ModernMonasticism
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Compline hymn – “Beneath Your wings, O Holy One” (Common Metre)

A hymn rooted in the Irish landscape inspired by the ancient compline psalm 91. Continue reading
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“At Evening, God Has Spoken”: A Vespers Hymn on Psalm 110 (76 76 D)

110 has long been one of the traditional psalms of Sunday Vespers. My new hymn, At Evening, God Has Spoken, reflects on that ancient text through the quiet landscapes of the Irish midlands—heathered hills, the Barrow’s waters, and the stillness of evening prayer—resting in Christ our High King through the night. Continue reading
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Divinity in Difference: The Window That Says What We’ve Been Trying to Say

Every now and then, an image comes along that says in colour and light what pages of writing have been circling for years. This stained-glass window feels like that. It gathers the heart of NeuroDivine—the essays, the fiction, the hymns, the poetry—and holds them up to the light with one steady claim: Difference is not… Continue reading
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In the Thin Place of Forty Days

Rooted in the landscape, spirituality, and imaginative tradition of the Irish midlands, the text interweaves the great biblical “forty” journeys—the flood, the exodus, Sinai, the wilderness, and the risen Christ’s forty days—with the sacred geography of Kildare and its surrounding boglands. Drawing on Celtic Christian imagery and the rhythms of creation, it invites worshippers to… Continue reading
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Rule. Dawn. Praise.

This hymn and stained-glass image are inspired by Chapter 13 of the Rule of Our Holy Father Saint Benedict, in which he sets forth the reverent ordering of the Divine Office at Lauds on ordinary days. Rooted in the rhythm of psalmody, canticle, Gospel praise, and litany, the work reflects Saint Benedict’s vision of a… Continue reading
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Shepherd. Host. High King.

This hymn began with a simple wondering: What if Christ doesn’t only meet us at the table, but walks the whole week with us? Faith is rarely confined to sacred hours. It unfolds in Mondays heavy with responsibility, Wednesdays full of noise, Fridays marked by grief, and Saturdays thick with waiting. This hymn traces the… Continue reading
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Psalms. Places. Presence.

Psalms. Places. Presence. Hymns shaped by landscape, memory, and the quiet work of beginning again. A small book of thresholds for anyone who finds prayer in the ordinary. Continue reading
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River. Forest. Abbey.

The River Bann has long been a place of refuge for me. As a Venture Scout, I learned its rhythms from the seat of a canoe—the quiet pull of the current, the soft slap of water against the hull, the sense that the river always knew where it was going. I found the same calm… Continue reading
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Trust. Table. Calm.

A hymn of fear met with trust, bread shared in fellowship, and storms stilled by Christ. Continue reading
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Reading. Reflection. Renewal.

📖✨ One of my Christmas gifts was Doorways to the Sacred: Developing Sacramentality in Fresh Expressions of Church. I tend to open parcels as they arrive rather than wait for the big reveal, so this book has already found its way into my hands. After the recent Church of Ireland Pioneer Gathering, I’ve been reflecting… Continue reading
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Seeds. Scars. Solidarity.

In the grain of wheat, in the dialysis chair, in the scars of memory — prayer becomes fruit. Continue reading
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Silence. Trust. Rest.

After Compline, silence is not emptiness but communion—fertile ground where trust deepens and rest becomes prayer. On this Thursday of reprieve, I let quiet be my healing. Continue reading
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Cold. Dialysis. Light.

On a bitter November morning, the Rule’s wisdom meets the hum of the dialysis machine. Even in the cold, daylight becomes mercy, and faith becomes rhythm. Continue reading
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Measure. Mercy. Murmuring.

Even in weakness, the portion given can be enough—if blessed without murmuring. Continue reading
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Memory. Mercy. Light.

On this island, remembrance is sacred in its complexity—where silence becomes liturgy and music becomes mercy. Continue reading
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Rain. Silence. Mercy.

When silence becomes praise and mercy meets the rain-soaked soil, even the overlooked find their place in the liturgy of being seen. This week’s reflection honours the quiet dignity of showing up—without performance, without apology. Continue reading
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Quiet Giving, Steady

Shelter of Small Sacrifices These passages present a God who protects and corrects, a people invited to tell of that protection, and a Teacher who exposes spectacle and honours the wholehearted gift of the poorest. The sweep moves from communal refuge and reputation, through patient correction that aims to restore, to a quiet instance of… Continue reading
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Tethered, Tried, True

A reflection on enduring constraint with grace—through bloodlines, silence, and fidelity—rooted in spiritual rhythm, resilience, and quiet courage. Continue reading
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Heritage, Worship, and Shelter

Celebrating Celtic sites and launching a €1 brick appeal for Habitat Malawi—small gifts turning heritage into homes and hope. Continue reading
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Pilgrim, Platform, Synod

Early morning journey to diocesan synod—three trains, one tram, no agenda, but full heart. Autistic voice present in Church democracy. Continue reading
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