As I write this, I sit at the Knock House Hotel in County Mayo. We are scheduled to leave in a couple of hours after spending our weekend visiting this Shrine to Our Lady that holds an important place in the hearts of many Irish Catholics. This is not to say that this weekend has been completely devoid of humor. Case in point, a little gem from one of my fellow Teach Bhríders (who shall remain nameless):

Knock, knock.

Who’s there?

Knock.

Knock who?

‘s there.

I didn’t get it either.

But I do get the importance of this place. The Shrine is one that celebrates Mary’s place in the Church, leading people to her Son Jesus. The Apparition Chapel itself is a place of simplicity and prayer, and I am glad that this year’s community had the opportunity to make a visit with fellow pilgrims from Clonard Parish.

A busy week awaits us upon our return to Wexford. The next few days will bring meetings introducing parishioners to the new Confirmation prep program, as well as our first liturgy planning sessions for the year. This week will also mark the beginning of regular blog postings for the year: a member of Teach Bhríde will post a blog every Monday and every Friday of every week, providing us an opportunity to look ahead on what the week has in store, as well as reflect on the week’s events once they have taken place. We hope that this will provide a consistent glimpse through the window of Teach Bhríde, and give everyone a better idea of what life here is like on a daily basis. There will, of course, be the random Special Occasion post when we just can’t wait for Monday/Friday, but for the time being, those will be the days to check in.

Keep us all in prayer as we travel back to Wexford, and know that we have held all of our friends, families, and benefactors in thought and prayer during our visit to Knock.