Welcome / Fáilte Romhat!
The Franciscan Abbey in Multyfarnham was founded in 1268 and continues to be an active centre of Franciscan mission in Ireland. The only Franciscan Abbey in Ireland still standing on the footprint of its original foundation, the Franciscan fraternity continues its commitment of service from this special place.
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Post-Chapter thoughts
Fr Kieran, along with most of the other Franciscans throughout the Irish Province, and joined by Friars from England and Scotland, was in Dromantine, outside Newry, for their tri-annual Provincial Chapter.
As well as dealing with a busy agenda that is always the work of a Chapter, this year’s Chapter marked a unique event when the Province of Ireland was united with that of England and Scotland to create the new United Province of Ireland and Britain. To mark this event, the Minister General of the Order travelled from Rome to be with the Friars during their deliberations.
Here, Kieran tells us a little about their days away.
Transfiguration – God’s divinity and its connection with His humanity
In his reflection this week, which was also his homily last Sunday, Fr Kieran invites us to think about the duality of Jesus, His humanity, and His divinity, and consider how the Transfiguration that we have just celebrated, fits in our understanding of Jesus as God and man.
For the Jewish people at the time of Jesus, the “scandal” was not the death of Jesus on the Cross – after all, the sight of criminals condemned to an horrific death on a cross was not an uncommon sight. However, to speak of resurrection, not at the end of time, (or for some, at all) was a concept for very many that might be considered scandalous.
Kieran weaves these two aspects of Jesus, His humanity and His divinity, and leads us to see this feast of the Transfiguration – Jesus in his divine state – as intrinsically linked with the human Jesus, whose death on the cross, a death that brought with it indescribable suffering and horror, as the divine expression of His love for us.
The Pardon of Assisi
On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week (August 1 and 2), we once again celebrated the Portiuncula, the Pardon of Assisi, here in Multyfarnham.
There is a huge tradition of this feast being observed in Multy; people come from far and near from the start of hte feast, at midday on August 1, until the closing Mass at 6:00pm on August 2. During that time, Mass was available every one and a half hours during the daytime, confessions were available throughout this time, and the Friary Office was open for people to make Mass offerings for the living and deceased.
In his reflection today, Fr Kieran tells us a litle more about this feast that is so important to Franciscans throughout the world. And in his reflection, he considers the idea of ‘home.’ Just as the Portuncula chapel was a dear and beloved home to St Francis, home is a place where we should always finds acceptance, even when not always accepted in other places.
As in the story of the Prodigal Son, coming home can be filled with unconditional forgiveness. And so it is with all of us when we seek the pardon of God. It is a loving embrace, when our Father wants only the best for each one of usAppreciating Grandparents
Love sits at the very centre of our faith and the Gospels themselves tell us that the greatest command of all is to love. Indeed, in St John’s Gospel, we are recognised as God’s children by how we love.
And isn’t it the case for most of us, especially those of us who know or knew our grandparents, that the overriding context of our relationship with them is on their expression of love? Fr Kieran, while reflecting on the Gospel for the Feast of Sts Joachim and Anne, observes that we hear much about parents and children in our readings at Mass but never about grandparents! We read of Joachim and Anne as the parents of Mary, the Mother of God, but not of Joachim and Anne, as the grandparents of Jesus.
Today, we are more aware of the extended family, parents, as well as uncles and aunts, and of grandparents, not least because we are all living a lot longer than in biblical times. And so, we encounter, in a deeper way, the intergenerational love that passes up and down from children and grandparents, much like the imagery of Jacob’s Ladder!
As Kieran suggests: “Ideally, each relationship should provide a firm stepping point as we climb higher and higher to approach God’s love at the very top.”
A new Heaven AND a new Earth!
