Our parish hosted two beautiful prayer events this past week which were quite different in style but both resulted in peace of heart. On Monday we had our Rosary for Peace, at the request of Pope Francis and organised by our Catholic Grandparent’s Association. Our sincere thanks to our Rosary leaders who took us through the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries as we prayed on 7th October, the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, and, very poignantly, on the first anniversary of the dreadful attacks in the Holy Land which has resulted in an appalling war which now threatens to escalate across the wider region. We prayed for peace and discovered that peace of God seeping into our hearts.
On Friday, we had the Together 2024 Ecumenical Evening Prayer, using the meditative chants of the monastic community of Taizé, praying around the same time that Pope Francis and the participants in the Synod in Rome in Protomartyrs Square beside St Peter’s Basilica were having a similar prayer. Young Christians from our local schools led the litany and intercessions, Rev Natasha Quinn Thomas from St Brigid’s Church of Ireland, proclaimed the Gospel and everyone sang led by members from our Family Mass and Folk Groups, followed by lovely hospitality in the Coffee Dock in the Parish centre which was much appreciated by the many visitors who had travelled to be there. Br Roger of Taizé wrote: “In prayer, God prepares our hearts to be bearers of his peace and joy.” That, again, was our experience.