10 year Anniversary of the Margaret Aylward Centre:
This special occasion coincided with the feast of St Brigid. Brigid became a woman of special significance to Margaret Aylward and the Holy Faith sisters, bringing light and hope to many in darkness and dedicating her life to building peace, caring for those in need and living in harmony with God’s creation.
The story of the Margaret Aylward Centre over the past 10 years illustrates the courage and vision of the Holy Faith sisters. In building the Centre they gave new expression to Margaret Aylward’s ministry and mission to reach out to those on the margins, to support women and to strive for a more just and inclusive society. Many lives have been touched, supported and even changed by coming to the Centre, experiencing a deep sense of peace in the beautiful surroundings, both inside and out, by meeting others, by encountering new ideas, and by finding a place where they belonged.
Over the past 4 years, life and the world has been altered dramatically and as people of faith, it calls for a response rather than a reaction. The Centre adapted incredibly well to the challenges of the pandemic, providing nourishment, richness and a sense of community for people online when they could not gather in person. That need for community, for nourishment, for encounter has only deepened in the last 2 years as we have tried to resume some semblance of normality against the backdrop of the enormous suffering across the world.
At the same time, more and more people are awakening to a sense of God’s presence around them in the ordinary unfolding of everyday, and especially in the miracle of creation and we find our hope in our trust that God is always at work in each of us, creating an opportunity for each of us to be a light in the darkness, even as we cannot see the path ahead.
Having Margaret Aylward’s lantern on this evening reminds us of the light and hope which she, like Brigid, brought to those who were hungry, forgotten and unwanted. Part of the vision for this Centre was to be a “lantern on the hill”, so as we give thanks for all that the last 10 years has given and all those of you who have journeyed with us, perhaps we can work to ensure that the flame in this lantern shines even more brightly, and further afield than it already does.
The Centre often touches people with its peace and beauty, opening us to the sacred in ourselves and others. We pray it will increasingly become a resource for this locality, for all those in need of nourishment or sanctuary, and will fan the flame of hope in each of us, reaching out from and inviting all into this place of prayer, peace and encounter. Click HERE for a video timeline of the Centre
Dympna Mallon
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