The Church’s Ministry of Healing is delighted to announce this year’s Advent Retreat, at the request of the Commission on Ministry. The Pilgrim’s Path in the World: Journeying with God in Advent will run from the evening of Friday 15 November to lunchtime Sunday 17 Nov in Mount St Anne’s retreat centre, Co. Laois. The retreat will be led by Rev Canon Alistair Graham, with CMH:I facilitating creative responses to Alistair’s sessions through a series of art stations.

The Commission on Ministry has been running this annual retreat for years and it is always a richly inspiring and gently restorative weekend. If you are anxious, lonely, overwhelmed, tired, or just seeking time away from your everyday routine to listen to God’s voice and to rest in His presence, then the retreat is for you. Places are limited and are on a first come, first served basis, so do get in touch at hello@ministryofhealing.ie to find out more and book a place.

Alistair’s chosen topics for the sessions this year are wonderful – “reading the map” and “the scent of roses” are just two of the beautiful titles. Many people know Alistair from his parish ministry in Mullingar, in the Diocese of Meath and Kildare, and his wonderful work with a youth initiative on climate change, ‘Lighten Our Darkness By Numbers’. For those who don’t, his prayerful and gentle retreat will be a transformative experience that shouldn’t be missed.

We are often asked about Word or PDF versions of the BCP’s service of A Celebration of Wholeness and Healing by parishes or clergy. Both versions of the text are available to download from the Church of Ireland website, as well as, of course, being in the Book of Common Prayer itself. If you go to https://www.ireland.anglican.org/prayer-worship/book-of-common-prayer/2004-texts and scroll down about two-thirds of the page, you’ll see the option to download version 1 and version 2 of the service. Version 1 is the PDF and Version 2 is the Word document. If you’d like to buy a BCP, you may do so from the Church of Ireland bookstore: https://store.ireland.anglican.org/store/product/164/book-of-common-prayer-desk-edition 

Photo by Ciocan Ciprian on Unsplash

Mindful Art Café – January 2024

Join us in a warm, calm, space to relax, be present to the moment and get creative!

What is the Mindful Art Cafe?

Join us this January in our warm and welcoming space in the heart of Dublin city to rest and engage in a self-led time of painting, sketching, colouring, journaling, creating – or sip coffee and listen to relaxing music, the choice is yours.

The Mindful Cafe, offers rest and connection – with yourself, with others and with the present moment. Come for a hot drink and a toastie, settle at one of the art stations and allow yourself to be creative.

You don’t need to know what you’re doing or to have a fantastic end product to give yourself permission to draw, create a collage, make a craft, paint or to take a mindful colouring page and enjoy seeing the designs come to life with colour. This is about being present in the process without worrying about the outcome. Some of the mindful colouring will be scriptures or affirming words that the artist can meditate on as they work, others are picture or pattern based.

At some point during the session, you will be invited to notice your breath, your feet on the floor, the sounds around you, to help you rest and bring compassion to yourself in whatever you are doing. Sometimes the biggest blockage to being creative is fear and harsh criticism of ourselves and the belief what we try won’t be any good. Letting go of perfection or fear of failing allows us to create without judging ourselves on whether or not we are ‘good enough’.

When & Where?

Our pop up cafe, in St. George & St Thomas’ Church, Cathal Brugha Street, is just off O’Connell street (parellel to Parnell street) and is across from the O’Connell street luas stop. It will take place on Wednesday 10th, Wednesday 17th and Wednesday 24th and Wednesday 31st January 2024 from 10.30am – 12.00pm

Just pop in! No booking required!

For more info, or to donate to help us run this and future events:

Mindful Art Cafe Tickets, Wed 10 Jan 2024 at 10:30 | Eventbrite

Who is the Mindful Cafe for?

The space is for everyone. People who like being creative, people who fancy a cup of tea before they go shopping, people who like the idea of a warm space and a chat, people who want to be more present in the moment, people who have faith and want to nourish it in new ways, people who don’t have faith but want to focus on self care and community, people who are rushing around and want a pause, people who feel lonely and disconnected (who doesn’t these days?) people who will be in the area and are curious. Everyone.

What to Bring?

Your good self, exactly as you are.

However, if you are currently creating something, you can bring your own sketch book or knitting or pastels or whatever your chosen materials are, and continue your creativity in a community setting.

Extras:

Throughout the session, there will be chances to pause and notice your breath, your feet on the floor, the sensations in your body, the sounds around you, and to be completely present in the moment, allowing all that is here to be here and to rest.

We are blessed to have several prayer ministers as part of the team. If you wish to receive prayer at any point during the session, 2 prayer ministers would be honoured to pray with you. It is so beautiful to share your burden in a confidential and loving space and feel you are being held in community and in God’s arms.

Cost, Bookings and Team

This is a FREE drop in event so you don’t have to book! However, we created this event page for people to get more information, to give a donation if they so desire and to get in touch if they would like to be involved. Email: lydia.cmhi@gmail.com

The Mindful Cafe is a collaboration between different groups and individuals and we are delighted we get to work together to try something new.

In the team are members of St George and St Thomas Parish Church, members of the Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland, both centrally and at diocesan level, members of ACET, a migrant health and education organisation, members of the National Bible Soceity of Ireland, healing prayer ministers, lay readers and people who are interested in art, mindfulness and community.