The
other programmes apart from parish missions are
at the bottom of this page
Parish
Missions With A Vision
The Vision
When a Parish Mission
is conducted with the right vision it is still
the number one tool for evangelisation and adult
catechesis open to us. That is why I
offer Parish Missions where the aim is to give
the people simple practical steps in spiritual
growth which the local priest can build on later,
and to back-up these steps with simple booklets
which expand on the teaching.
Incidentally, when the emphasis is on teaching
rather than 'atmosphere', the turnout, while very
important, is not the 'be-all'. The focus is on
teaching those who come. Even if there is a
relatively small turn-out, there will still be
far more than at any other form of adult
catechesis that one may hold.
Could a
‘great’ Mission turn out to be a
‘bad’ Mission?
Yes, if it leaves a sense of
anticlimax. For example, if the high point of the
mission is having a great atmosphere during it,
and the local priest cannot continue this
atmosphere, there are risks. If however the focal
point of the Mission is adult catechesis, then
one is giving both the people and the parish
something that can be built on.
The Mission That I
Offer
The focus is primarily on the
teaching element. I have a set of talks which,
while each is separate, yet fit together to form
a programme of catechesis. The normal evening
programme lasts between 50 and 55 minutes,
consisting normally of the Chaplet of Mercy, the
main talk lasting about 25 minutes, prayers for
healing before the Blessed Sacrament and the
blessing with the Blessed Sacrament. The
traditional morning Masses are retained, with a
brief 'thought for the day'.
The Preparation
Parish Missions, like with any
other event, need to be effectively advertised
locally via posters, newsletters etc.
They also need prayer. The
challenges facing people today are great. Real
intercessory prayer is required to ensure that
the Mission speaks into the lives of the people
To help with the preparation, when it is
possible, I like to visit the parish and speak at
the weekend Masses about a month in advance of
the Mission. This is also an opportunity to meet
the local priests and pastoral groups.
Two
Church Parishes
Where there are two or more churches in the
parish, it is actually a bonus to have the
mission on different weeks, and these weeks don't
have to be consecutive. By having it on different
weeks, it gives people who missed the first week,
a second opportunity, while some who attended the
first week may come for a bit of 'follow-up', and
the first week helps to advertise the second
week.
The
Format of the Mission
Pre-Mission Visit
If possible, I
speak at the weekend Masses about three or four
weeks before the Mission as part of the build up
to the Mission - encouraging people to pray for
the mission, to keep the week of the Mission
free, and to invite their friends to it.
After the Saturday evening Mass, I am happy to
meet the local committee who are involved in
organising the Mission.
The
Actual Mission
I give an
introductory talk at the Masses on the opening
Saturday-Sunday of the Mission.
Morning
Masses
During the week,
attendance at morning Mass is encouraged as part
of the intercession for the Mission.
I give a three minute talk at the early Mass;
seven to ten minutes at later Masses. Themes
include the Mass, Our Lady, prayer, the
sacramentals, listening to God's word, the
Church, etc.
Evening
Ceremonies
The
evening ceremonies normally last around 50 to 55
minutes. The talks from Monday to Friday, while
each can stand alone, knit together to form a
unit. I consider 5 nights the minimum for a real
programme. The programme normally consists of
Exposition, the Chaplet of Mercy, a 25 minute
talk, and a Eucharistic Healing Ceremony with
Blessed Sacrament being brought through the
Church in blessing.
Sunday
evening (or some other time)
A
Eucharistic Ceremony for Healing with
the anointing of the sick. (Can include Mass if
desired)
(The organising committee are encouraged to
assist in arranging transport for the elderly and
those invalids who are not housebound. Extra
priests may be required for the anointing of sick
depending on parish size)
Monday
We have an
eternal spirit - remarkable stories of
people who have been declared dead, and what they
said afterwards about that they experienced.
Anne's visions of Purgatory - a place where we
see the full truth about our lives, and any hurt
that we have caused. The importance of facing the
truth about our lives now - and of nourishing our
eternal spirit
Tuesday
Anguish of
the heart. Jesus the answer to the
emptiness in the human heart. Incorporating my
own testimony. Jesus the one who can take away
despair, deliver from suicidal compulsions.
Wednesday
Anguish of
the mind. Sharing Lee Ezell's remarkable
story, what it is to trust Jesus in the practical
situations of everyday life - and to do things
His way.