This week, Fr Kieran explores a very significant text in the second reading of last Sunday’s Mass, the reading from St Paul to the Romans (8:12-23). We would not be human if, from time to time, we don’t wonder about the next life. There will be as many ideas and images as there are people. In his reflection, Kieran goes back to the words of St Paul, to the Book of Revelation, and to reminding us of God’s promise to each and every one of us, an eternal life where there is no more death, no more tears, no more fear, no loss, just blissful, timeless, perfect life.
Kieran reminds us of the words that we hear, but perhaps don’t fully take in, viz. that it is a promise of a new heaven and a new earth.
St Francis, in his Canticle of the Sun, gives praise for all of creation; does God intend that we abandon all of His wonder in our eternal life with Him?
“Climb, for all you’re worth!”
No doubt, we have all heard of Jacob’s Ladder, the story from the Book of Genesis (Gen 28:10-22), in the dream of Jacob, grandson of Abraham and son of Isaac. Not a great character, a man who tricked his brother Esau out of an inheritance by impersonating him. His dream comes during his hurried escape from the wrath of his brother to the land of Haran. The ladder in the dream joins heaven and earth and while comforting, is a challenging image of the close and intimate encounter between heaven and earth, God, and Creation.
Can we place this ladder image in our lives? Maybe there are many such ladders linking God and creation? Are we not climbing the somewhat arduous ladder to our heavenly home? Maybe the message to to keep climbing!
In der kirche / In the church
Multyfarnham Friary has many visitors throughout the years. The serenity of our grounds, the Abbey Church and especially the reconstruction of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in the early 1970s, our history since the Friars first arrived here back in 1268, the life-sized Stations of the Cross – all of these draw people to this place.
Sometimes, the Friary says something special to someone and instead of just taking away with them personal memories, take an action to share that with others. And so it is with a visitor to this place, Dr Andreas Boldt, from Maynooth University. Andreas wrote a poem about his visit, and shared that with one of our own friars, John O’Brien OFM. Below, we reproduce Dr Boldt’s poem, in its original German, and with an English translation (kindly provided by Dr Boldt.)
In der Kirche
Juni 2020
Geschrieben in der Dorfkirche zu Multyfarnham, Irland.
Nun sitz‘ ich hier in der Stille,
In der Kirche, im Dorfe, mein Wille,
Weit weg von all dem Tageslärm,
Die Stille und Kühle mein Gesicht wärmt.
Die Stille gibt mir Zeit zur Besinnung,
Die Möglichkeit zur Reflexion und Findung,
Die Kühle gibt meinem Gedächtnis freien Lauf,
Ich bin nachdenklich über Erinnerungen zu Hauf.
Die Kirche und die Ruhe finden mich,
Ich mich selbst finde und Ruhe an sich,
Fühle mich frei, entspannt und bereit für Neues,
Versuch es auch du, und du niemals bereu es.
In the church
June 2020
Written in the village church at Multyfarnham, Ireland.
Now I’m sitting here in silence
In the church, in the village, my will,
Far away from all the daytime noise,
The stillness and coolness warms my face.
The silence gives me time to reflect
The opportunity for reflection and finding,
The coolness frees my memory
I’m pondering about memories to heap.
The church and the quiet find me
I find myself and rest in myself,
Feel free, relaxed and ready for something new,
Try it too, and you’ll never regret it.
Latest Updates
The arrival of Oliver Cromwell in Ireland -1649
Following the rebellion of 1641 and the assertion that was it conceived in the Friary of Multyfarnham, it was no surprise the friary would suffer in its aftermath and in particular, during the Cromwellian campaign in Ireland (1649 to 1653.) Since 1641, the English...
Participating online via our webcam
We invite you to join us via our webcam for all of our services here in the Friary church. These include our weekday Mass with the Franciscan Community, Sunday Mass (and Vigil Mass on Saturday evening) and our very popular Novena Mass to St Anthony, which is...
News
Post-Chapter thoughts
Archbishop Eamon Martin is pictured with Br Massimo (Minister General) and Br Aidan (Minister Provincial) Last week, beginning on Saturday evening, the Franciscans of the Irish Province were joined by representatives of the Franciscans in England and Scotland,...
