Art Sessions in D7!

Posted on: /in /by

Art in D7!

Click here to book

Join us for an art session! Begin with a short contemplative practice and then get creative making a mixed-media journal cover.

We are very grateful to be the recipients of 2 grants, that enable us to run art sessions for the price of a donation, making them accessible to everyone who might like to join.

However, we have limited space so do book in to our 1st session on 11th June as soon as you can to avoid disappointment.

Nathalie Borel is an artist who uses several mediums including mixed-media, paint, gelli-plates and sea glass to create beautiful pieces.

Come along to slow down and to give yourself permission to be creative and to make a mark!

If you don’t get a space for the facilitated session, we will have the downstairs space open with tea and coffee and art supplies out for a self-directed session.

 

Under the Tree is back!

Posted on: /in /by
Join us on June 9th at 7pm in Rathmines for Under the Tree!

Click here to book

Nature and Connection and Scripture Circle

Join us for a nourishing session of slowing down in nature and in God’s word and noticing what is here.

These sessions are a collaboration between Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland (CMH:I) and Bible Society Ireland (BSI)

In the first half of the session, we will gather under the tree and around the fire and simply be in the beauty of God’s creation. There will be time to notice and engage with the season. At this time of year, the elderflower is blooming, so Lydia might make something delicious with this. This aspect of the session will be shaped by the season and the weather.

In the second half we will gather around sacred text to wonder, to share and to listen to what God might be saying through His living Word. Julie will facilitate an interactive and reflective study, where translations of the Biblical Hebrew combined with shared wondering offers a space for fresh perspectives on the text.

We have access to an old and beautiful garden space behind the buildings on the grounds of Atlas language residence. Once you are signed in, we’ll give you all the details for meeting and heading to the space together.

As this is an outside gathering, we also recommend dressing in layers and wearing waterproofs if needed. We will provide blankets and throws and the warmth of a fire.

 

God’s Compassion; Self-Compassion – new online series with Lydia

Posted on: /in /by

 

God’s Compassion; Self-Compassion – new online series
Wednesdays, 17th June-8th July, 7.30-8.15pm

Book via Eventbrite here

4 live sessions and 4 pre-recorded videos leaning into God’s compassionate presence and learning how and why to be more self-compassionate

Sometimes, without even realising it, we can be our own harshest critics. God’s heart for us is a compassionate one, full of lovingkindness. How can we turn more towards a compassionate God and learn to see ourselves through his eyes?

Throughout scripture Jesus is said to be filled with compassion or moved with compassion for the people God had placed in front of Him. And from that place of compassion, he met them at their point of need. We are called to be like Jesus. How can we learn to extend this compassionate Christfulness to ourselves, particularly when we have messed up or feel ‘not good enough’?

Join Lydia Monds, CMH:I Ministry Leader for a 4 week series that gently invites participants to turn towards a God of compassion who is already turned towards them and to open up a little more to receiving from Him and resting in who He says they are.

Each week, there will be a live zoom where we reflect on and then practice receiving God’s compassion and then reflect on and practice self-compassion.

After each session participants will receive a video going into some of the key components of God’s compassion and of self-compassion and repeating some of the prayers and practices so participants can engage with them throughout the week.

Prayers to pray with your body

Posted on: /in , /by

Sometimes, when we pray, we become distracted by racing thoughts, worries, the ever-present to-do list, daydreams, or a myriad of other mental traffic. Prayers that use our bodies can help us to feel focused and present in the moment. These prayers also remind us that our bodies are created by God in His image, and that, when we pray, we bring all we are and all we do. We don’t need to try to become a disembodied mind, or pure spirit; our bodies are holy places, too.

Each of these prayers uses the body, with a particular focus on the hands, and on the breath.

Try one, or all, and see if these help to still your busy thoughts.

Click here to download a PDF with the Prayer of Letting Go, the Labyrinth Prayer, the Prayer of Square Breathing, and a Prayer for Five People in Five Minutes on Five Fingers. If you find these prayers helpful, and would like to donate to CMHI to support our ministry, all of which is funded by donations, please click here to do so. Thank you.

