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.

Click here to book! 

 

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.

Click here to book

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.

Click here to book

‘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.

Open Hands, Open Heart: Praying with the Psalms in Every Season

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You are warmly invited to join us for an online four-part series leaning into the wisdom & honesty of four Psalms, and then resting in God’s Presence through contemplative prayer.

Mondays 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th Sept, 1.15pm – 2pm

Scan the QR code to book

or click here to go to our Eventbrite page 

A Sample 45 minute session:

A breath prayer based on the Psalm.

An art piece that helps us wonder about how we approach God in prayer.

Reading the Psalm through slowly, followed by a short facilitated reflection on parts of the Psalm.

Reading the Psalm again to notice what we are drawn to and what God might be saying to us through His Living Word.

Silence as Prayer and Prayer as paying attention to the moment, to whatever is arising and to God (Note: This may bring peace and attentiveness, but it just as easily may bring restlessness, agitation, distracting thoughts. The purpose of silence is not to eradicate this, it is to name it and bring it to God and then return again to resting in His Presence. The facilitator can offer different supports for this noticing and return.)

A Closing Blessing

You are welcome to attend as many sessions as you are able.

Facilitator: Lydia Monds is the Ministry Leader for the Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland. She holds a Masters in Intercultural Theology and Interreligious Studies. As part of her role she facilitates a variety of sessions and events, including Retreats, Contemplative Prayer Practices, Time in God’s Creation and Creative Programmes.

Download our prayers to say with the body and the mind

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If you find it hard to focus when you pray – if your mind drifts off into lists of things to do, or the worries that follow you throughout the day and the night – then it may help to pray with your body as well as your mind. CMHI has developed a series of prayers for which you use your hands in various ways; this reminds us to give thanks for our bodies, and to see ourselves holistically, as beings of both flesh and spirit. The prayers are suitable for children and young people who are developing their prayer life and find it helpful to use physical actions as they pray. The prayers are:

  • the labyrinth prayer
  • the prayer of letting go
  • square breathing prayer
  • prayer for 5 people on 5 fingers in 5 minutes
  • the shoreline breath prayer
  • the footsteps prayer

Click here to download the A4 prayer sheets. 

 

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Art Sessions in D7!

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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!

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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

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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

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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.

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