Calendar Of Events

Join us as we celebrate May and the coming of Summer through dance and reflection on Wednesday, 24th May. Venue: Solas Bhride Centre Time: 7.30pm – 9.00pm Cost: €15.00 Facilitated by: Terry Hennessy & Betty White “In a society that worships love, freedom and beauty, Dance is sacred. It is a prayer for the future, a remembrance of the past and a joyful exclamation of thanks for the present” - Atwater Rhodes Sacred dance helps bring about harmony between body, mind and spirit and creates a real sense of belonging and a feeling of togetherness. Dancing in a circle to beautiful music helps to develop a sense of community and offers moments of stillness, peace and healing for ourselves, our families and our planet. It is inclusive, enjoyable and FUN. Come dance with us at Solas Bhride Terry & Betty

Without the sun (at its precise distance from us) there would be no life on earth. Without the tilt of our axis, there would be no seasons. These are the cosmic truths within which we have our life, our breath, our being. All that occurs within the course of a year is but an outworking of this relationship with the light of life. Hope Horton -Reflections on the Summer Solstice. The summer solstice invites us to celebrate the nourishing light of the Sun and The Light within each of us. In ancient Ireland, at this time when the sun was at its most powerful it was considered a sacred time. Our ancestors built monuments (Lugh Gur and Newgrange for example) aligning with the annual phases of the sun. At this mid-summer point, we celebrate and appreciate the nourishment we and planet Earth receive from the sun. At this solstice time we raise our hearts in gratitude for the mystery of the sun, the mystery of light and of fire. Let us be open to receive this mystery with an open heart: Creator God You brought fire forth from your burning heart. You seeded it like yeast in each atom, plant and animal, each bird, fish, man and woman. And you gave us a special star, our sun, aflame with a life-evoking energy To make our planet green and fertile, sun-soaked in your love. Pierre Teihard de Chardin.  

Drawing wisdom from ancestral wellsprings. On this pilgrim journey we invite you to spend time in reflection, to visit sites associated with St. Brigid with a long spiritual heritage, to slow the pace and feed the spirit. Date:  Saturday, July 1st Time:  10.30 a.m. – 3.00 p.m. Assemble at Solas Bhride Centre, Tully Road Cost:  €20.00 (Inclusive of tea/coffee) (You might like to bring a packed lunch) This pilgrimage will include a visit to: Solas Bhride Centre St. Brigid’s Cathedral and Fire Temple St. Brigid’s Parish Church St. Brigid’s wells for reflection and ritual Meditative walk in the grounds of Solas Bhride The pilgrimage will be approximately 4 km in length with time at each of the sites to absorb its history and spiritual significance. “At the heart of the longing of all pilgrims lies the hope and dream that, by travelling to a special place associated with the divine, they might somehow be changed and renewed.  ….. As a pilgrim to Kildare, you will be able to contemplate its historic past, nourish your pilgrim heart and imbibe a sense of mystery and timelessness as you walk ancient paths.”  Rita Minehan “Rekindling the Flame: A pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Brigid The pilgrimage will conclude at Solas Bhride Centre.  Afterwards pilgrims may wish to return to the Market Square and visit the Heritage Centre and experience their virtual reality adventure “Legends of Kildare”. N.B. there is a requirement for a minimum of ten participants for this pilgrimage to proceed

Thursday, September 14th Season of Creation Meditation Series “Let justice and peace flow…” “We need to move from a spirituality of alienation from the natural world to a spirituality of intimacy with the natural world.” Thomas Berry Suggested donation:  €5.00 (to support the work of the Centre) In person and online event.. We invite you to join us for the first Mediation during the Season of Creation. The theme for the 2023 Season of Creation is inspired by the words from the Prophet Amos: “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” Amos 5: 24. The invitation is to join the river of justice and peace. St. Brigid, a woman of justice and peace, is renowned for her closeness to nature and her affinity with animals. We can draw inspiration from her and our Celtic ancestors and hold in reverence and respect all creation. There is an urgency for all of us to make visible peace with Earth and on Earth, while at the same time, justice calls us to repentance and a change of attitude and actions. How can we contribute to the flow of the mighty river of justice and peace in this Season of Creation?  What can we do to heal our common home so that it can once again teem with life? First, let us join the mighty river by transforming our hearts.  This is essential for any other transformation to occur. Transforming our hearts could lead to transforming our lifestyles, and the public policies ruling our societies. Our individual actions during the Season of Creation are important. “You cannot go through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Jane Goodall  

