A Garden View

How does your garden grow?

Br Majella was busy with his camera lately and he took some nice shots of the garden of the Brothers House here in Dublin. Br Eunan gets the credit for keeping it neat and tidy.

You can see all the pics on our Facebook page

Blessed Edmund Mass

The sanctuary in St Joseph's Parish Church in Glasthule

There was a great turnout for the annual Blessed Edmund Rice Mass in St Joseph's Parish Church in Glasthule last week.

Pastor Emeritus, Fr Brian O'Sullivan was the Celebrant at the Mass which also included a blessing with a first-class relic of Blessed Edmund Rice.

Afterwards, the doors of the Brothers' House were thrown open to welcome the congregation for light refreshments.

Some of the volunteers who prepared the refreshments

Yours truly during the Mass

Some members of the Family Mass Group

Friends and Associates of the Brothers

Brother Majella (left) presents the relic of Blessed Edmund for Veneration

Glasthule's Senior Choir during the Mass

Some of the large attendance in the Brothers' house afterwards

Enjoying the refreshments afterwards

Deep in conversation...

Catching up in the Brothers' house after Mass

More of the large attendance

Pres Day Mass in Glasthule

Some of the turnout for Mass in Glasthule last night.

A large crowd turned out for Mass last night in St Joseph's Parish Centre in Glasthule to mark the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Fr Denis Kennedy, CSSp, celebrated the Mass with Fr Billy Farrell and Fr Brian O'Sullivan. He reminded the congregation about the humility of Mary, Mother of God and that this ought to be a model for us all.

Here are some photos from the event...

Father Kennedy, Farrell and O'Sullivan celebrate Mass.

Brother Joseph Mukasa with Lisa Murphy, Presentation Associate

Trish Madden at St Joseph's Parish Centre

Our great helpers take a break - Ann, Hilliary and Anne.

Liam (left) and Peter enjoying a cup of tea afterwards

Some of the crowd in the Pastoral Centre after Mass

Ellen Moiselle, Presentation Associate, helps out in the kitchen

Br Joseph Mukasa (left) with Br Colm Griffey, CFC.

Karl Goulding reads a Prayer of the Faithful

Sheila McLoughlin reads a Prayer of the Faithful

Some of the congregation at Mass on Monday evening in Glasthule

Coffee and Ghana...

Serving a cuppa on Sunday in Glasthule...

I am a member of the Presentation Brothers. We are a congregation of religious brothers. We are international - we are based in ten countries around the world. Even though I'm based in Dublin I'm still part of the wider Congregation. It's important to always remember the needs of those in parts of the world which are not as materially affluent as ourselves.

This morning we held a coffee morning in St Joseph's Parish Centre in Glasthule. Parishioners were invited to drop in for coffee after all masses and, if they wished, make a contribution to the Brothers' mission in northern Ghana.

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I prepared a photographic display to show people the situation in our schools there. Thankfully we are making great progress.

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Thanks a million to everyone in Glasthule who responded so generously once again in helping the Brothers' missions.

Some of the great turnout on Sunday morning

Asleep in the Hay...

Our Christmas Crib in the Hallway in Glasthule

Well, I'm back in Glasthule again after my Christmas holiday with my family in Cork. I escaped the worst of the weather in Dublin by being down there. The thaw is in full swing and all the snow has melted now in front of our house here.

Our crib is still up and I thought I'd share a pic of it with you. And while we're thinking of cribs, here's a meditation on the shepherds from Pope Benedict's Christmas Eve homily...



"The first thing we are told about the shepherds is that they were on the watch – they could hear the message precisely because they were awake. We must be awake, so that we can hear the message. We must become truly vigilant people. What does this mean? The principal difference between someone dreaming and someone awake is that the dreamer is in a world of his own. His “self” is locked into this dreamworld that is his alone and does not connect him with others. To wake up means to leave that private world of one’s own and to enter the common reality, the truth that alone can unite all people."



Are you awake to what Christ might be calling you to in 2010?

Christmas is Coming...

Br Bernard gives me a hand with the decorations outside our front door in Glasthule

I love Christmas time and here in the Brothers' House, we put up our decorations just like anyone else.

The Advent Wreath has been up for a while and this morning we put up the wreaths and put out the poinsettia plants.

As Perry Como would sing, "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."

If you'd like to find out more about our way of life as Presentation Brothers give me a shout at prescall@eircom.net

It had to be just right...

Christmas Lights

With friends from the local Harold N.S. at the switching on of the lights

The parish of St Joseph here in Glasthule was a hive of activity when we switched on the Christmas lights. A huge crowd filled the front yard of the presbytery, across the road from our own house for the annual event.

Hymns sung by the students from the local Harold National School brought a bit of warmth to a very frosty Advent night.

It's a reminder for me to put up the Christmas decorations here too...

With the Maddens outside St Joseph's Presbytery in Glasthule

Open House Day

Thanks a million to the more than two hundred people who visited us after Masses in Glasthule this weekend. It was a lovely gesture of support. We hope you all enjoyed your time with us and that you got a good opportunity to see the newly renovated house.

With Ann Maree Quinn and Rachel Byrnes in the function room on Sunday.

Choir members from the Family Mass Group..

The Gleeson Family who were visiting the parish from Australia.

The Family Mass Group from the 10.15am Mass in Glasthule.

Sheila McLoughlin and Lisa Murphy who helped out at the weekend.

Anne Maree Quinn, Angela Byrnes and Celine Hoyeau.

Enjoying the Open Day