Entries by Fiachra Nutty

Christmas Chapter Talk 2021

  “He is born in us continually as our minds, our actions, our reactions, our relationships, our experience and our prayer are Christified.”  (‘The Coming of God’ by Sr Maria Boulding)   This is a wonderful reality to reflect on and a great grace to live from today – Christ is born in us continually, […]

School Retreat at Glencairn

We had a lovely day with twelve sixth year students of Crescent College, Limerick and their chaplain on their retreat day at Glencairn on Friday, 17 September, 2021. Our new conference room in our newly built guesthouse provided well for the students to relax and enjoy their day. In addition to their retreat talks with […]

Harvest Thanksgiving

Our community’s annual harvest thanksgiving mass is a welcome moment to reflect on all we have received, both fruits of the harvest of our labour and all our service to each other for which we are grateful to God. At this mass, we place representative samples of all nature’s produce before the altar and give […]

Stained Glass Window Commission

On 27th August our lovely new stained glass window, designed and created by Bianca Divito, (www.biancadivito.com) was installed in our new guesthouse oratory here at Glencairn Abbey. Having completed our new guesthouse in January 2020, we could only dream of being able to complete the oratory with a stained glass window, so when we  received […]

First Monastic Profession of Sister Beatrice Brady

On the feast of St. Benedict, 11th July, 2021, following her two year novitiate, we celebrated the joyful occasion of Sister Emma Brady’s First Profession of Monastic Vows. Sister Emma chose to take the religious name of Beatrice, after Blessed Beatrice, the Cistercian nun of Nazareth (1200-1268). The ceremony took place following Lauds in the […]

Community Retreat 2021

Our annual community retreat this year took place from 16th to 23rd May here at Glencairn. Our retreat preacher this year was Fr. John Walsh OP, an Irish Dominican friar who is currently serving as Prior at St. Saviour’s Priory in Dublin. Fr. John introduced his talks as coming ‘from the heart’. Our faith is […]

Ascension Day Reflection

  From the Journals of Thomas Merton, Volume 1: ‘Run to the Mountain’ 1939-1941   AND TODAY IS ASCENSION DAY, and in a week the Paraclete comes down like fires to be among us, bringing the gift of tongues. Now all Christ’s lessons have been taught in His sermons and His miracles, His crucifixion and […]

How Can We Say That God Is Good?

How can evil and God co-exist in our world? What meaning does suffering have in our lives? As we commemorate Jesus’ death on a cross on Good Friday each year, we are called to enter more deeply into the mysteries of our faith. Theologian Gerard W. Hughes reflects on these questions.   How can we […]

A Christmas Hymn and Blessing from Glencairn

Watch our video of ‘A Noble Flower of Judah’ sung by the community at St Mary’s Abbey, Glencairn. Dear family and friends, we cannot come together this year for our Christmas liturgies and visits, however we send you our love, prayer and best wishes for a very happy and blessed Christmas from Glencairn.

Reflection for 2nd Sunday of Advent 2020

O people of Sion, behold, the Lord will come to save the nations, and the Lord will make the glory of his voice heard in the joy of your heart. (Second Sunday of Advent, entrance antiphon) These words of the prophet Isaiah reassure, encourage, and prod us. They reassure us that the Lord will come. […]