Tobar Mhuire's Greatest Hits!

So, I am currently working on a blog post about the retreat center most popular retreat:The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: The Adventure is Just Beginning. But, as I was typing I realized there was one part of the retreat that is so awesomely amazing that it deserves its own post. And so, this post is dedicated to the song that will be track #1 Tobar Mhuire's Greatest Hits: Father Abraham.

You know…Father Abraham had many sons, and many sons had Father Abraham…I am one of them, and so are you…so let’s just praise the Lord! Not only are these inspiring lyrics, but there was totally awesome actions that go with it. Be honest with yourself. You know and LOVE this song.

If for some sad reason you’ve never heard this little ditty before, check out you the tube video and imgine that these crazy kids are Paige and I.

Paige and I LOVE this song. Paige plays the tune on the uke and I jump around like a crazy person, what can I say, we make a great team! And now that Kate has joined the team, we both jump around like crazy people! In my experience, there’s no better way to start the day with 11 year olds. I have done this song with every group so far and every time the reaction of the crowd is the same.

First, you make them all stand up and take off their jackets, warning them that about how CRAZY it is going to get. They slowly stand up and while they’re not saying anything, their body language is screaming, “Oh, right… how crazy can two Americas and a ukulele be?” They clearly haven’t met anyone quite like us yet!

Second, you sing the song to the group. At this point, they stare at you in disbelief… “Oh, no…I am NOT singing that!”

Third, the call and response… they are still staring and you need to work really hard to get them all to sing along. At this point, you need to remember, they are only 11. They haven’t reach the “I’m way to cool for everything” stage so just stay strong.

Fourth, you make it through the song for the first time and call out the first motion “RIGHT ARM.” Now the tides begin to change. A few smiles being to crack…

Fifth, “RIGHT ARM, LEFT ARM,” even the “cool guy” begins to give in to the awesomeness.

Sixth, there is a scientifically proven correlation between the number of motions and the amount of laughter in the room. After three or fourth motions, you’ve totally won them over…everyone loving it. I mean really, what 11 year old doesn’t like jumping around in a circle screaming?

Seventh, the big finale…“RIGHT ARM, LEFT ARM, RIGHT FOOT, LEFT FOOT, NOD YOUR HEAD, STICK OUT YOUR TONGUE, TURN AROUND, SIT DOWN!!!” Everyone is laugh, gasping for air, and completely dizzy. What can I say, its good craic!

It’s a crowd pleaser… a guaranteed success. We’ve even had groups request to sing it again at the end! I always say at the beginning that is going to be crazy…and I do not lie about my bible songs

Let's Start at the Very Beginning

Most of us are familiar with the beloved musical, "The Sound of Music." Whenever I think about my first months in Ireland I immediately start singing,

"Let's start at the very beginning,

A very good place to start

When you read you begin with A-B-C

When you sing you begin with do-re-mi

When you start ministry programs you begin with databases"

Wait? That's not right, but it has definitely been my experience! 

I was lucky enough to be able to meet with Fr. John in person when I was still living in Boston. He was able to provide some context for Paige's and my work, and answer some of our questions. We knew going into it that Tobar Mhuire had just reopened as a retreat center (it was actually a school for Passionists students at one point!) and we knew that there was no established youth ministry program in place. But, there was no way to really understand the task that Paige and I had waiting for us. 

Neither of us had any experience in program creation and development, so we had quite a shock when we were shown our office. An empty office with empty desks and empty filing cabinets. There were no databases with previous retreatants, schools, or anything. We didn't even have a specific target audience, just "youth and young adults." There was absolutely nothing.  We were starting completely from scratch.

Building a ministry program is like building a house. You need to have a strong foundation. And that is what Paige and I created. It was hard and tedious work. For the first month, we researched and sought out as many people as we could to meet and talk to about the current climate of youth ministry in Ireland. Unfortunately, there were more un-returned calls and emails than I wish to say. On top of that, the youth ministry was "our project" and as a result Paige and I received very little help from the rest of the Retreat Team. There is a real value in begin an independent worker. I would like to think that when given a manageable and realistic task, I am self motivated. But, sometimes last year (and this year) I felt isolated and I craved more of a team environment. 

After our preliminary assessment of youth ministry in the North of Ireland, we moved into the database and brochure making period. Paige and I made databases for everything under the sun - primary schools, high schools, other youth ministry programs in the area, dioceses and many, many parishes. And after the databases and brochures had been made, we mailed and we mailed. And after the mailing, we waited for the phone to ring. And, it did.

I have now facilitated well over 20 retreats for both youths and adults. I've had opportunities to create prayer services, faith development opportunities and service projects. And, much of that is thanks to the hours that Paige and I dedicated to creating a firm foundation for the youth and young adult ministry to be built on. 

In all honesty, it took almost an entire year to create a functioning foundation. I use the word functioning intentional, because there is still a great need to continue identifying more supporters, collaborators, and allies. But, I have done what I could, and I have done it to the best of my ability. I am proud of what I am leaving behind: a starting point. While they may be few, Tobar Mhuire's youth and young adult ministry does have supporters, collaborators, and allies. Now the task is to continue fostering the relationships that have already been developed and to identify and nurture more healthy working relationships. Good luck 2013-2014 volunteers!    