Wednesday September 20th Sacred Circle Dance “If people stand in a circle long enough, they’ll eventually begin to dance.”  George Carlin Facilitators:  Terry Hennessy, Betty White  Join Terry and Betty for an enriching experience of circle dance.  They will lead you in simple dance steps to beautiful music. It is a type of dance where anyone can join in. It is inclusive, enjoyable, and FUN. Circle dancing is an ancient tradition common to many cultures.  It formed part of special occasions and rituals. Sacred dance helps bring about harmony between body, mind and spirit and creates a real sense of belonging and a feeling of togetherness. Dancing in a circle to beautiful music helps to develop a sense of community and offers moments of stillness, peace and healing for ourselves, our families, and our planet. The moment is everything. Don’t think about tomorrow; don’t think about yesterday: think about exactly what you’re doing right now and live it and dance it and breath it and be it.” — Wendy Whelan, American ballet dancer “I have no desire to prove anything by dancing…I just dance.” — Fred Astaire, actor/dancer

Thursday, September 21st Meditation during Season of Creation The divine communicates to us primarily through the language of the natural world.  Not to hear the natural world is not to hear the divine.  Thomas Berry Suggested donation:  €5.00 (to support the work of the Centre) In person and online event.. We invite you to join us for the second Mediation during the Season of Creation. The theme for the 2023 Season of Creation is inspired by the words from the Prophet Amos: “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” Amos 5: 24. The invitation is to join the river of justice and peace. St. Brigid, a woman of justice and peace, is renowned for her closeness to nature and her affinity with animals. We can draw inspiration from her and our Celtic ancestors and hold in reverence and respect all creation. There is an urgency for all of us to make visible peace with Earth and on Earth, while at the same time, justice calls us to repentance and a change of attitude and actions. How can we contribute to the flow of the mighty river of justice and peace in this Season of Creation?  What can we do to heal our common home so that it can once again teem with life? First, let us join the mighty river by transforming our hearts.  This is essential for any other transformation to occur. Transforming our hearts could lead to transforming our lifestyles, and the public policies ruling our societies. “If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on our immediate needs. By contrast, if we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously.” ― Pope Francis, ENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI' ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME Our individual actions during the Season of Creation are important. Celebrating creation, participating in cleanups, planting trees and reducing our carbon footprint are some of the immediate actions we can take.

September 22nd Culture Night: Celebrating the Autumn Equinox, a time of Balance Winter is an etching, Spring a watercolour, Summer an oil painting, and Autumn a mosaic of them all.” – Stanley Horowitz Admission free: The Autumn Equinox heralds a season filled with change, celebrates the harvest and ushers in the brilliant beauty of letting go. Our Celtic ancestors being an agricultural people were very attuned to the rhythm of the seasons. They marked the Autumnal equinox as a turning point in the year and there are many sacred sites in Ireland that were built in alignment with the rising and setting sun at equinox times. During our Autumn Equinox celebration we will rejoice and give thanks for the fruits and crops of the earth which sustains all life. We will reflect on legends of St. Brigid and the challenge they pose for us re issues of ownership of the fruits of the earth, food shortage and food distribution, poverty, climate change and displacement. We will celebrate with music, poetry and ritual.

