as you can. Payment can follow after an initial deposit. We look forward to welcoming everyone across the seasons to the various retreats on offer now in west Clare. Please note that all – apart from the directed silent retreats – can be attended without staying on site. This is to support locals or those who would prefer to make their own accommodation arrangements. Thank you.
The FCJ Spirituality House, Teach Spiorodálta, is a home and spiritual haven of the FCJ Sisters, who have come to Spanish Point for generations for spiritual nourishment and refreshment. Now we would like to share our home with the wider community through spiritual moments, enjoyment of the natural beauty of creation, and the lifting of spirits with music, art and poetry.
Please see the events page for current listings. You can contact the House at info @ fcjspiritualityhouse.ie or by phone at +353 87 447 9115 with any questions.