P.S. I know you all have been humming Do-Re-Mi in your heads. So here you go, have a wee sing-a-long. You know you want too! 

April Holidays: Part 2

After all the excitment of the Easter Triduum, Paige and I adapted well to the Irish tradition of taking off for "Easter Week!" And, Portugal treated us VERY well! Lush accommodations, amazing food and drink, the pool, the beach, and, of course, the sun!  #itsahardlife

April Holidays: Part 1

 A wee sheep, some peeps, pictures from the Easter Vigil, and some beautiful handmade Easter baskets! 

"A Day of Prayer for a Listening Church:" Ash Wednesday 2013

Every year on Ash Wednesday Tobar Mhuire opens up its doors for the whole day and welcomes all those seeking a place for prayer. We have a formal opening and closing prayer service, a reading (or singing) of a lament psalm to mark each hour, and continuous adoration of the Blesses Sacrament. This year the day was entitle "A Day of Prayer for a Listening Church," which fits into our Lenten theme of storytelling. It was a day for us, as a Church, to listen to God's story.

Kate and I took on the responsibility of planning the opening prayer service, and we really enjoyed the experience. We wove together more tradition elements, like Taize style singing, and more creatively elements, like ending the service with the opportunity for those present to illustrate how their individual story fits into the ultimate story of salvation. (Yep, crayons in the chapel!) And, yours truly gave the reflection!

Enjoy my thoughts on God's story, our stories, and the words spoken as we receive our ashes!

"Today is very special day in the life of the Church. Today marks the beginning of Lent. Through these next 40 days we are going to be remembering and retelling the story of Jesus’ last days.  It is a suspenseful story full of unexpected twists and turns. It is a story of broken relationships, a story of betrayal, a story of heartbreak, but ultimately, it is a story of love. It is the story of God’s great and unending love for humanity. It is the story of God’s only begotten Son who offers his life so that we might gain salvation. In my opinion, it is the greatest love story ever told.

For those of you who read our brochure, you would know that we entitled today as “A Day of Prayer for a Listening Church.” Today is an opportunity to listen to God’s story and allow ourselves to be inspired, refreshed, and challenged by it. God’s story is the story of salvation. It is the story of our salvation.

What I like to call the greatest love story ever told, theologians like to call Salvation History.  What is Salvation History? Well, you already know the answer…because you just heard it. It is the creation story, it is the story of the Ark, of Abraham and Sarah, of Moses. It is the story of the prophets and the early Church. Salvation history incorporates all of the Bible stories that we hold dear to our hearts. Ultimately, it is the ongoing story of the relationship between God and humanity.  

The climax of the story is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now, I use the word climax intentionally, because it is not the end. While in a few weeks we will celebrate Good Friday and reverence the cross on which our salvation was won, it is not say that the story is over.  There is no question about God’s promises, salvation has been won, but the story continues to unfold around us. Just as the Old and New Testament figures had their role to play in salvation history, so do we.

What an honour, to have a part to play in the story of salvation. Think about that for a second. Maybe even say quietly to yourself, “I have a part to play in the story of salvation.” Let the magnitude of that statement sink in.

When I was writing this reflection, that statement caught me off guard. I never thought about how my very existence is part of the story of salvation, or at least I never thought about it in those exact words.  As I let myself take in that statement, I had so many thoughts running through my head. First, I was amazed that I would have my own unique contribution to make. Then, I got all excited as I thought about what I am going to do and what my role is going to look like. And then, I panicked, “What can I do?”

That is a serious soul-searching question, “What is my part to play in the story of salvation?” And, it began to overwhelm me. I found solace in a somewhat surprising place. I found solace in the words that are spoken as we receive our ashes. “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.”  It is that simple. Every day I need to wake and decide to turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel. It’s also that challenging. Every. Day. I need to wake up and decide to turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.

By choosing to turn away from sin we open ourselves up more completely to God. But not allowing sin to creep into our lives we create a space or a home for God in our heart. And as for begin faithful to the Gospel, just think of the golden rule. “Love the Lord your God will all your heart, all your mind and all your soul. And love your neighbour as yourself.” If we take this command seriously, every moment of our lives provides us with an opportunity to be faithful to the gospel.

The words spoken as we receive our ashes can be our starting point, but where we end up is the exciting part! Just think about it. What if tomorrow morning we all woke up and tried our very hardest to turn away from sin and tried to the best of our ability live as faithfully to the Gospel in our everyday lives, where would we end up? It’s hard to say, but what I do know is that we all would do amazing things; we all would do different amazing things.

We all have different gifts, talents, interests and careers. That is what makes us special. That is what gives us our own unique story. Thinking about our lives as a part of salvation history is both humbling and energizing. It gives us purpose. It gives our lives meaning beyond the 50, 80, or 90 years that we are blessed with. Our life stories are important and necessary parts the bigger story of the Church and the even bigger story of salvation.

We all have our own unique part to play. So what is yours going to be?"