Thursday
How to
turn Confession into a real sacrament of healing
- (Extra priests needed for Confessions)
Friday
Jesus'
special masterplan for His people - for
Him to live in our hearts, and for us to become
His hands and His voice. The need to be His hands
and voice as we seek to reach the youth. Plus
taking on something practical as a follow-up to
Mission. Presentation of Mission follow-up
sheets.
If
the Mission continues to include the weekend
Masses
The talk on the
Mass itself is transferred from the weekday
Masses, and is given at the weekend Masses. It is
an excellent 'stand alone' talk, so even those
who didn't attend the Mission will hopefully
benefit from it.
Prayer
Workshop
Over the years I
have developed my own methods of prayer. They
work for me, and because they work for me, they
work for many others too. During the Mission, I
normally give an optional workshop, apart from
the main mission ceremonies. Where the Mission
concludes on Friday night, the workshop will
normally be on the Wednesday night after the
Mission. Where the Mission continues to the
weekend, the workshop will normally be given
after the Saturday evening Mass. The workshop
lasts about 50 minutes
Primary
Schools
I greatly welcome
the opportunity, if it is possible, to speak with
the children. Taking them in groups, I usually
give a talk lasting from 10 to 20 minutes to each
group on Jesus as our best Friend.
Confessions
Except when
otherwise occupied, I am available for
Confessions or a word, after all ceremonies while
the main night for Confessions is usually the
Thursday night. When it is possible, (especially
on the Saturday where the Mission continues to
second weekend), I make myself available at other
times also.
Blessing
with laying on of hands
Optional. (For
discussion). If it is included, people are asked
to read Mission Follow-up sheets first, and to
decide on one item as their Mission Follow-up;
then come up for a brief blessing with the laying
on of hands.
Lives
Being Touched
I get many letters from people
who testify to how they have been helped by their
mission. I have selected extracts from three
letters I received after the mission in
Ballykelly, Co. Derry, as an illustration.
Dear Father,
As a parishioner of St. Finlough's, Ballykelly, I
thank you from the bottom of my heart for the
most wonderful and inspirational Mission that I
just attended this week. You truly got your
message across to me and as a direct result I am
after many years taking a major step which I have
kept putting off and putting off.
Dear Father,
Thank you for a very special blessing you gave to
me at Ballykelly Missions. I got a great
spiritual feeling from it. I believe I was sent
to you by Our Lord as I have sat down and talked
to Our Lord to help me strengthen my faith.
Before the mission, I had fallen away from my
faith for a while not knowing what was the matter
with me.
Dear Fr. Doyle,
Words will never express the emotions that I have
since the Ballykelly Mission. You gave me more
millions in a few words than I could ever wish
for. I was at the lowest ebb in my life. Although
I'm not out of the woods yet, the uplift in my
body and mind I just can't express. I now see God
as my strength and my Friend.
Youth Missions
An interesting feature of some
recent Parish Missions was that children's and
teenage missions were held to coincide with the
adult mission. At the same time as the adult
mission was taking place in the Church, the
teenage and children's missions was taking place
in the Community Centre led by lay people. They
were very well attended, and the feedback seemed
very positive.. One bonus of the children's
mission was that it left their parents free to
come to the adult mission. The teenage and
children's missions were given by lay people - I
have contact numbers.
To book
me for a mission
Write or
phone, Fr. Thady Doyle, Shillelagh, Arklow, Co.
Wicklow, Ireland. 053 9429926
The
other programmes I offer
1
Jesus
Power Retreats. Two day retreats or
slightly longer, dedicated to learning how to
live and walk in the power of the Lord; learning
how to become open to this Higher Power, that can
enable us to not merely break compulsions, and
rise above our nervousness and inhibitions, but
also to go a step further in life than we could
go by our own power. These could be most
effective if residential. However non-residential
ones are also an option.
2
Retreats
for priests, sisters, religious, or indeed for
any group - up to 8 days,
3
Days of
Renewal or Afternoons of Renewal,
again with the focus on helping people to become
open to the transforming power of God.
4
Talks to Prayer
Groups or Parents' Groups
etc. including 'Life in the Spirit'
Seminars and pre-sacramental talks, or
talks on aspects of spiritual growth
5
Special ceremonies
like Masses for Healing and
Masses for the blessing of Parents' Prayers for
their children.
6
Half day or one
day retreats for primary school children
either in the school or at a retreat centre with
a teacher present.
7
Triduums,
novenas and retreats along the style of
traditional parish missions.
To
check when I might be available
The list of my
coming engagements is given here on the website,
so a quick way to find out when I may be free is
to log on, and check under "Fr.
Thady's coming public engagements.
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