Dear lay apostles,

May God bless you and protect His interests in you and also in your time here on Earth. I am writing to update you and also urge you to pray contemplatively.

In a world where we plug in headphones and lock others out, we have opened the door of our minds to untold voices, images, and opinions, none of them our own. We say we have healthy boundaries, but if we let just anything into our minds, can we really make that claim?

If God’s Kingdom is to come, it is to come through our own thoughts, the fruits of contemplation, pondering, and reflection with God.

My friends, we are busy teaching young people to establish boundaries in their minds through contemplative prayer. We are urging them to consider themselves with God in silence and wonder about their life’s work and passion. The fruits are profoundly encouraging! In a sense, the upside to the age of technology is that young people are so willing to listen to the voices of others. We use this capability to help them relax their bodies and minds and allow God’s presence to be experienced. Because God wants this so much, because God is urging us so strongly in this direction, it has become one of our passions here at DFOT.

We serve the apostolate by teaching contemplative prayer.

My friends, over the years, God has blessed us all through this apostolate. We have been given a lot, true, but we have been entrusted with far more. I, myself am beginning to see and understand the scope of God’s generosity in establishing this apostolate and I am also becoming aware of the enormous divine hope that accompanies it. We must continue to develop and teach contemplative prayer as the remedy for the times.

There exist different types of wars, dear friends. Which one will we fight together?

We, in this apostolate, are fighting a war, with God, for the minds of contemporary mankind. We are using neuroscience as a tool to connect (or reconnect) people directly to God. If the world changes abruptly, who will have the ability to use their minds to determine how to proceed? Who will usher in the solutions for a world numbed with mostly empty stimulation? Anyone can manipulate currencies for profit or consider how to destroy with a bomb, but who are those men and women who can create abundance for feeding hungry people, consoling them and empowering them? And who are those men and women who can see the way through conflict by diplomacy? Who can adapt to a changing world with solutions for immediate problems which can arise overnight? Who can zoom out enough to identify dangerous, but also benevolent trends, in the Church and in the world?

Lay apostles, do not think God is withholding answers. God is sending answers. And maybe God is sending them to you but if you are not set to receive them through contemplative, silent prayer, we won’t get them from you. We can say the same thing about every single teenager we teach to pray. For us, adults? If we are not praying contemplatively, we should be. I tell you all this because I want you to know where our priorities lie at this time. The world is changing and we must also change.

In other news, we have resumed packing and shipping. Those of you who have ordered will have noticed cheaper mailing rates. This also means you won’t be put on any mailing lists or get emails from other organisations. It is easier for us to protect your information. This is important to us for many reasons.

We continue to increase our ministry at our Soul Sanctuary. In addition to First Thursday, Backpack training days, and youth ministry, we are now offering Mass, Confession, and tea and coffee with an open bookshop every Wednesday morning with Mass starting at 10 am. We can do this because of the assistance of another priest who volunteered to serve with us. We certainly need the help so this is great news.

My friends, we have more great news and that is that Father Darragh, our chaplain, can now move into the Sanctuary. This is huge for us, in a myriad of ways. Huge. But we have to provide a home for him (fast). What we need most is a funder who will help us in a big way. If you know of one, please ask him or her on our behalf. Our work is Catholic, contemporary, and urgently needed. Someone must hear this call to partner with us financially. Join me, please, in praying a nine day novena to Our Lady Queen of the Church (prayer at the bottom of this page, beginning tomorrow).

It will take about 50 thousand euros to provide a basic living place for Father Darragh. We simply have to house our Chaplain, my friends. If you have been wondering about whether or not to participate in helping us, please consider helping now.

People can be squeamish about money. I’m very practical. We need to pay our small, young, dynamic staff. We need to develop the property God has designated so that we can provide formation for contemporary people, young and old, and now we need to provide at least one home for one priest. If we can get two homes for two priests, my friends, we will have two priests immediately. That would take approximately 100 thousand euros, which actually isn’t a lot for two homes. Two priests on site would help us enormously. Really, would that not be a great contribution to make to continue the spread of God’s presence in the Sacraments?

Over the years, I often wondered if this mission would pause, slow down, or stop altogether. I confess there have been times when I would have welcomed a pause, or even a stop. But that has not happened. So we have to assume God wants us to advance and I am certain that God wants us to advance, in a very specific way. I believe this is time for boldness. For example, if you know someone with an addiction, they should have an Addictions booklet. If you know someone who experienced tragedy, they should have a Tragedy booklet. If you know someone who is depressed, stressed, or struggling with finances, they should have a booklet. God is serious about us and the world and we must be serious about our commitment to Him. While we have always had permission to print, the writings have not always carried an Official Church Imprimatur. That has changed. You can offer these works with confidence.

Please help us to continue our work of  development and administration. Please help us to find a donor who is excited about young people and virtue based spirituality.  Please pray contemplatively. God wants this from you and actually, we all need this from you.

With love and confidence in the Spirit who unites us,

Anne, a lay apostle

 

Please join me in a 9-day novena to Our Lady Queen of the Church for housing for these priests, pay-roll funds for our small staff and for a number of special intentions. If we all pray together, Heaven will help.

 

Prayer to Our Lady Queen of the Church

Oh Mary, Mother of Jesus and Queen of the Church, I ask you to bless me with fidelity to my vocation.  Assist me in seeing that my service, however humble and hidden, is important to the universal Church.  Strengthen me in times of trial and watch over my family and loved ones.  Help me, beloved mother, to remain faithful to Jesus Christ, your Son, the Returning King.  Amen.

 

Fr. Darragh Connolly talks on Contemplative Prayer

 

 

Transforming Grace contains a full treatment from Anne on the subject of Contemplative Prayer. The booklet Thoughtful Men and Women of God contains an abridged version of the fuller teaching.