Photo by nega on Unsplash

 

 

My Dwelling Place – book now!

Posted on: /in /by

Join The Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland for a 4-week online series of reflection on the places we inhabit and a gentle exploration of our true belonging. Carol Casey and Lydia Monds will lead these sessions through silence, prayer, scripture, and poetry. The sessions offer a time of wondering, prayer and rest, which we pray will be like a healing balm for your mind, heart and soul. Online: Thursdays 11am – 12pm, on May 14th, 21st & 28th and June 4th.

Click here to book: 

 

 

Participants receive a handout prior to the session with scripture readings and other texts on the topic. You do not have to read this in order to take part, however, it can be nice to draw out your own response to the texts before the facilitators bring theirs.

During the session, there is time for silence and resting in the present moment and in an awareness of the presence of God. And there is a time of reflection on the texts, to support our wondering and responding to the questions ‘where are you dwelling?’ or ‘where are you truly at home?’ and maybe even inviting a lessening of the gap between the two.

We offer a 10 minute time of reflection during the session, which can be taken in breakout rooms or in companionable silence in the main room. We provide wondering questions to support this time and encourage people to choose whichever option suits them best each week.

So come as you are for a time of exploring what it means to belong, and to pray for understanding about where our true Dwelling Place is.

Invitations into Wholeness – video series

Posted on: /in /by

Join our 4-part video series, Invitations into Wholeness, led by Dr Jessica Brown!

The Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland is delighted to welcome you to Jessica’s video series, “Invitations to Wholeness”, which Jessica wrote and offered online for CMHI in Lent of 2025.

Invitations to Wholeness is a donation-based series – click here to book via Eventbrite, or contact Catherine by clicking here to donate and book via bank transfer or PayPal.

These are gentle, reflective and nourishing sessions, exploring the concept of wholeness in new ways. The sessions are brimming with visual beauty and gentle challenges to our perceptions of wholeness. There is time in every video to settle, to rest and to pray, there is time for learning and wondering, and time for journaling or doodling. The course is specifically welcoming of people living with illness.

Session 1: Brokenness and Newness

Session 2: Trees, Stone, Seas (notions of wholeness in nature)

Session 3: Sounding out the Heart and Trusting our Voice

Session 4: Joy & Sorrow on the Same Page

Facilitator: Having studied literature and spiritual formation, Dr Jessica Brown is an ordinand in the Church of Ireland. She also works in the creative writing field as a poet, novelist, singer-songwriter, teacher, mentor, and narrative practitioner. She has led writing workshops at schools, prisons, festivals, and community events. Beyond academic publications and shorter works, Jessica has published two collections of poetry and two novels for children.

 

Wellspring, Brook, Lake, Sea: Shared Online Space for Journaling

Posted on: /in /by
Wellspring, Brook, Lake, Sea: Shared Space for Journaling

Explore the depths of your story through the restorative power of journaling.

Join Jessica Brown, writer, poet, creative writing teacher, and narrative studies and public humanities researcher, for Wellspring, Brook, Lake, Sea—a four-week online journey designed to provide a gentle, guided space for anyone and everyone, in which to write, reflect, create, and be.

Book via Eventbrite by clicking here!

Water in all its forms—from the quiet bubbling of a wellspring to the vastness of the sea—reflects the different rhythms of our inner lives. Over four weeks, we will use these metaphors to guide our pens and our hearts:

  • Wellspring – Connecting with our inner source and beginnings.
  • Brook – Finding flow, movement, and navigating the stones that are scattered along our course
  • Lake – Embracing stillness, depth, and the power of reflection.
  • Sea – Expanding our perspective into the vastness beyond ourselves.

What to expect: This is not a writing masterclass; it is a “shared space.” Whether you are a lifelong journaler or have never picked up a pen, you are welcome. Each session includes guided prompts, quiet time for personal writing, and an opportunity for gentle group sharing in a safe, supportive environment.

