Suaimhneas Chaoimhin, began in 1998, as part of a Jubilee Year project and the Sisters of Mercy were invited by the Archdiocese of Dublin to run the Centre. Srs. Kathleen Delaney and Mary McKeever came to Glendalough to provide that service. In 2001, the hermitages were officially opened and blessed on the Feast of St. Kevin, 3rd June. A Board of Directors has since been set up and we now operate as Glendalough Hermitage Centre.
Our vision and our main focus is to enable people to:
(1) reconnect with the roots of their deepest spiritual energies
(2) experience the presence of God within their own inner being as they experience the presence of God in the peace and tranquillity of the sacred valley of Glendalough. We also seek to provide a hospitable space for all who stay with us.
“Come away to a quiet place all by yourselves and rest awhile” Mark 6: 31
Glendalough Hermitage Centre offers people an opportunity to experience a hermit’s way of life. This may involve a short stay of a few reflective days or a more lengthy time of silence. One doesn’t need any previous experience of being in a space of silence and solitude, to come to our Centre. The only precondition is that you are on your own personal and spiritual journey. To support our guests on their pilgrim path, we offer morning and evening prayer, in our beautifully appointed prayer room. There is daily Mass in the adjacent St. Kevin’s Church and spiritual direction is available, when requested.
We have 5 purpose-built, self-catering hermitages – 2 twin and 3 single. They are furnished in a simple but comfortable style and are equipped with all modern conveniences. We request a minimum stay of 2 nights, to allow our guests to have a meaningful experience of peace and quiet. We welcome people from all around the world: old and young, male and female, lay and religious, all faiths and none. Our retreatants come for many personal reasons, but all are seeking inner peace, “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding”, Phil. 4: 7.
Glendalough Parish Church
Though our main ministry is to our retreatants, we are also involved in leading pilgrimages in the Monastic Site and facilitating prayer groups. We have welcomed and continue to welcome groups from schools, parishes, staff and leadership teams. Most of the groups come from Ireland, but we have prayed with and guided a number of groups from Australia and America.
A third dimension to our ministry is Tranquillity Sunday, Centering Prayer and School Meditation. Tranquillity Sunday takes place on the first Sunday of the month, from September to May, from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm. It is a day that affords an opportunity to celebrate the Sabbath in prayer, silence and rest. People are free to join for part or all of the prayer sessions. Centering Prayer, is open to all: parishioners, friends, visitors and retreatants. It is led by one of the Sisters or a parishioner every Thursday at 7.30 p.m. Finally, we connect with the local school, Scoil Naomh Chaoimhin, for meditation. The confirmation children and their teacher participate in this guided exercise, with Sr. Doreen.
We continue to forge links globally and locally. We had the launch of our new website in 2011 and in September of the same year, we celebrated our 10th birthday with a Fr. Liam Lawton inspirational concert, in St. Kevin’s Church. Of course, the big event for us, each year, is St. Kevin’s Day on the 3rd June. Every year, we offer a variety of prayer experiences linked with the spirit of St. Kevin and the heritage of Glendalough. This year’s programme has not yet been finalised, but our hope is to walk the pilgrim path of Sli Chaoimhin and to run some parallel workshops. We are also sourcing a key speaker for the event. Updates will be available on the website.
To all who support our endeavours by prayer, visiting or donation, we say mile buiochas, beannachtai agus go n-eiri libh go leir.(a thousand thank you’s, blessings and best of luck to you all).
Margaret Prendergast rsm, Kathleen Delaney rsm and Doreen Figueiredo rsm Hermitage Team
South Central Province
