This past March/April we led one of our Soul’s Slow Ripening Pilgrimages based out of Galway City. We have been sharing some of the poems from the writing retreat which participants gave us permission to share over the last several weeks. But poems emerge on the pilgrimage as well. Here are a series of short poems by Maureen Perry.   *I cannot sit still now Guide my feet on this journey Lord Let my mind, heart rest.   *The smell of the sea The company of a dear friend And friends I don’t know…Yet.   *Breathe on me breath of God Let my inhalation and exhalation

This past April we led one of our Writing on the Wild Edges retreats on the beautiful island of Inismor off the coast of Galway. We will be sharing some of the writing which participants gave us permission to share here in the next few weeks. Up next are poems by Christine Davis. (If you’d like to join us, we have our dates open for 2018 – August 26-September 1) Focail do a Chara (Words for a Friend) Liturgy of Stillness and Rock Liturgy of stillness and rock, Tell me your stories. I am from a people who dream dreams of places they

We welcome you to submit your reflection for possible publication in our Monk in the World guest post series. It is a gift to read how ordinary people are living lives of depth and meaning in the midst of the challenges of real life. There are so many talented writers and artists in this Abbey community, so this is a chance to share your perspective. The link to the reflection will be included in our weekly newsletter which goes out to more than 11,000 subscribers. Please follow these instructions carefully: Please click this link to read a selection of the posts and get a feel for

This past April we led one of our Writing on the Wild Edges retreats on the beautiful island of Inismor off the coast of Galway. We will be sharing some of the writing which participants gave us permission to share here in the next few weeks. Up next is are two poems by Michelle Winter. (If you’d like to join us, we have our dates open for 2018 – August 26-September 1) Orienteering Orienteering For getting our bearings: A compass is useful and a map to identify our latitude longitude our altitude and depth A poem, or two and, perhaps, Courage to help

This past April we led one of our Writing on the Wild Edges retreats on the beautiful island of Inismor off the coast of Galway. We will be sharing some of the writing which participants gave us permission to share here in the next few weeks. We continue with haiku and photos from spiritual director Ann Smith. (If you’d like to join us, we have our dates open for 2018 – August 26-September 1) Ancient prayer grows from the stone. Small fern speaks life into hopeful hearts. Warmth of holiness. Sanctuary of silence. Eternity speaks. I offer my heart on

This past April we led one of our Writing on the Wild Edges retreats on the beautiful island of Inismor off the coast of Galway. We will be sharing some of the writing which participants gave us permission to share here in the next few weeks. We begin with Julie Mitchell, who traveled from Australia to join us. Accompanied by Angels The pilgrim walk did not begin well. Fifty steps along the way hail sheeted in from the east, mocking the splash of red designer umbrella in a landscape of deepening grey. The graveyard offered unexpected refuge. Limestone sentinels received

Thank you to everyone who participated in our 2017 Give Me a Word invitation! We had almost 1000 participants take the online retreat to help a word choose you. Above is a word cloud made from all the words submitted by January 6th. Please note some appear larger when they were submitted more frequently. Some are quite tiny but are there in the spaces between. We have done our random drawing and are delighted to announce the winners: One space in our upcoming New Year’s online retreat – Spiraling Inward: Seven Celtic Spiritual Practices – Carol Moyle (Openings) One signed copy