After work was completed at our FCJ Spirituality House – Teach Spioradálta in the beautiful Spanish Point, County Clare in Ireland, participants have been welcomed for residential retreats during 2023. The full list of retreats and workshops for 2023 is on their website. Here is the latest newsletter.
Across the Waves
A chara,
Welcome to the November 2023 newsletter of FCJ Spirituality House – Teach Spioradálta.
October has been a lovely month of welcoming in, of sharing and of local events. We finished the Season of Creation with a River Ritual down by the sea and our Laudato Si online book club was able to chat a little about the newly launched Laudato Deum too! Anne led a beautiful poetry weekend offering a great diversity of poets from Ireland and across the globe. And our movie ‘nights’ restarted at the new time of 4pm with West Side Story!
We are very much looking forward to welcoming Dr Ciara Murphy next week for our special workshop about Greening our Parishes: ‘Parish as Oasis’. This will be invaluable for parishes and individuals looking for information and encouragement to live Laudato Si! Places must be booked in advance (links below or email us).
November also brings several groups to stay and includes a 4 day Ignatian retreat led by the Manresa team. Some music with local musicians and our monthly faith conversations, book club and singing group continue. So many retreats were confirmed in October, so its great to have the 2024 brochures and information available now – brochures will be in the post this week to centres and online too.
We are very aware that the house is almost fully booked for 2024, which is a great sign both of our program and of interest from other groups. Please do let us know if you are interested in events by booking a place or emailing us to request a place on events. We have been working hard to update our website making events easier to book, and offering deposits for any event. We hope this is helpful.
Details are, as always, at fcjspiritualityhouse.ie. Thanks again for all the prayers, notes and support – all very much appreciated.
Please do keep in touch
God bless
Nóirin Lynch
Director
Featured: Ignatian Directed Retreats across 2024
Ignatian spirituality emphasizes finding God in all things. Sometimes its helpful to step away from life’s ordinary busyness in order to notice again, and more deeply, the loving, kind and warm presence of the One who created us.
Ignatian retreats are silent retreats – here we offer 4, 5 or 8 day options – where you can take time to be really present with yourself, creation and your God.
Each morning you will have the opportunity to meet with your spiritual director for a half hour or so to review your retreat journey, and each evening we finish the day with prayer – usually Mass and a silent Holy Hour. In between we encourage you to rest, to be present and to listen for God present in all things and all moments, present for you. In many way, the real director of your retreat is the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes people worry about the silence. I remember telling my Dad I was going on my first 8-day retreat and he smiled gently and said, ‘Noirin, you’ll burst’. In truth, after the first day of letting go (of my phone and of the million things I ‘just remembered that I forgot’); I found a deep well of stillness in myself that I had so rarely allowed myself permission to rest in. In that space both the tough and the beautiful could emerge, be prayed with and learnt from. I did not just ‘survive the silence’, the gentle stillness carried me and was a blessing.
If you’ve never attended an Ignatian retreat, you might find the 4-day directed retreat a lovely introduction and you’ll be guided and supported by your director. Our 5-day Guided retreat with Joe Hayes SJ will have an additional morning input which will be a great aid to those wanting to learn more about the Ignatian Way, as we prepare for Easter.
You will be very welcome to any of our retreats – please feel welcome too to phone or email with any questions. Thanks. Noirin
Continue reading the newsletter here for details on all the incoming events
The FCJ Spirituality House, Teach Spiorodálta, is a home and spiritual haven of the FCJ Sisters, who have come to Spanish Point for generations for spiritual nourishment and refreshment. Now we would like to share our home with the wider community through spiritual moments, enjoyment of the natural beauty of creation, and the lifting of spirits with music, art and poetry.
Please see the events page for current listings. You can contact the House at info @ fcjspiritualityhouse.ie or by phone at +353 87 447 9115 with any questions.
