Centres of Pastoral Care and Spirituality

Thornhill Centre

Thornhill Centre is a unique facility in the North West. Situated on the banks of the River Foyle, just thee miles outside the historic city of Derry, it is a resource distinguished by the majesty of its grounds, the quality and tasteful décor of the accommodation and its flexibility in providing for the needs of those who wish to benefit from it. Thornhill's excellent conference and catering facilities are ideal for groups while its openness and warmth afford individuals an experience of quiet and reflection. The Centre is open from 1st September to 31st July.

Contact Sister: Sr Anna Doherty
Centre Contact: The Secretary,
Thornhill Centre, 121 Culmore Road, Derry, BT48 8JF
Tel: 028 7135 1233
www.thornhill-centre.freewire.co.uk

Dowdstown House

Dowdstown House, Dalgan Park, Navan, Co Meath is a Pastoral Centre for the Diocese offering opportunities for educational; social and spiritual development. Retreats are held regularly, an extensive range of courses are available, and a low-cost counselling service is offered. Three Sisters of Mercy (Srs Rose King, Rose Sloan and Elma Peppard) are fully involved in the day-to-day running of the Centre (see website at www.dowdstownhouse.com )

Telephone 028 85548127
Email dowdstownhouse@eircom.net

Pastoral Centre, Letterkenny, Co Donegal

The aim of this Diocesan Centre is to provide support for families and individuals through counselling, education and training. Courses operate under two programmes during the year (Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter) and include:

FAMILY/PARENTING ENRICHMENT

• Family/Parenting Enrichment
• Parenting Course For Parents Of Children In The 0-6 Age Group
• Teen Parenting Programme: Enjoying Your Teenagers

PERSONAL GROWTH AND HEALING

• "New Beginnings For The Separated And Widowed
• Conflict Resolution Skills
• "Steps" To Excellence For Personal Success
• Assertiveness Course
• Basic Counselling Course
• Group Facilitation Skills
• Working Creatively With Your Dreams
• Dreams Workshop Part 2
• A Cup Of Life Retreat
• Art Therapy
• Reflexology

BEREAVEMENT AND LOSS

• Community/Parish Bereavement
• Support For Families Bereaved By Suicide (Monthly support group in place)
• Rainbows/Spectrum Bereavement Support For Children And Teens
• Rainbows Facilitators Training

COUNSELLING

• Adult and Child Bereavement
• Counselling for adult survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

The Centre organises an annual Mass for Expectant Families which is supported by families/parents from all over the Diocese. An adult evening retreat is also arranged for advent. Eighteen trained volunteers work in the Centre. Outings are organised twice yearly for groups of both children and teenagers. A Family Mediation Course helps couples and their children to overcome problem issues eg division of assets, maintenance etc following irretrievable marriage breakdown

Various other groups eg Accord, Cura, St Mura's Adoption Society, Alcoholics Anonymous etc run courses in the centre at times when it is not in use.

Contact: Sr Mary O'Donovan
Telephone: 028 85548127

Armagh Diocesan Pastoral Centre, Mount Oliver, Dundalk

The Centre is used mainly for the following:

1. Meetings and Workshops
2. Family Ministry
3. Training Programmes for Volunteers

1 Meetings
These include Diocesan meetings (mainly the Vocations, Youth and Liturgical Committees, the Diocesan Pastoral Council and others); Interchurch Gatherings; and as a venue for Retreats run by various groups.

Workshops
ADBI; Renew and Wider circle (Trauma) workshops are held in the Centre

2 Family Ministry

• Beginning Experience for widowed and separated - to help people through their grief and to come to terms with their situation
• Rainbows Bereavement Support for young people who have suffered significant loss, such as death or separation of parents, death of sibling, close friend or relative
• Marriage Preparation Courses
• Cursillo

3 Training Programmes

• Facilitator Training workshops for volunteers in Rainbows and Beginning Experience
• Personal and Spiritual development workshops designed mainly for Volunteer facilitators but open to others and advertised throughout the Diocese
• Bereavement Training

Contact: Sr Rhoda Curran
Tel: 028 85548127

Christian Meditation

"The all important aim in Christian Meditation is to allow God's mysterious presence within us to become more and more not only a reality, but the reality which gives meaning, shape and purpose to everything we do, to everything we are.." Dom John Main OSB.

Christian Mediation started unexpectedly and slowly in Ireland in 1975 when Fr. John Main knocked at the door of Monsignor T Fehily's house in Dublin, requesting permission to say Mass, and ended up by teaching him meditation. Since then Christian Meditation spread throughout Ireland and there are 140 groups with 12 Area Co-ordinators forming a National Council. In Northern Ireland, Sister Evelyn Mc Devitt, RSM, and Mrs Elizabeth McStravick, from Lurgan, are co-ordinators for the 24 groups. In 'The Heart of Silence' edited by Paul T Harris, Sister Evelyn shared something of her journey into contemplative prayer influenced by the spirituality of John Main...

