Advent Invitations into Wholeness with Lydia & Catherine

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Lydia and Catherine warmly invite you to join them online for four nourishing sessions that explore brokenness and newness, joy and sorrow on the same page, sounding out the heart, and trees, stones and seas.

Based on the beautiful video series created for CMHI by Dr Jessica Brown, writer and poet, each session sees Lydia or Catherine explore a creative piece, a meditative piece, and a scriptural reflection that draws on the inspirations and challenges of Jessica’s videos, setting these in the context of Advent waiting.

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Reading by Candlelight – Advent Book Club

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Join CMHI this Advent for a three-part reading group offering reflection and companionship in the wintertime.

As darkness moves towards light, you are warmly invited to join the Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland for a reflective Advent reading group.

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Week 1 (3rd December): The Kitchen Madonna, by Rumer Godden (1967) – a truly beautiful story, originally published as a children’s book (100 pages) about a refugee from Polish Ukraine, now living in London, and the lonely, talented, boy who struggles to create a gift that will help her to feel at home.

Week 2 (10th December): The End of the Young Family Feud, by L.M. Montgomery – a short story by the author of Anne of Green Gables, about an unexpected Christmas dinner (and the importance of dusters!)

Week 3 (17th December): The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, by Agatha Christie – a 50-page short story about Hercule Poirot’s Christmas … and crime…

Each session offers discussion, space for reflection, and the gift of listening — a pause in the busyness of winter to rest, read, and renew the spirit. Gather with us for three evenings as we explore and discuss short stories and reflections that open the heart to the season’s mystery and hope. Together we’ll read works that explore the complexity of Christmas from a child’s point of view, the sometimes painful family dynamics of celebration, comic misunderstandings, good food, the importance of gifts given from the heart, and the moments of beauty that remain etched in memory.

Each reading group meeting will start with an introduction to the authors, their lives, their work, and their artistic views. We will then open up discussion, comments, likes and dislikes, and any thoughts or ideas you want to share. If you prefer to listen rather than speak, or to have your camera off, please do!

CMHI Advent Day Retreat: Resting in the Shadow – Finding Peace in Advent Darkness

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Resting in the Shadows: Finding Peace in Advent Darkness.

Join Lydia and Catherine for a gentle pause to prepare us for Advent and Christmas. Step away from the noise and rest.

Explore the layered meanings of rest, shadows, waiting, peace and new life emerging from darkness through contemplative prayer, scripture, poetry and story.

On arrival there will be hot drinks and scones, and lunch will be provided in the CITI canteen (dietary requirements can be catered for).

We have limited places available, due to room size, so don’t wait too long to book! There is a sliding scale for pricing, based on your own circumstances. Please note, that if you can’t afford to pay, you can contact us and we will book you in, no questions asked. contact: lydia.cmhi@gmail.com.

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‘Keep me as the apple of your eye; Hide me in the shadow of your wings.’

Join us for 3 days of the Evening Examen online

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Reflect, review & release with this gentle prayer practice for the end of the day.

The Evening Examen is a prayer practice that has been used since the 16th century.

We will practice it 3 nights in a row to allow you to explore what works for you and to being to form a habit of night time prayer and reflection.

Lydia, our Ministry Leader, will settle you in with contemplative prayer and scripture.

Click here to book.

Together, we allow thoughts and experiences from our day to arise.

We ground in gratitude, noticing where we were aware of God with us during the day (either in the moment or retrospectively)

We grow through noticing the times when we lost sight of God and became reactive or disconnected. And instead of judging ourselves, we simply practice the joy of return, or turning towards God now. (This ‘turn’ is the literal translation for reprentance in scripture.)

We let go of anything we are holding on to that is not within our control, releasing it into God’s care.

Then we let go of our own analysis entirely and notice God’s whisper amidst the noise or the silence.

And we listen, resting in this wider awareness that God did not leave us all day, and will continue to watch over this night.

We give ourself to the One we ultimately belong to, and we prepare for sleep.