Thursday, September 28th Meditation during the Season of Creation The natural world is the larger sacred community to which we belong.  To be alienated from this community is to become destitute in all that makes us human.  To damage this community is to diminish our own existence.  Thomas Berry Suggested donation:  €5.00 (to support the work of the Centre) In person and online event.. We invite you to join us for the third Mediation when we reflect together on the theme. The theme for the 2023 Season of Creation is inspired by the words from the Prophet Amos: “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” Amos 5: 24. The invitation is to join the river of justice and peace. St. Brigid, a woman of justice and peace, is renowned for her closeness to nature and her affinity with animals. We can draw inspiration from her and our Celtic ancestors to hold in reverence and respect all creation. There is an urgency for all of us to make visible peace with Earth and on Earth, while at the same time, justice calls us to repentance and a change of attitude and actions. How can we contribute to the flow of the mighty river of justice and peace in this Season of Creation?  What can we do to heal our common home so that it can once again teem with life? First, let us join the mighty river by transforming our hearts.  This is essential for any other transformation to occur. Transforming our hearts will lead to transforming our lifestyles, and the public policies ruling our societies. Our individual actions during the Season of Creation are important. “If we truly showed respect for the sacred, we would cease in its destruction and abuse.  We would seek consent, rather than taking what does not belong to us.  We would not work to destroy that which we don’t understand.  Without the sacred, humanity perishes.” Ruth H Hopkins, Great Sioux Nation member. “The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of making a mistake.” ― Meister Eckhart

Wednesday October 18th Sacred Circle Dance “If people stand in a circle long enough, they’ll eventually begin to dance.”  George Carlin Facilitators:  Terry Hennessy, Betty White  Join Terry and Betty for an enriching experience of circle dance.  They will lead you in simple dance steps to beautiful music. It is a type of dance where anyone can join in. It is inclusive, enjoyable, and FUN. Circle dancing is an ancient tradition common to many cultures.  It formed part of special occasions and rituals. Sacred dance helps bring about harmony between body, mind and spirit and creates a real sense of belonging and a feeling of togetherness. Dancing in a circle to beautiful music helps to develop a sense of community and offers moments of stillness, peace and healing for ourselves, our families, and our planet. The moment is everything. Don’t think about tomorrow; don’t think about yesterday: think about exactly what you’re doing right now and live it and dance it and breath it and be it.” — Wendy Whelan, American ballet dancer “I have no desire to prove anything by dancing…I just dance.” — Fred Astaire, actor/dancer

“At this time of year when nature sleeps, we pause and consider our own humanity as temporal and as eternal beings” Book of Kells.

Thursday November 9th:  In November we Remember. “Everything is stored within your soul within the temple of your memory… John O Donohue Suggested donation:  €5.00 (to support the work of the Centre)     November is the month for remembering. Memories can evoke feeling of comfort and joy, but they can also fill us with sadness and sorrow. Join us for the first Meditation for the month of remembrance. Each session will include a short input, music, reflection and meditation.

Join us for a meditative reflection on how grief can be a bridge between our human inheritance and our legacy.

“If people stand in a circle long enough, they’ll eventually begin to dance.” George Carlin

Join us for a meditative reflection on creation and how we can not only respond but try to deeply understand what loss and grief in nature is saying to us.

Thursday, November 30th – Advent Meditation Series “The season of Advent means there is something on the horizon the likes of which we have never seen before… So stay. Sit. Linger. Tarry. Ponder. Wait. Behold. Wonder. There will be time enough for running.” —Jan L. Richardson, artist   Suggested donation:  €5.00 (to support the work of the Centre)       Advent is a time to pause, to prepare, to wait, to be ready as we prepare to celebrate Emmanuel “God with us”. Advent is an invitation to a place of possibility, a place of depth where transformation can take place. We invite you to join us for the first of three evenings of reflection and meditation on Advent.

Thursday, December 7th – Advent Meditation Series “Let’s approach Christmas with an expectant hush, rather than a last-minute rush.” —Anonymous Suggested donation:  €5.00 (to support the work of the Centre)       We invite you to join us for the 2nd evening of reflection and meditation during the season of Advent Advent is a time to pause, to prepare, to wait, to be ready as we prepare to celebrate Emmanuel “God with us”. Advent is an invitation to a place of possibility, a place of depth where transformation can take place.

Thursday, December 14th – Advent Meditation Series “Light's glory is to dispel darkness. Christ has illumined you with wisdom and the fire of his presence. It has been sparked and kindled in you. Let it blaze.” ― Caryll Houselander, A Child in Winter: Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany with Caryll Houselander Suggested donation:  €5.00 (to support the work of the Centre)       Advent is a time to pause, to prepare, to wait, to be ready as we prepare to celebrate Emmanuel “God with us”. Advent is an invitation to a place of possibility, a place of depth where transformation can take place. We invite you to join us for the final evening of reflection and meditation on Advent.

