Venerable Fr John Sullivan SJ, who will be beatified on Saturday Today we conclude our reflections on the life and spirit of Fr John Sullivan ahead of his beatification tomorrow. We continue with some excerpts from his prayers and sayings. You’ll never have to fight alone in this world, although we leave our Divine Lord to fight alone constantly. The Holy Ghost will write in invisible ink on our hearts. …
Ireland
May 12, 2017
Venerable Fr John Sullivan SJ, who will be beatified on Saturday We continue our celebration today of the impending historic beatification of Fr John Sullivan with some reflections today and tomorrow on his prayers and writings. This is not an easy task, as there are not very many of them. Fr Fergal McGrath SJ, his first and probably most important biographer, says that it is as if Fr Sullivan went …
May 11, 2017
Venerable Fr John Sullivan SJ, who will be beatified on Saturday We continue our reflections on the life of Fr John Sullivan who will be beatified this coming Saturday in Dublin. He was ordained with Fr Doyle on 28 July 1907 and his beatification is of direct relevance to this blog. His beatification is an important good news story for all of the Church here in Ireland which has suffered …
May 10, 2017
Venerable Fr John Sullivan SJ, who will be beatified on Saturday Today we continue our brief aside in examining and celebrating the life of Fr John Sullivan SJ. He was ordained with Fr Doyle on 28 July 1907, and it is only right that we celebrate his beatification with great joy, for it truly is good and important news for the entire Church in Ireland. Yesterday we gave a very …
May 9, 2017
Venerable Fr John Sullivan SJ, who will be beatified on Saturday Fr John Sullivan will be beatified on Saturday in Gardiner Street Church at 11am. This is wonderful news, but it is also big news. Beatifications and canonisations are rare events, but they are even rarer in Ireland – we have a very poor record at successful “causes”. In fact, Olympic medals are more common than beatifications and canonisations. We …
May 8, 2017
Sallynoggin and Glenageary Parish in County Dublin is hosting an event called Songs of Praise tomorrow evening, May 7 at 7.30pm. This will feature readings about Fr Doyle to commemorate the centenary of his death. Sallynoggin parish borders Dalkey parish, where Fr Doyle was born and grew up. It is good to see Fr Doyle remembered locally in this way. Any readers in the locality are, of course, welcome to …
May 6, 2017
Blessed Edmund Rice Having completed his course of philosophy, Willie returned to Clongowes in 1901 for another period of prefecting. Here he remained for two years, and he was then transferred to the teaching staff of Belvedere College, Dublin, where he spent a fruitful year of labour. For, as the immediate preparation for the priesthood drew near, zeal for souls that was afterwards to become so strong and ardent, began …
May 5, 2017
Venerable Fr John Sullivan SJ It has just been announced that Fr John Sullivan SJ, the Irish Jesuit who was ordained alongside Fr Doyle on 28 July 1907, will be beatified at 11am on 13 May in Gardiner Street Church in Dublin. This will be the first beatification ever to take place in Ireland. This is excellent news. The Church in Ireland needs more saints, especially more contemporary examples of …
April 5, 2017
St Patrick I beg of God whom I love to grant me that I may shed my blood with those strangers and captives for His name’s sake, even though I be without burial itself, or my corpse be most miserably divided, limb by limb, amongst dogs and fierce beasts, or the birds of the air devour it. I think it most certain that if this happens to me, I shall …
March 17, 2017
Venerable Fr John Sullivan SJ I hope every single one of you will have broken every resolution you made in the retreat before the end of the week, and if not then, at least in a fortnight. It will do you good and humble you provided you get up and begin again and do not flop down and lie there on the broad of your back, saying “It’s no use, …
February 19, 2017