Reading by Candlelight – Advent book group

Posted on: /in /by
As darkness moves towards light, you are warmly invited to join the Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland for a reflective Advent reading group. Sign up for one week or more, and, best of all, we will send you the texts, so you don’t have to buy any books! Book via Eventbrite HERE, or if you have difficulties with this, email hello@ministryofhealing.ie. This is a donation-based group – you choose how much you would like to donate.

Week 1 (3rd December): “the solid existence of love” – preparing for Christmas Day

· “Christmas Eve,” by Maeve Brennan (a short story, first published in The New Yorker in 1972) – audio version, read by Roddy Doyle, available

· “Christmas Eve: My Mother Dressing,” by Toi Derricotte (a poem)

Week 2 (10th December): “the smaller you are, the bigger Christmas is” – childhood and Christmas

· “Christmas,” a chapter from the memoir Sculptor’s Daughter, by Tove Jansson, (published in 1968)

· “Taking Down the Tree,” by Jane Kenyon (a poem)

· “Christmas, 1970,” by Sandra M. Castillo (a poem)

Week 3 (17th December): “eventually they noticed” – Christmas cooking

· “This Year it will be Different,” by Maeve Binchy (1996) (short story)

· a short extract from The Green Road by Anne Enright (2015)

· a short extract from “Village Christmas” by Laurie Lee (published 2015 but written much earlier)

· a short extract from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (1843)

Week 4 (7th January 2026): “snow was general all over Ireland”

· The Dead by James Joyce (1914)

Each session offers gentle 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 four evenings as we explore and discuss short stories, poems, 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, 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, to have your camera off, or to journal or sketch during the discussion, please do!

 

 

 

 

 

Unwrapping the Gift: Advent quiet day

Posted on: /in /by
Unwrapping the Gift: a Retreat of Prayer and Presence

Sat 22 Nov 2025, 10am-4pm, The Dominican Retreat Centre, Tallaght

You are warmly invited to join us for this gentle. creative, quiet day, as we pause, rest, and replenish ourselves in God’s love. The day offers: silence; scripture prompts; centring prayer; story-telling; poetry and reflections; creative practices; and woodland wanders.Book your place by clicking HERE

 

 

Under the Tree is back!

Posted on: /in /by

Under the Tree: nature connection and scripture circle

A session in nature, slowing down, noticing what’s here and turning towards the wisdom held in scripture together

Tuesday, September 30 · 7 – 8:30pm

Book your place by clicking HERE

Join Lydia from the Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland and Julie from the Bible Society Ireland as we take a pause in nature.

We invite you to come as you and spend time slowing down and resting in a beautiful space in Rathmines.

This 90 minute session contains settling in practices and nature connection prompts to support us to notice what’s here, internally and all around us.

After this we will spend time in a Scripture Circle – nourishing mind, body and spirit. This is facilitated to support wondering, listening and curiosity.

As it’s Autumn and the evenings are getting darker, we may move from our usual spot to a residents garden on the same grounds, and if weather is very prohibitive, we may move indoors for the Scripture Circle. But we will email all of that information, as well as what to bring and where to park, closer to the time.

Online lunchtime pauses – Be Still and Know

Posted on: /in , /by

30 minutes.

Silence.

Scripture.

Contemplative Prayer.

Quiet Companionship – with God, with self, with others, with the here and now.

Turning our attention simultaneously to less and to More.

BE STILL AND KNOW – MONDAY LUNCHTIME, ON ZOOM

Starts 8 Sept, and runs for the next 3 weeks. Time: 1.15 – 1.45pm

Book your place by clicking HERE

You can join from your bed, from your desk, as you walk the dogs, wherever you are at, let’s acknowledge together the Presence of God in that moment, in that place.

Cameras on, cameras off – your choice. We will be blessing and praying for each other quietly as part of our practice so it can be helpful to have your name on the screen, even if it’s blank. I can help you with that if you like, and will be there 10 minutes before the session starts. But remember, God knows who you are, and you can journey with this little community anonymously or otherwise. There is room for you.

Restival: Invitation into Sacred Pause

Posted on: /in /by

The Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland invites you to join us for a day-long immersion in nature, a space to simply be and to return to the Source of our Being, on Saturday, September 20th, from 10am – 4pm, in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow. In a world where rest is considered idleness, what does it mean to take a sacred pause, and bring compassionate presence to all that is here?

Book via https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/restival-invitation-into-sacred-pause-tickets-1593794404969?

Once you have booked, you will receive an eircode, info about facilitators, parking and car-pooling & what to bring, etc. The itinerary includes:

  • Story & sacred pause with Lydia & Pam
  • Scripture Circle with Julie
  • Centering Prayer with Anne
  • Mindful Wander with Pam
  • Nature art with Penny

This is a donation- based event, with a sliding scale depending on your means.

 

Practising the Presence of God in the Midst of Our Busy Lives

Posted on: /in /by

Take 7 minutes and 42 seconds to pause and practise the presence of God in the midst of any busyness in your mind, emotions or schedule. Lydia, our Ministry Leader, guides you through this prayerful practice.

