Multyfarnham Friary has many visitors throughout the year. Our 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.