The Meaning of Lent The English word ‘Lent’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon word Lencten, meaning ‘Spring’. In other languages the word comes from the Latin, Quadragesima – a period of 40 days. In the Christian tradition the forty days is understood to refer to a time of intense prayer and preparation; we remember the biblical […]
Facts about Lent: Lent is a time when Christian people get ready for Easter. Lent is a sacred time within the Church calendar. It is a time of fasting, prayer and almsgiving. Lent lasts for forty days reminding us of the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert doing penance and fasting. It begins […]
In Lourdes, France, in 1844 a baby girl named Bernadette Soubirous was born. Bernadette’s family was very poor, and Bernadette was responsible for looking after and caring for her brothers and sisters. Bernadette was a good natured girl with dark eyes and a round face. The only education Bernadette received was the Catholic teachings which […]
Bernadette Soubirous was born of a very poor family in Lourdes, a small village at the foothills of the Pyrenees in the south of France. It was on the 11th of February 1858, whilst she and her sisters went to collect brush wood for the house fire, that 14 year-old Bernadette saw the first of […]
Forty days after Christmas Day, on Sunday 2nd February we celebrate the feast of “The Presentation of the Lord”. It was forty days after the birth of Jesus that his parents presented him to God the Father in the Temple in Jerusalem. At his Presentation in the Temple, Jesus was recognised for who he was […]
Saturday 1st February is the Feast of St. Brigid, Abbess and Secondary Patron of Ireland. Many of us have seen St. Brigid’s Crosses hanging in homes, Schools and Churches in Ireland. They are usually placed by the door to protect the home, etc. from fire. We believe that St. Brigid first weaved rushes into a […]
“If we want to find Jesus, we have to overcome our fear of taking risks, our self-satisfaction and our indolent refusal to ask anything more of life. We need to take risks simply to meet a Child. Those risks are immensely worth the effort, since in finding that Child, in discovering his tenderness and love, […]
Lord, in this New Year, which we have just begun, may we have enough happiness to keep us agreeable enough trials to keep us strong enough sorrow to keep us human enough freedom to keep us happy enough failure to keep us humble enough success to keep us eager enough wealth to meet our needs […]
Treasure the smiles, good times and memories. Leave behind the disappointments, hard times and struggles. Hold on to Faith, Hope and Belief. And may your New Year be filled with Love, Joy and Peace.