Today is the 22 Sunday of the Year: Last Sunday’s Gospel Peter was praised by Jesus when he answered correctly that Jesus is the “Son of the Living God” A week is a short time in politics and it is also a short time for religious followers. This week in the Gospel Jesus compares Peter to Satan! Peter could not just handle the fact that Jesus was talking about his forthcoming death by the hands of the “elders, chief priests and scribes” (Matthew 16:21-27) This course of action by Jesus was certainly not on Peter’s agenda. It was simply to much for him to imagine, his wise young teacher coming to such a quick and bloody end. We understand Peter. Like him we want to protest: “God forbid – Isn’t there an easier way to do what you want to do?” Jesus heard those words, as if Satan,  was addressing him through the mouth of Peter. He called Peter an “obstacle in my path because the way you think is not God’s way  but man’s” (Matthew 16:23). Like the tempter in the wilderness, Peter is offering Jesus a way out, a detour around Jerusalem with all its risks of pain and death. The deep secret of Jesus’ hard words to us in this passage is that our fear of suffering and death robs us of life, because fear of death always turns into fear of life, into a stingy, cautious way of living that is not really living at all. The deep secret of Jesus’ hard words is that the way to have abundant life is not to save it but to spend it, to give it away, because life cannot be shut up and saved in a little box. Peter wanted Jesus to have more comfortable ways of being Lord. What Peter forgot however was that Jesus’ supply of life was never-ending that what poured out of him poured out of an underground source so fine, so strong, that the more of Himself that He gave, the more He had! “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine let them renounce themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24) These words of Jesus are not easy to hear.  Jesus does not conceal or minimise the cost of discipleship. Following him means treading the difficult path of total self-giving and selflessness. There is a certain amount of pain involved in being a human being and a good bit more involved in being fully human, fully alive, especially in a world that counts on our fear of death and uses it to keep us in line. Jesus’s enemies counted on his fear of death to shut him up and shut him down, but they were wrong – He may have been afraid but He did not allow His fear to stop Him. Jeremiah into today’s first reading (Jeremiah 20:7-9) felt the joy and delight in following the Lord but he also experienced the derision and insults of others when he was true to that inner vision. Paul in today’s second reading calls us “not to model ourselves on the behaviour of the world around you” (Romans 12:2). In the “Joy of the Gospel” Number [86] Pope Francis speaks of the world today as regards living the Gospel similar to living in a desert. Lifeless, barren, unproductive, and difficult but he says: “In the desert we rediscover the value of what is essential for living; thus in today’s world there are innumerable signs, often expressed implicitly or negatively, of the thirst for God, for the ultimate meaning of life. And in the desert people of faith are needed who, by the example of their own lives, point out the way to the Promised Land and keep hope alive.  In these situations we are called to be living sources of water from which others can drink. At times, this becomes a heavy cross, but it was from the cross, from his pierced side, that our Lord gave himself to us as a source of living water. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of hope!”

Monday is a Bank Holiday. We will have our Bank Holiday Mass at 11am.  There will be no duty and no Evening Mass @ 7pm.  The shop and Church will be open until 4pm.  

Feast for the Week: Thursday: St. Gregory the Great: He was pope from 590-604. Gregory was inspired to send missionaries to England, Sardinia and Lombardy.  He was Prefect of the City of Rome before becoming a monk and then pope. He established a pattern for the papacy that was used for many years, He was the first Pope to call himself a “servant of the servants of Christ” He is patron saint of musicians

Thank you for your generous contributions to the Sunday collections and donations towards the upkeep of  the Graan. Your generosity and kindness is remarkable especially in these days of recession.  In the next few weeks we have to decide how we are to replenish our funds for the coming year. We normally begin the process of having a car draw but with the current restrictions due to the coronavirus that may not now be possible. Discussions will need to take place to help us to find a way forward on this matter. Be assured of the prayers of this community. Blessings. Fr. Charles.

Friday Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 10am until 2pm.  Confessions Tues to Fr 2- 5pm. Saturday 5pm – 6pm.

DUTY FOR THE WEEK:  Mon 31^st Aug Bank Holiday No Duty and Mass at 11am  – Arthur. There will be no 7pm Mass.  

