"We gathered together on Friday afternoon for an opening session, which consisted of a presentation of the history and spirituality of Irish pilgrims and monks," said the meeting's organizers. "It was a moment of discovery of Irish culture and an introduction to our Saturday’s visit to Glendalough. We are grateful to Fr Paddy Hennessy (Vice Provincial of Ireland) for this presentation."
After viewing a short video on monastic life in Ireland, the participants shared their own personal experience of missionary life. After prayer, they joined the Salesians of Celbridge for an evening of fraternity, with the traditional “good night” offered by Fr Wilfried Wambeke (BEN Provincial).
Saturday was dedicated to experiencing first-hand what and how monastic life in Ireland had looked like for centuries and how it is still expressed today by visiting the monastic site of Glendalough.
All them embarked on a pilgrimage of a few hours to recall and refresh the experience of the 2018 Camino de Santiago undertaken by a few missionaries of Project Europe in 2018.
Finally, a new moment of sharing was achieved in which the missionaries present told each other how their presence transformed the realities to which they were destined via Project Europe.
The day ended, on returning to Maynooth, with a Eucharistic celebration and a fraternal moment.
On Sunday, the missionaries had an opportunity to talk about and share the joys and difficulties of everyday life from the perspective of a pilgrim. The introduction was by Fr Gianni Rolandi, from the Missions Dicastery in Rome.
The event ended with the Sunday Eucharist, presided by IRL Provincial, Fr Eunan McDonnell, and a last fraternal moment.