Details:

  • Where: Online via Zoom (Link provided upon registration).
  • When: each Wednesday in March. The guided session runs from 7.30-8.30pm, but don’t worry – if you’re in the creative flow, you won’t be cut off! We’ll keep the Zoom meeting open until 9pm for those who want to stay.
  • What you need: A quiet space, a notebook, and your favorite pen.

Jessica writes: “Journaling can be a gentle way to express the soul, reflect on hardship, capture everyday joys, ponder and wrestle with concern and longings, articulate fears and hopes, and play with ideas and dreams. It is a way to connect with ourselves, growing in self-knowledge and compassion, and it is a way to connect with our lives as we navigate through the days and seasons. But it’s often difficult to keep showing up to a quiet time or reflective practice on your own, so this is an offering of shared space that values that intention. These four Wednesday evenings in March will offer a variety of prompts and stretches of quiet as we write away in shared company. Bookended with welcoming and closing meditations, there will also be opportunities to share or reflect aloud (with absolutely no pressure to!). Following what waterways can teach us, the prompts will be grouped loosely around water metaphors for journaling: wellspring, brook, lake, seas. As we step further into the unfolding of 2026, I so look forward to this online gathering!”

Dublin and Glendalough healing committee spring retreat

Posted on: /in /by
We are delighted to share the details of the Dublin and Glendalough Ministry of Healing’s annual spring retreat! Please do share it with anyone who may not see it or hear about it, but would love to have a quiet day of restoration.

Join Lydia for a 6-part video series, Cultivating Gratitude!

Posted on: /in /by

The Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland is delighted to welcome you to our 6-part video series, “Cultivating Gratitude”, which uses prayerful reflection to help us to find space to notice the good in our lives, even amidst our struggles. In each video, Lydia Monds, CMH:I Ministry Leader, shares a reflection and leads a meditative practice which invites you to slow down and notice God’s goodness. Lydia says:

“There’s a lovely sense of warmth and hope when we tend to the good in our lives, let our gratitude linger, and offer it to God, the source of all good things.”

Join Lydia as she reflects on different aspects of gratitude and the benefits of living life with a grateful heart. Gratitude doesn’t pretend that things are great when they’re not, but it scans for the good, even in the midst of suffering. As a way of life, it improves our wellbeing, boosting our mood and outlook, and supports us turning towards God from whom all good things flow. The sessions are: Week 1: A Wider Lens; Week 2: Savouring the Good; Week 3: The Widening Circles of Connection; Week 4: Making Room for Ritual; Week 5: Our Deepest Longings; Week 6: Gratitude for Nature.

Cultivating Gratitude is a donation-based series – you can sign up HERE via Eventbrite, or, if you prefer, email us at hello @ministryofhealing.ie to donate via bank transfer or PayPal.

Watch a clip of one session here:

Each video session is about 20 minutes long. Now that you have signed up, you have permanent access to all the sessions, so you can practice as often as you like. Watch them whenever you have some time in your week – no need to be free on a set day at a set hour! And you are welcome to return to watch them and practice gratitude again, whenever and as often you would like. You also have access to a worksheet for each session: each worksheet contains more detail about the scientific research into gratitude, as well as poems, and extracts from books on Christian spirituality. These texts explore topics such as play, rest, and hope in relation to thankfulness. The worksheets also offer questions, tailored to Lydia’s sessions, to awaken your curiosity about your responses to the videos, and help you to explore gratitude in your
own life. Finally, each worksheet ends with Biblical passages on the session’s theme, and a prayer to say to end the session. The worksheets can easily be read on a phone or tablet – or printed, if you prefer that. Each worksheet consists of two A4 pages.

Wellspring – book now to join this gentle day

Posted on: /in /by
Our lovely day retreat ‘Wellspring’ is returning in January to offer an oasis in the city, and gentle contemplation amidst the noise and agitation of life.
Bookings are limited to 10 people due to space restrictions, so do book your place to avoid disappointment.
The day is led by Lydia, Julie and Nathalie who facilitate contemplative story and prayer, a scripture circle and a response through art.