Tues (1^st Sept) – Arthur.  Wed 2nd – Arthur .   Thurs 3^rd  – Charles.  Fri 4^th – Charles . Sat 5^th –  Arthur.

Shop Opening Hours: Mon to Sat: 9.30am – 7.30pm. Sunday – 9.30am – 5pm.

Guild Mass Cards: We have a wide selection of cards for Deceased, Mass Bouquets, Get Well, Birthday, Special Occasion, Wedding, Thinking of You  and Exam Mass Bouquets which cost £2 / €2.50 each. You can visit our website where you can view our Mass cards. We value your support.

Our Weekly bulletin provides information about Events, Mass Times, Changes and Updates, Deaths and Anniversaries.

Please follow the link below to read this week’s bulletin.

If you have any questions please contact our office.

Guild Mass Cards

We have a wide selection of cards for Deceased, Mass Bouquets, Get Well, Birthday, Special Occasion and Exam Mass Bouquets which cost £2 / €2.50 each.

If you would like to order some please contact us here at the Monastery by telephone on 028 (ROI 048) 66322272.

You can contact us by email on thegraan@btconnect.com  or writing to us at The Graan Monastery, 73 Derrygonnelly Rd, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, BT74 5PB, Northern Ireland.

Selection of Sympathy Mass Cards available (Subject to availability):

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Selection of Mass Cards available (Subject to availability):

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Download ‘Safeguarding Procedures (Ireland)’ PDF!

PASSIONISTS ST PATRICKS PROVINCE

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN

The Passionists of St. Patrick’s Province are committed to creating a safe, healthy and inclusive environment for all, particularly, the children, young people and vulnerable adults with whom we work. The participation of children and young people is valued and encouraged by all Passionists in their pastoral ministry and in activities that enhance their spiritual, physical, emotional and social development. The Passionists recognize the dignity and rights of all children and vulnerable adults and are committed to their support and safeguarding.

The Passionists have procedures in place through which the care of children is implemented. Our policies and procedures are in accordance with the
guidelines established by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church. All Passionists, staff and volunteers are required to comply
with the policy procedures and practices outlined in the policy document which can be accessed at www.passionists.ie and www.thegraan.com

Local Safeguarding Children Representatives

Name: Carmel Magee
Tel: 02866322272

Name: Vera Toye
Tel: 02866322272

If anyone has any concerns in relation to safeguarding children in the Church they should contact their local representative as soon as possible.

IMPORTANT CONTACT DETAILS

Designated Persons

Appointed by the Passionists to receive concerns or complaints of child abuse by church
personnel

Designated Person
Suzanne Phelan
Provincial Office
Mount Argus
Dublin 6W
Tel; 085 1146391
Email; phelansuzanne@gmail.com

Deputy Designated Person
Fr Bernard Lowe
St Paul’s Retreat
Mount Argus
Dublin 6 W
Tel; 087 6324995

Advice and SupportTowards Healing: Counselling & Support for Survivors of Abuse
(NI) Freephone: 0800 096 3315
(ROI) Freephone: 1800 303 416

Towards Peace
Ms. Una Allen, Coordinator
Phone: + 353 (0) 1 5053028
Mobile: + 353 (0) 86 7710533
Monday – Wednesday: 10am – 5pm
Email: towardspeace@iecon.ie
Website:  www.towardspeace.ie

Gateway Services, Northern Ireland
Tel: 02890507000 (office hours), Emergencies 02890565444
PSNI; Tel 101

A NEW SAINT FOR IRELAND

The Passionist Congregation are delighted to inform you that a date has been announced by the Vatican for the Canonization of Blessed Charles of Mount Argus. This will take place in Rome on Sunday 3rd June 2007.

There is a shrine to Blessed Charles in The Graan Monastery, Enniskillen and people come from all over the North to be blessed with the special relic of Blessed Charles in The Graan.

