Dear Friends,

May the Lord give you peace.   I haven’t been blogging for a while as I’ve had a busy week.   Last Saturday I spent the day, together with an number of other Religious, one Franciscan and some Religious Sisters handing out prayer cards and taking prayer requests in the Eyre Square, Shopping Centre, Galway City.   The Poor Clares in Nun’s Island, Galway offered to pray throughout the coming year, the 800th anniversary of the founding of their Order, for peoples intentions.   Many came seeking prayer and many others just wanted to chat.   We certainly benefited from just being there in the ‘marketplace’ and meeting those very many gracious people.

Last Sunday, Divine Mercy Sunday, I stopped off at Knock on my way to visit my family in Park, Co Derry.   There were huge crowds at Knock for the Divnine Mercy celebrations and I’m sure many were just visiting the shrine to celebrate the Beatification of Blessed John Paul II.   It was great to find all my family, sisters, brothers-in-law, nephews and nieces, my aunt and some cousins well and happy.   I walked out into the Learmount forest on Tuesday evening with my niece Siobhan and it was so beautiful, with ‘Bluebell Hill’ in full bloom.   On Wednesday I drove to Bray, Co Wicklow to attend an evening meeting and I stayed at our Franciscan House in Killiney, Co Dublin.   I came to Killarney Friary on Thursday where I’ve been taking some people for Spiritual Direction.   Yesterday evening a chap from Cork joined us to spend the week-end experiencing our life.   Today, I continued my Spiritual Direction Ministry and then this afternoon two men, one from Co Limerick, and the other from Co Kerry came to visit me as part of their discernment with the intention of entering the Franciscans.

Just this morning I had a phone call from another man interested in the Franciscans and tomorrow please God I will go to our Friary in Cork to meet another young man interested in the ‘Franciscan Way of Life’.

Let’s praise and thank God together that many men are still inspried by that little poor man, Francis of Assisi, a man who over 800 years ago  just set out to do nothing very special other than to live the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.   It was he, together with St. Clare of Assisi, that founded the Poor Clares.   We remember those great women as they celebrate the 800th anniversary of their foundation this year.

God bless you all and remember if you are interested in finding out more about the Franciscan Way of life please do not hesitate to contact me at:

brpatofm@hotmail.com

Fraternally,

Pat