The fourth joy: The Presentation in the Temple and Simeon’s blessing.   In O’Brien’s painting of The Presentation we recognise that the artist has preferred depth of meaning over realism: the child is not a six-weeks-old infant but the Light of the Nations and the fulfilment of the scriptures as suggested by the book he […]

Fr La’s weekly ‘Pause and Ponder’ from along the Pilgrim Path at Lough Derg. This week’s reflection – ‘The Quarry and the Cross’. Emerging from the trees, our Pilgrim Path swings to the left and opens up in surprise on a view of this one-time quarry. Its stone was used to found the forest roads. […]

Update 1 May 2021 The easing of Public Health restrictions is a welcome announcement by the Irish Government. The phased relaxations announced for the 10th May and the 7th June do not as yet offer Lough Derg the opportunity to begin with activity at the Lakeshore. The gathering of 15 persons in an outdoor setting […]

The Third Joy of St Joseph is read by Maebhe McMullan In O’Brien’s painting of The Nativity, the influence of the icon tradition is unmistakeable. The tree in the image recalls the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden and the stag refers to the poetry of The Song of Songs celebrating the arrival […]

Fr La’s weekly ‘Pause and Ponder’ from along the Pilgrim Path at Lough Derg. This week’s reflection – ‘Harvest in Spring’.     Harvest and Spring – how rare they come together! Yet this year it is so.  On the forest slopes above the Pilgrim Path they are harvesting timber,   the men and their great […]

The Second Joy of St Joseph is read by Josh Treacy.  As soon as we meet St Joseph in Matthew’s Gospel we are told that his relationship with Mary is in crisis.  Mary is expecting a baby.  Joseph knows that this child is not his.  What is he to do? Joseph wants to resolve the […]

Fr La’s weekly ‘Pause and Ponder’ from along the Pilgrim Path at Lough Derg. This week’s reflection – ‘Support Structure’.    It was the fresh green growth that caught my eye: wild woodbine on the move. In a twisting caress the strands of an earlier season embrace each other in mutual support. Over the weeks […]

Welcome to The Seven Joys of St Joseph, a weekly reflection from Lough Derg. The first joy: Joseph is betrothed to Mary. The first thing that we hear about Joseph in the gospels is that he was betrothed to Mary.  Michael D. O’Brien represents the betrothal in an imaginative composition that features Joseph and Mary’s […]

Lough Derg is adding to its online Prayer Resources with a new series of reflections on ‘The Seven Joys if St Joseph’. The video reflections will be published on our companion website www.loughderg.live  Fr La Flynn, Prior, offers an introduction to this new series of reflections. The series will begin on Thursday 15 April and […]

Fr La’s weekly ‘Pause and Ponder’ from along the Pilgrim Path at Lough Derg. This week’s reflection is ‘Roots Unseen’.   Roots do their really vital work unseen; they come into view only when in trouble.   Sometimes with violence in a storm of wind the force above proves too much for the hold below […]