“Finding God in the In-Between Places”

We are delighted to announce that Lydia is facilitating the Dublin & Glendalough Ministry of Healing Springtime Quiet Day this year!

It’s called “Finding God in the in-between places,” and takes place on March 2nd, 10.30am – 3pm in Newcastle parish centre, Church Lane, Newcastle, Co. Wicklow, A63 X782. The Quiet Day will be a gentle, reflective and experiential time to intentionally rest in the Presence of God.

We all experience times of living between an ending and a ‘not yet’, …like tentative new Spring shoots emerging from the stagnancy and decay of Winter. How can we hold such endings and new beginnings together? Most importantly, how can we invite God to hold these de-stabilising times of endings and beginnings, and in-between spaces, with His compassion and healing?

Closing with Service of Holy Communion during which prayer ministry will be offered
Tea/coffee/soup provided. Please bring a packed lunch.
Register your interest by emailing Jeanne: healing.dgdc@gmail.com
No charge. Donations welcome

 

Mindful Art Cafe in Your Parish!

An article from the US National Library of Medicine notes that community-based art-making, in particular, can enhance mental well-being.
“Art therapy uses integrative techniques to captivate the soul, body and mind in ways that verbal expression alone doesn’t appear to”.
After a hugely enjoyable and creative 4 weeks at St George and St Thomas Church, we are open to invitations from parishes that would like to set up their own mindful art cafes! All you need is a space, some tables, and a small budget to purchase art supplies and provide tea and coffee. Contact Catherine at catherine@ministryofhealing.ie to find out more.
Reference is to Shukla A, Choudhari SG, Gaidhane AM, Quazi Syed Z. Role of Art Therapy in the Promotion of Mental Health: A Critical Review. Cureus. 2022 Aug

Mindful Art Café – January 2024

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.

 

CMH:I and NBSI Mindful Advent online

A lunchtime pause to breathe, to be present and to rest in His Presence – facilitated by Lydia from CMHI and Julie from the National Bible Society of Ireland

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 13:00 – Tue, 19 Dec 2023 14:00 GMT

Join us on Tuesday 12th and Tuesday 19th at 1pm for 45 minutes sessions to bring pause, reflection and restoration.

Lydia will open by facilitating a mindfulness practice to help us pause and notice that God is with us.

Julie will lead us in a scriptural Advent reflection. When we deepen our understanding of God who was and is and is to come, our current reality, no matter how fraught or joyful, can rest in His Presence and we can experience Peace that surpasses understanding.

Lydia will finish with a pause to allow the biblical reflection to go a little deeper so that we continue our day sensing our belonging to God, to ourselves, to each other and to the present moment as a gift of grace.

Photo by Max Beck on Unsplash

 

Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland membership

If you would like to apply to be a member of CMHI, please email catherine@ministryofhealing.ie and ask for more information and an application form! The initial term of membership is 5 years, and we are a company limited by guarantee, which protects members in the unlikely event that CMHI would have to be wound up. Once you send in your form, the membership committee will convene and then we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!

CMH:I annual service of thanksgiving and wholeness

We had a very beautiful and joyful service in St Mary’s, Maynooth – and are deeply grateful to Rev Eugene Griffin for his hospitality, and to Mrs Gillian Kingston for preaching.

Under the Tree is back for more sessions!

Under the Tree is back! Our nature connection and bible study sessions taking place in the beautiful surrounds of a garden in Rathmines will run again. This time we will meet on Thursday evenings, the 1st and 8th of June.
Lydia from CMHI will lead the nature connection and practising presence aspects and Dr Julie McKinley from the National Bible Society of Ireland will lead the interactive Bible Study.
You are welcome to attend one or both of these sessions. Spaces are limited so book your place today.
Photo by Jan Huber on Unsplash

CMH:I Annual Service of Thanksgiving: a Eucharistic Service of Wholeness & Healing

CMH:I is delighted to announce that its annual Service of Thanksgiving will be held in St Mary’s Church in Maynooth, Co. Kildare, on 11th June at 3pm. The preacher will be Mrs Gillian Kingston, and the celebrant will be the incumbent of St Mary’s, Rev Eugene Griffin. Our Ministry Leader, Lydia Monds, will lead mindful and healing intercessions. All are welcome! Please do join us for this beautiful service, and get in touch at hello@ministryofhealing.ie if you have any questions about it.

CMH:I prayer room at General Synod 2023

If you’re attending this year’s General Synod of the Church of Ireland, in Wexford, on Friday and Saturday, as a member or a guest, please do stop by the CMH:I display stand to say hello to us and pick up a prayer card – and visit our prayer room. For the last few years, CMH:I has had a prayer room at Synod, to offer all who are there a quiet space away from the noise and busy atmosphere of the Church’s annual meeting. It’s a gentle and nurturing space, in which you’ll find prayer stations such as the Labyrinth Prayer and the Ripple Prayer, that help you to still your mind and listen to God’s guidance.

Photo by Levi XU on Unsplash

 

Developing a Mindfulness Practice (via Zoom)

Developing a Mindfulness Practice (via Zoom)

This course is for you if you want to:

  • learn to quieten your mind (for some of us this can take time and can take trying different things to find what works for us)
  • develop self-acceptance of all the different parts of you
  • invite God’s peace and presence into your life and into your perspective
  • practice self-compassion and learn more about a compassionate God
  • experience being present in the moment (rather than being caught up in the past or the future)
  • let go of judgements of yourself and others
  • develop a gratitude practise and notice the good things in your life more
  • be less reactive and more responsive
  • release tension and bring relaxation and spaciousness to your mind, body and emotions
  • explore a contemplative and integrated way of praying
  • shift your perspective from worry or from doing, by being in the moment and simply being

Developing a mindfulness practise can be made infinitely more accessible by doing it consistently and in community.

For 30 minutes every Sunday evening, commit to nourishing your mind, body and spirit through gentle mindfulness practises and meditative prayer practices.

Signing up to this course gives you access to 4 sessions and you’re welcome to attend any or all of them:

  1. Sunday May 21st ~ 9:00PM – 9:30PM
  2. Sunday May 28th ~ 9:00PM – 9:30PM
  3. Sunday June 4th ~ 9:00PM – 9:30PM
  4. Sunday June 11th ~ 9:00PM – 9.30PM

Click here to go to the Eventbrite page and book your place

This can be an act of kindness and self care, an act of deepening faith, and an act of defiance! – because in our busy lives, carving out time dedicated to rest and restoration is an act of defiance.

Psalm 62:5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him.

Psalm 91:1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.