Saturday, December 16th Sacred Circle Dance “If people stand in a circle long enough, they’ll eventually begin to dance.”  George Carlin Facilitators:  Terry Hennessy, Betty White  Join Terry and Betty for an enriching experience of circle dance.  They will lead you in simple dance steps to beautiful music. It is a type of dance where anyone can join in. It is inclusive, enjoyable, and FUN. Circle dancing is an ancient tradition common to many cultures.  It formed part of special occasions and rituals. Sacred dance helps bring about harmony between body, mind and spirit and creates a real sense of belonging and a feeling of togetherness. Dancing in a circle to beautiful music helps to develop a sense of community and offers moments of stillness, peace and healing for ourselves, our families, and our planet. “We can’t choose the music that life gives us, but we can choose how to dance to it.” — Unknown The invitation is “To dance the dance of God’s own blessed Bríd” Liam Lawton

Thursday, December 21st Winter Solstice – Turning towards the Light  It is here, between the darkness, and the light, that we wait…John Matthews Admission: €15.00 (incl tea/coffee) We invite you to join with us as we celebrate the re-birth of our star the sun and the birth of Christ the Light of the World. From ancient times, people all over the world and our Celtic ancestors, have recognised the importance of this time of the year and celebrated the “return” of the sun in a variety of different ways. It was at this season that the Christian community choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus with the feast of Christmas. It is here, between the darkness, and the light, that we wait, uncertain, seeking the moment that challenges us to believe, in a freshly minted miracle> born every Christmas day. John Matthews In times of darkness, we are invited to turn towards the Light, to seek the Light, to welcome the Light. O Light Invisible, we praise Thee Too bright for mortal vision O great Light we praise Thee for the less: The eastern light our spires touch at morning The light that slants on our western doors at evening, The twilight over stagnant pools at batflight, Moon light and starlight, owl and moth light, Glow-worm glow light on a grassblade, O light invisible, we worship thee. T.S. Eliot “Four Quartets

ST BRIGID AND HER FEAST DAY IN IRISH TRADITION Mount St Anne’s in collaboration With Solas Bhride Centre, Kildare offer a Spring Online Course “Brigid: A Woman, A Life, A Legacy" Dr Bairbre Ní Fhloinn, is recently retired as Associate Professor of Irish Folklore and Ethnology at UCD. She was Director of the MA in Irish Folklore and Ethnology in UCD, a programme she established. She has written widely on many aspects of Folklore and Ethnology. Wednesdays: 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th March 2024 19. 00-21.00 (Irish Time) on ZOOM €50 for full course To book a place please email: secretary@mountstannes.com

THE SPIRIT OF ST. BRIGID IN OUR CONTEMPORARY WORLD Mount St Anne’s in collaboration With Solas Bhride Centre, Kildare offer a Spring Online Course “Brigid: A Woman, A Life, A Legacy" Sr. Rita Minehan is a Brigidine Sister and founding member of Solas Bhride Spirituality Centre in Kildare. She is the author of Rekindling the Flame, a Pilgrimage in the footsteps of Brigid of Kildare.   Wednesdays: 13th March 2024 19. 00-21.00 (Irish Time) on ZOOM €50 for full course To book a place please email: secretary@mountstannes.com

DECODING ST. BRIGID (Eoghan Corry) Mount St Anne’s in collaboration With Solas Bhride Centre, Kildare offer a Spring Online Course “Brigid: A Woman, A Life, A Legacy" Eoghan Corry is the lead travel commentator in Ireland, as well as being a historian, author and broadcaster. Eoghan will draw on his historical background and his travel experience to present a picture of St. Brigid as a saint and demonstrate how her influence and relevance still echoes today.   Wednesdays: 20th March 2024 19. 00-21.00 (Irish Time) on ZOOM €50 for full course To book a place please email: secretary@mountstannes.com