 

A quotation from Leviticus, chapter 19, verses 33 and 34: "And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God".

CMHI prays for all refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers

Posted on: /in , /by

The Church’s Ministry of Ireland prays for all who have lost their homes, their countries, their security, their safety. We pray for all refugees, for all asylum seekers, for all forced into migration. We pray for forgiveness for the times when we have been too tired or stressed to care about news headlines, when we have turned our heads away from abuses and injustices towards people seeking refuge, and we ask God to help us to live his commandment to love the stranger as ourselves.

 

A quotation from Leviticus, chapter 19, verses 33 and 34: "And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God".

alt=""

Under the Tree now open for bookings, June 24th 2025

Posted on: /in /by

 

 

 

Under the Tree: nature connection & scripture circle

Join us on Tuesday 24th June, 7-9pm in Rathmines for an evening noticing the beauty around us and exploring ancient texts that hold meaning for life today

Join Lydia from the Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland and Julie from the Bible Society Ireland as we take a pause in nature.

We invite you to come as you and spend time slowing down and resting in a beautiful space in Rathmines.

This 2 hour session contains settling in practices and nature connection prompts to support us to notice what’s here, internally and all around us.

After this we will spend time in a Scripture Circle – nourishing mind, body and spirit.

Full details, including how to book, are available at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/under-the-tree-nature-connection-scripture-circle-tickets-1407398921059?

 

alt=""

Restival: an Invitation into Sacred Pause

Posted on: /in /by

Restival is a day long immersion in nature, a space to simply be and to return to the Source of our Being

Wednesday, May 14 · 10:30am – 3:30pm – Lynn Farm, Lynn N91KX5H

Book by clicking HERE

In a world where rest is considered idleness, a luxury we can’t afford, or a segment of the wellness industry that sometimes feels like another cog in the machine, what does it mean to take a sacred pause, and bring compassionate presence to all that is here?

Join us for a day spent in nature, returning to a sense of ourselves and a sense of God’s presence with us, in us and manifest in the wonder of nature all around us.

“Return to your rest, O my soul.” Psalm 116:7a

Once you have booked, you will receive an eircode, info about where to park, what to bring, who the facilitators are and more about their sessions, etc.

Here is an itinerary of the day, where everything is invitational and a gateway into sacred rest.

Arrival, welcome, hot & cold drinks, settling in 10.30am

Opening circle & Mindful walk around the grounds 11am – 12pm

1st offering: 12 – 1

  • Clay with Penny
  • Resting in the Breath of God with Mieke
  • Journaling with Lydia

Lunch (bring a packed lunch and cook some 1pm – 2pm extras together over the fire.)

2nd offering: 2pm-3pm

  • Breathwork/centering prayer with Anne
  • Scripture Circle with Julie

Closing Circle 3pm – 3.30pm

All sessions are optional, but we encourage everyone to engage in the opening circle and mindful wander so they get their bearings.

Other options are to enjoy nature, wander, wonder, notice, rest and pray.

Non-facilitated spaces include: access to tea and coffee making facilities, hammocks, art supplies & the expanse of nature all around us.

THIS IS A DONATION BASED EVENT. We recommended donations on a sliding scale depending on your means: €10 – €40.

You can donate on Eventbrite or you can email us and donate via cash on the day.

Join us for Wellspring, May 17th

Posted on: /in /by

Come to the well. The well is deep.

Wellspring: a Quiet Day of contemplation, a scripture circle and an invitation to respond to whatever is arising through art

Saturday, May 17 · 10:30am – 3:30pm, Egan House, on the grounds of St Michan’s Church of Ireland, Church Street D07 F3P6 Dublin 7

Book by clicking HERE

Join Lydia, Julie and Nathalie for a gently led Quiet Day, ‘Wellspring’.

The day will run from 10.30 – 3.30.

Sample itinerary:

  • Welcome, contemplative prayer and guided meditation.
  • Scripture circle – a time of learning and wondering together through ancient texts that hold wisdom for our lives today.
  • An art session to respond to what arises. This could be with drift wood and sea glass, or with paint or clay or weaving or printing.
  • Closing session of contemplation, gratitude and takeaways.

The day is an invitation to return to the source of your life, your Wellspring, the water that Jesus’ spoke about that quenches a deep thirst within us, as we return to our sense of belonging in Him.

Throughout the day we’ll be exploring the idea of a sacred pause, which emerges through scripture as guarding sacred time, and flows out into ancient and contemporary Christian monastic practices known as statio, which simply means, “the holy pause”, also translated as, “I stand” or “I remain.”

What does it mean for you in your life to return to what gives you life, to pause as a means to remain (maybe remain in an awareness of the presence of God and of your identity as a child of God?) before continuing in the structures and rhythms of daily life?

Facilitators:

Lydia is the ministry leader for the Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland and she runs contemplative sessions, Quiet days and retreats.

Julie is the development officer of the National Bible Society of Ireland and supports people to look at familiar texts with new eyes, creating a space for discussion and wondering together.

Nathalie is an artist and teacher, who facilitates sessions where people can let go of ‘I can’t’, and begin to create, play and explore where faith and art intersect.