A new Heaven AND a new Earth!
This week I would like to share a reflection on a highly significant passage from St Paul’s Letter to the Romans, which was the second reading in last Sunday’s Mass. It is Romans 8:18-23, an inspiring text, which confirms the infinite value of God’s Creation, seen in...
“Climb, for all you’re worth!”
Over the past three weeks, the Book of Genesis has featured prominently in the daily liturgy, speaking to us especially of the great Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as their wives, not to mention a host of secondary characters who still play important...
Remember Lot’s wife
Reflecting on the daily readings at Mass from the Book of Genesis, women do not come out smelling of roses! Take Abraham’s wife Sarah, for instance. She is childless but lacks the patience to wait for God to keep his promise to provide that longed for baby. She uses...
Reflection for 12th Week of Church Year
Continuing the theme from last week, the Gospel reading for Monday (Mt 7:1-5) lays down a useful challenge for Christians for the coming days – to be careful in judging others, lest we fail to see the plank in our own eye, while trying to remove splinters from the...
From the desk of Fr Kieran OFM
Transfiguration – God’s divinity and its connection with His humanity
In his reflection this week, which was also his homily last Sunday, Fr Kieran invites us to think about the duality of Jesus, His humanity, and His divinity, and consider how the Transfiguration that we have just celebrated, fits in our understanding of Jesus as God and man.
For the Jewish people at the time of Jesus, the “scandal” was not the death of Jesus on the Cross – after all, the sight of criminals condemned to an horrific death on a cross was not an uncommon sight. However, to speak of resurrection, not at the end of time, (or for some, at all) was a concept for very many that might be considered scandalous.
Kieran weaves these two aspects of Jesus, His humanity and His divinity, and leads us to see this feast of the Transfiguration – Jesus in his divine state – as intrinsically linked with the human Jesus, whose death on the cross, a death that brought with it indescribable suffering and horror, as the divine expression of His love for us.
The Pardon of Assisi
On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week (August 1 and 2), we once again celebrated the Portiuncula, the Pardon of Assisi, here in Multyfarnham.
There is a huge tradition of this feast being observed in Multy; people come from far and near from the start of hte feast, at midday on August 1, until the closing Mass at 6:00pm on August 2. During that time, Mass was available every one and a half hours during the daytime, confessions were available throughout this time, and the Friary Office was open for people to make Mass offerings for the living and deceased.
In his reflection today, Fr Kieran tells us a litle more about this feast that is so important to Franciscans throughout the world. And in his reflection, he considers the idea of ‘home.’ Just as the Portuncula chapel was a dear and beloved home to St Francis, home is a place where we should always finds acceptance, even when not always accepted in other places.
As in the story of the Prodigal Son, coming home can be filled with unconditional forgiveness. And so it is with all of us when we seek the pardon of God. It is a loving embrace, when our Father wants only the best for each one of usAppreciating Grandparents
Love sits at the very centre of our faith and the Gospels themselves tell us that the greatest command of all is to love. Indeed, in St John’s Gospel, we are recognised as God’s children by how we love.
And isn’t it the case for most of us, especially those of us who know or knew our grandparents, that the overriding context of our relationship with them is on their expression of love? Fr Kieran, while reflecting on the Gospel for the Feast of Sts Joachim and Anne, observes that we hear much about parents and children in our readings at Mass but never about grandparents! We read of Joachim and Anne as the parents of Mary, the Mother of God, but not of Joachim and Anne, as the grandparents of Jesus.
Today, we are more aware of the extended family, parents, as well as uncles and aunts, and of grandparents, not least because we are all living a lot longer than in biblical times. And so, we encounter, in a deeper way, the intergenerational love that passes up and down from children and grandparents, much like the imagery of Jacob’s Ladder!
As Kieran suggests: “Ideally, each relationship should provide a firm stepping point as we climb higher and higher to approach God’s love at the very top.”