'Having retired from nursing and pastoral care, I felt the call to a deeper prayer life. I was looking for something I could share with others. I asked my superior if I could take a three-month sabbatical to discover for myself what form this should take. I went to Hawkstone Hall Pastoral Centre, in Shrewsbury, England, run by the Redemptorist Fathers. It was here I was introduced to Christian Meditation.

That does not mean that I had not already heard of Fr John Main or Fr Laurence Freeman. I had actually read some of their books and had tried several times to pray using a mantra, but without success. My problem was, I discovered later, that I did not really know the proper teaching of the mantra. To me this is where the great secret lies. It is the saying of the mantra over and over for the whole period of the meditation (20 to 30 minutes), and listening to the sound of it, that brings you into the silence. I then did a meditation workshop, led by meditator and teacher Leslie Glaze, for three months.

At first I experienced great difficulty in letting go of thoughts and images, even thoughts of God. In the beginning I felt I was pushing God away by using the mantra. I had loved reflecting on Scripture and being present to God in nature, so it was hard for me to let go of images, words and thoughts. I explained this to Leslie. He very gently encouraged me to try a little longer and be patient. I can honestly say that was the best direction I have ever received.

Father Laurence and His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, meet Fionnuala Brannigan and Evelyn at the City Hall in October 2000 for the World Seminar for "Christian Meditation and Way of Peace". Evelyn is the co-ordinator for Christian Meditation in the North and helped organise this Conference.

Stillness is the Womb of Great Achievements

I kept at meditation morning and evening, and after a few months I experienced a great power and strength in myself. The doctrine of the indwelling Christ came alive for me. I also experienced a new-found compassion, great tenderness and sensitivity. I felt I was given a share in His Divine love, and this gave me immeasurable peace. To quote St. Thomas Aquinas, "All was like straw that went before." Silence purified and removed all the obstacles that were preventing me from loving God, others and myself. An English Dominican, Gerard Vann, wrote, "Stillness is the womb of great achievements." You just cannot understand the sheer magnificence and wonder of it. As Scripture says, "It's no longer our prayer but the Spirit prays in us." ( Romans 8:26).

This does not mean that all was rosy in the spiritual garden. I still had much suffering in my life. I had surgery for cancer followed by chemotherapy, but my faith and experience of God, through prayer, were a wonderful support.

I really fell into this type of prayer because of its utter simplicity. It did require a certain amount of effort, but the weekly meditation group meetings were a great support. Eventually the effort became almost effortless and the mantra became rooted in the ground of my being. Grace seemed to work in an invisible fashion. The reward of my journey is to go on travelling, the solace of searching is to go on searching, for there is no end to the journey this side of eternity.

Inter-Faith Relations

One of the objectives in our Province Mission Statement is Inter-Faith Relations. I have been involved in inter-faith studies for several decades, both as a teacher/lecturer and as a participant in dialogue. In Northern Ireland we have an active Inter-Faith Forum which was formed in 1993 and of which I was a founder member. This has brought together a membership of more than 150 from seven different major faith groups in Northern Ireland. The Forum has regular meetings through the year on inter-faith topics and I have always found participation very enriching.

Parallel to the Inter-Faith Forum there is the Council of Christians and Jews. This is an organisation which came into being during the darkest days of World War Two against the background of the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. The Council was inaugurated in 1942 in England by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr William Temple, and Chief Rabbi, Dr Hertz. Combating prejudice, intolerance, discrimination and anti-Semitism are still CCJ's primary aims. It encourages Christians and Jews to appreciate each other's distinctive beliefs while recognising their common ground. The Council is a builder of bridges, enabling Christians and Jews to work together for a better understanding in our multi-faith society.

At this stage of my life I feel myself deeply committed to the cause of inter-faith and inter-cultural relations as any future world peace and harmony will depend on these. Currently I am Honorary Secretary for the Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ) in Northern Ireland and since we hold about eight events each year I am kept busy. I have found my work for the CCJ a privilege since it has enabled me to form friendships with the Jewish community. It has also been very enriching on several levels, not least in the motivation it has given me to read Jewish history and literature but also, and especially, in helping me towards a deeper understanding of our shared scriptures and heritage.

The contemporary world has given us a new insight into the task presented to us by Jesus Christ when he expressed his wish 'That they all may be one'. What this shall mean in the fullness of time is unknown to us now but the best we can do is work towards this desired 'Oneness' before the God of Jesus Christ and of all peoples. May we do this with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Marie Duddy, RSM