Promotion Video for Youth 2000 Youth Festival

Below is the promotion video for the Youth 2000 Summer Festival which will be held in Clonmacnois. Youth 2000 organises regional retreats for young people on a regular basis, as well as the Christmas retreat just before Christmas and this Youth Festival in August. Please visit the website of Youth 2000 for more information!

Podcasts on iTunes

Trying to keep up with modern technology, the Irish Dominicans can now be found on iTunes.

This means that the video's produced by the Irish Dominicans can be viewed on iPhones and iPods and are searchable in iTunes.

Have a look at the channel to view the video's or to subscribe to any new video's of the Irish Dominicans.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me;

It is a busy day in the priory today and there is a big celebration tomorrow in de Seminary Chapel in Maynooth to celebrate 20 years since the start of Youth 2000. I just want to give a little thought drawn from the immense depths of St. John's Gospel! This Sunday's Gospel is from chapter 10:27-30. A relatively short Gospel, I can even quote it here:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one. (Joh 10:30 RSV)

What struck me most about the Gospel is the first line: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me;"  (Joh 10:27 RSV). We are called to be the Lords sheep, all of us are, and the Lord knows us all, whether we like it or not. It can maybe be helpful to reflect on the word knowledge here as there is a deep meaning in the use in combination with relation, it points to the intimacy between God and ourselves.

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Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples (Jn 21:1)

This weeks Gospel is well known, taken from John (21:1-19), and is the passage in which Jesus asks Peter three times "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" (Joh 21:16 RSV). An important aspect in this passage is the distinction which is made between love as agapê (ἀγάπη), loving as God loves, and philia (φῖλία) which is more an affectionate love or regard.

The first two times Jesus asks Peter (note he addresses Peter as Simon here): "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" (Joh 21:15 RSV) and "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"  (Joh 21:16 RSV) Jesus uses the word agapê, a love in its purest form; a love as God loves. But both times Peter replies not using the word agapê but philia. The third time when Jesus asks "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" (Joh 21:17 RSV) he doesn't use agapê but uses philia instead, and as such meets Peter where he is at. "Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?'" (Joh 21:17 RSV), he recognised that he failed to truly love God in the way God loves him. But Peter shows us that we have to work on our love of God to be able to answer God's love for us in the same way, as it is what we are called to, we are called to love as God loves and Jesus command us "that you love one another as I have loved you" (Joh 15:12 RSV).

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Eucharistic Adoration

For the Dublin based reader of this blog:

The community in St. Saviour's will organise a Holy Hour every Friday in response to the Holy Fathers Pastoral Letter to Ireland. We will be starting he 16th of April.

The response is especially to the suggestions the Pope made in his letter. He encourages that “particular attention should also be given to Eucharistic adoration” and asks “parishes, seminaries, religious houses and monasteries to organize periods of Eucharistic adoration, so that all have an opportunity to take part.” 

The Pope also encourages “to discover anew the sacrament of Reconciliation and to avail yourselves more frequently of the transforming power of its grace”.


During the Holy Hour there will be a brief talk, times of silence, a rosary and benediction at the end. During the hour there will be a priest available to hear confessions.

Please join us in this hour of prayer for the Church in Ireland!

Diaconate Ordination of David Barrins OP

Some of the picture of the Ordination of David Barrins OP who was ordained deacon:

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Dominican Spirituality for Young Adults

During lent there have been a series of Lenten Talks on the Dominican Spirituality, aimed at Young Adults (20-40 yr.). During the talks the specific aspects of the Dominican Spirituality are explained and it is shown why it is so relevant to the world.

The follow up on these talks is a prayer meeting, associated with the Lay Dominicans, to continue to walk in the path of St. Dominic. The four pillars of Dominican life, prayer, study, preaching and community will all have a central role in this meeting.

The meeting will be held @ 8:00 pm on every Tuesday:

St. Catherine’s Chapel (entrance on Upper Dorset Street)

St. Saviour’s Dominican Priory

9-11 Upper Dorset Street

Dublin 1

Please join us!

Priestly Ordination of Father Fergus Ryan OP

Some pictures from the Ordination yesterday of Father Fergus Ryan OP:

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Two Ordinations

The Irish Province of the Dominican Order has two ordinations in the coming weekend.

On Saturday the 10th, brother Fergus Ryan OP will be ordained priest in the the Church in Ballygarvan (Co. Cork). On Sunday the 11th at the 11:30am mass, brother David Barrins OP will be ordained deacon in our priory of St. Saviour's (Dominick Street, Dublin 1). We hope to get some video material published in the weeks after the ordinations!

Please keep both of the brothers in your prayers!

Easter Sunday

We have walked our way through Holy Week and arrived at the Easter Vigil! In the Dominican tradition we will go to the Easter Vigil tonight with our black Cappa on (see picture on the right), and throw these off during the Gloria, showing the white of the habit in it's fullness! The light of the resurrection!

However, let us look at the Gospel (John 20:1-9) what the resurrection meant to the disciples of Jesus. Easter can be quite dramatic as an experience on itself, but also quite an anti climax after the whole build-up towards it. This shouldn't be the way however, as we are on a continual journey. So how did the disciples of Jesus experience the Resurrection? The disciples did not really understand what Jesus was talking about all the time before now, or how to understand it:

"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written of the Son of man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon; they will scourge him and kill him, and on the third day he will rise." But they understood none of these things; this saying was hid from them, and they did not grasp what was said. (Lk 18:31-34)

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Holy Saturday

It is Holy Saturday today... there is no Gospel passage for today except maybe that "on the sabbath they rested according to the commandment" (Luk 23:56 RSV) and the passage in which the tomb is made secure by the priests (Mt 27:62). I know that the vigil is tonight, but still liturgically seen (as the vigil is part of Sunday) it is a quite and empty day. Today there is no mass, no celebration of the Eucharist, the only day in the year in which we cannot receive Jesus in the blessed sacrament... a day alone, our friend is in the grave, He has given up His life for us...

I can recall entering the Church last year and there was sense of emptiness.... it was silent and still, and I think this is something special we should take in, we should reflect on, ponder in our heart. The Lord is in the tomb, he is not here... It is the Sabbath day for the Jews, a day of rest, a day of silence and of reflection. In a way I guess every Sabbath for the Jews was maybe like Holy Saturday is for us...

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Good Friday

Today on Good Friday we start the difficult journey to Calvary. Yesterday after the Last Supper, Jesus went into the garden of Gethsemane and asked his disciples to "watch with me." (Mat 26:38 RSV). The Gospel today is taken from the Gospel of John (18:1-19:42)

Last night in a lot of places people have been "watching" with Jesus, have spend time with Him as He spend His hour in agony. His sweat became like blood and he prays to the Father: "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." (Mat 26:39 RSV) Going back He finds His disciples asleep, and ask them if they could not watch for one hour with Him... Then going back He puts the final petition to His father, and gives His total fiat: "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, thy will be done." (Mat 26:42 RSV)

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