Blessed Charles was born John Andrew Houben on 11th December 1821 in the village of Munstergeleen in Holland. He was enrolled for military service from 1840-1845 and it was during this time he heard of the Passionists and resolved to join them at first opportunity. In 1845 he entered the novitiate at Ere, near Tournai, in Belgium, and was ordained in December 1850. In November 1852 he was sent to England and came into contact with the Irish who were emigrating in the wake of the famine. He transferred to Ireland on July 9th 1857 – 150 years ago this year. He arrived at the new monastery of Mount Argus at Harold’s Cross, Dublin, which had been founded just the year before. He was not a good preacher and never quite mastered the English language, but it was in the Confessional and in comforting the sick that he excelled. He soon became extraordinarily popular not only in Dublin but all over Ireland.

It was his gift of healing the sick which is most clearly remembered. As many as 300 people a day came to be blessed by him from all over Ireland and beyond. He was transferred back to England in 1866 and returned to Ireland in 1874, remaining at Mount Argus for the rest of his life. The daily pilgrimage of sick and distressed resumed immediately on his return. He went out all over Dublin and into the country blessing people. He was constantly available. During the last few years of his life his own health was failing, having spent himself so much. He said his last Mass on 8th December 1892. Word of his illness spread through the city and crowds gathered to ask after him. At 5.30 in the morning of 5th January 1893 he passed peacefully away. His body was brought to the Church and lay in state for 5 days. Many thousands filed past his coffin with the police keeping order. His funeral was reported to have been bigger than Parnell’s two years before. His remains were laid to rest in the cemetery beside Mount Argus Church and soon his grave became a place of pilgrimage where people came daily to pray. When in 1949 his remains were moved inside the Church the Shrine became the place of prayer.

Father Charles was Beatified by Pope John Paul II on 16th October 1988 after the cure of a Dutch lady, Mrs Octavia Spaetgens Verheggen, was approved as a miracle attributed to the intercession of Father Charles. Many people come daily to be blessed with the relic of Blessed Charles. It is the approval of a second miracle, the cure of Mr Dolf Dormans, also from Holland, that has now paved the way for the Canonization of Father Charles. This will be a wonderful and an historic occasion, not just for the Passionists and the people of Mount Argus, but for the whole Church in Ireland.

A new portrait by James Hanley will feature on a postage stamp to mark the occasion. A new song has been written and performed by Liam Lawton. Plans are underway for a pilgrimage to Rome for the Canonization and this will be paralleled by a series of events in Mount Argus itself. We invite everyone in Ireland to rejoice with us at this wonderful news. Ireland has a new saint whose remains and shrine are here in Dublin. He is a saint for the poor, a saint for the sick, a saint for immigrants and emigrants, a saint for everyone. Thanks be to God!

December 2005

THE MIRACULOUS HEALING OF MR. DORMANS

This is the cure that, having passed through stringent medical scrutiny in the Netherlands, has now been given unanimous approval by the even more stringent Vatican Medical Council as a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Charles of Mount Argus.

Mr. J.H.A. Dormans comes from Munstergeleen in Holland, birthplace of Blessed Charles. On March 29th, 1999, his doctor had him taken in to the emergency room of the Maasland Hospital in Sittard. What he had experienced as abdominal pains turned out to be a ruptured appendix. Complications emerged. The oozing acid had damaged the small intestines to such an extent that, every other day, the inside of his abdomen had to be rinsed out under fall anesthetic. From the outset Mr. Dormans had surrendered his faith into the hands of Blessed Charles, praying for a positive outcome to his disease, and a blessing on the hands of the physicians who were treating him.

On April 11th his grandson, Simon, was due to make his First Holy Communion. All dressed up, he was brought to see his papa in hospital. On arrival it was discovered that Mr. Dorman’s wife, Mia, and the other family members had been sent for. His condition had worsened. The surgical procedure that morning had exposed totally weakened and already porous intestines. Every action taken by the surgeon to improve the situation seemed to have the opposite result. When he wanted to close a hole, a little touch caused the intestines to leek even further. The doctor informed the family that from a medical point of view nothing more could be done and that there was no hope of recovery. His condition was so bad that the attending medical staff had decided not to resuscitate him. The family were advised to prepare themselves for an unpleasant death, within a very short time. With Mr. Dorman’s intestines totally destroyed, the surgeon calmly and quietly explained how he had reached the boundaries of what he could do. Medical Science had nothing farther to offer. The last sacraments of the Church were administered. The family said their goodbyes. Blessed Charles was invoked to guide him through these difficult hours.

But somebody up there had other plans. On a visit a couple of days later, Mr. Dorman’s family doctor was looking at him and saying to him: “Father Charles has performed his miracle, now it’s up to the medical staff here”. His health continued to improve with every passing day. The surgeon said: “It is beyond me that you are sitting here, opposite me, and still alive!” The medical team decided to perform farther surgery and reserved a fall day in the operating room on October 27th. When they went in, however, they found that all they had to do was connect the small intestines and close a little hole. Everything else was already healed in a natural way.

Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ

Recognising in St. Paul of the Cross the action of the Holy Spirit, the Church approved Our Congregation and its Rule and entrusted us with a mission to preach the Gospel of the Passion by our life and apostolate. For this reason, our mission aims at evangelising others by means of the Word of the Cross so that all may come to know Christ and the power of His Resurrection, may share in His suffering and, becoming like Him in His death, may be united with Him in glory.

This community belongs to the Passionist Province of St. Patrick, which has foundations in Ireland and Scotland and in Paris as well as Missionary foundations in Botswana and South Africa. The brethren who serve in St. Gabriel’s are available to serve -and have actually served in the other foundations of the Province.

When St. Gabriel’s was established, it belonged to a larger Province embracing England, Ireland and Scotland. The Noviciate was at Broadway in England although most of the candidates for the Congregation were Ireland. There were then only two Passionist foundations in Ireland, in Dublin and Belfast and it was desired that, as well as providing a location for the Noviciate nearer to the source of vocations, there might be provided another foundation for those directly involved in the apostolate of Parish Missions and retreats.

The professed members of the original community were drawn from established communities, though the group as a unit was only constituted when the members were assigned to this foundation. Shortly after the arrival of the Professed Brethren, a class, already half-way through their noviciate year, came from Broadway to The Graan and were joined by other new candidates.

Of the five members of the foundation community, four were Irish and one was Scottish. Of the five clerical novices, one was from Glasgow, the remaining four being from different parts of Ireland, as were also the three lay postulants. This reflected the composition of the entire Province for while most of the brethren were Irish, there were only the two foundations in Ireland. By the time the foundation was made at the Graan, the Passionists had been established in Ireland for 52 years. The priests were active in the apostolate of parish missions so that they were well known far beyond the areas close to their existing retreats. Usually the majority of our candidates have been drawn from the areas adjacent to Passionist Communities- which accounts for the high proportion of brethren from Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. Most other candidates came to us as a result of contacts made during Parish Missions, which in the past were the most active sphere of Passionist apostolate. There were, already, a number of individuals from the Clogher Diocese among the Professed brethren but from the time the noviciate was established here, candidates from the immediate neighbourhood have joined the others who came from different parts of Ireland and Scotland.

Vocations from England had never been numerous and, since 1927, when Ireland and Scotland became a separate Province, only a few of our brethren have English origins.

The presence of a Passionist Community has provided a Mass centre for the surrounding area, especially for families living in isolated farms in the neighbourhood.

Since its foundation, this community has had a majority of priests. Stipends for the Masses, which they celebrated, have been the most stable source of financial support. Many of these priests also worked as preachers of parish missions and retreats throughout Ireland and Scotland. Offerings from this ministry contributed to the support of the Retreat. Offerings of the faithful who attend Sunday Mass have always formed a significant portion of our income.

The small farm attached to the property with its stock and implements formed part of the initial purchase and income from farming supplemented the resources of the community. Two other small adjoining farms were purchased, increasing our holdings to 130 acres, and for many years, especially during the  World War II and afterwards, milk production made a substantial contribution to the income, especially when we had Brothers to engage in the farming activities although, in Spring and Autumn, the other brethren would find themselves pressed into service to assist with sewing and reaping.  Around 115 acres of this farm land is now under short-term leasing and the rents are a source of support for the community.

Fr Charles Cross Superior

Fr Arthur Mc Cann Vicar

Fr Victor Donnelly

Br Brendan Gallagher

Fr Brian D’Arcy

Fr Anthony O’Leary

Masses

Confessions 

Prayer Groups (are suspended temporarily due to Covid 19 restrictions)

The Shop: We are delighted that our shop has now reopened. Mon – Sat 9.30am – 7pm and Sunday 9.30pm – 4pm.