Come & See Inspirations (C&SI)

This Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday, taking its name from the gospel reading of the 4th Sunday of Easter from the gospel of John and his account of the parable of the Good Shepherd. In Ireland, it is also known as Vocation Sunday as it is a day set aside for prayer for vocations to priesthood and the religious life.
On part two of the podcast this week we share three different pieces linking into the theme of vocation:
Fr Mike Schmitz reflects on "What's my vocation? What should I do with my life?” It’s a question on many hearts, maybe even our own. He gives some direction that can lead to an answer for ourselves or someone we know. He shares how a vocation is more than just figuring out whether we’re called to married life or religious life, and it’s about more than just finding out what we like to do. As he breaks down three different types of vocation we all have, he draws a practical path we can follow to pursue holiness.
 Fr Conor McGrath shares how he promotes faith and the call to the priesthood through short video clips on Instagram and Facebook taken from an interview on The Way.ie
During their Spring meeting, the Bishops launched a Vocations Monstrance blessed by Pope Leo. Bishop Phonsie Cullinan of Waterford of Lismore, who chairs the Bishops’ Council for Vocations, highlights the central role of prayer in nurturing vocations, said, “The Holy Father Pope Leo XIV blessed our new monstrance in the Vatican last November, which has been designated as a Vocations Monstrance.  The bishops’ launch today marks an important moment in the Church’s ongoing commitment to promote and foster vocations to the priesthood and to religious life.  Our monstrance will be travel around the island of Ireland to focus minds and hearts, and to ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into the fields of people’s lives today.  As Catholics, we all share the important responsibility to build the Kingdom of God as we practice our faith.....Our initiative aims to encourage prayer for vocations and to deepen young people’s awareness of God’s call in their lives". Interview from The Way.ie.
Text us at +353 874668950 or email at [email protected]

This Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday, taking its name from the gospel reading of the 4th Sunday of Easter from the gospel of John and his account of the parable of the Good Shepherd. In Ireland, it is also known as Vocation Sunday as it is a day set aside for prayer for vocations to priesthood and the religious life.
On part two of the podcast this week we share three different pieces linking into the theme of vocation:
Fr Mike Schmitz reflects on "What's my vocation? What should I do with my life?” It’s a question on many hearts, maybe even our own. He gives some direction that can lead to an answer for ourselves or someone we know. He shares how a vocation is more than just figuring out whether we’re called to married life or religious life, and it’s about more than just finding out what we like to do. As he breaks down three different types of vocation we all have, he draws a practical path we can follow to pursue holiness.
 Fr Conor McGrath shares how he promotes faith and the call to the priesthood through short video clips on Instagram and Facebook taken from an interview on The Way.ie
During their Spring meeting, the Bishops launched a Vocations Monstrance blessed by Pope Leo. Bishop Phonsie Cullinan of Waterford of Lismore, who chairs the Bishops’ Council for Vocations, highlights the central role of prayer in nurturing vocations, said, “The Holy Father Pope Leo XIV blessed our new monstrance in the Vatican last November, which has been designated as a Vocations Monstrance.  The bishops’ launch today marks an important moment in the Church’s ongoing commitment to promote and foster vocations to the priesthood and to religious life.  Our monstrance will be travel around the island of Ireland to focus minds and hearts, and to ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into the fields of people’s lives today.  As Catholics, we all share the important responsibility to build the Kingdom of God as we practice our faith.....Our initiative aims to encourage prayer for vocations and to deepen young people’s awareness of God’s call in their lives". Interview from The Way.ie.
In part one we have our regulur liturgical odds and ends including a reminder to listeners that next Thursday is May Eve which in Ireland has the tradition of going out to bless the land and gardens and seek God's blessing on the crops for the summer ahead. Also of course, May is the month dedicated to Mary so a reminder to set up your May altars next week.
In part three we have our weekly reflection on the Sunday gospel which this weeks is from John 10:1-10 and the parable of the Good Shepherd. As well as reflecting on the call to vocation the gospel also asks us the question, are we listening for the voice of Jesus in our lives?
Text us at +353 874668950 or email at [email protected]

On this weeks programme excerpt, John and Shane are delighted to speak to Sr Jennifer McAleer about the unique story of Ellen Organ, originally from Waterford and who lived and died in Cork aged just four years old and yet whose love of the Eucharist and of the Child Jesus led to a Pope changing the rules around when children could receive Holy Communion for the first time. Ellen, known as Little Nellie of Holy God was a unique little girl coming from very difficult family circumstances including the death of her mother from TB, and who end up living in the Good Shepherd Convent in Sundayswell in Cork with her sister Mary. But she demonstrated a most unusual awareness and relationship with God, a devotion beyond her years for the Eucharist and a close intimate friendship with the Child Jesus - or Holy God as she constantly called him. We discuss with Sr Jennifer the story of Little Nellie's life, her tragic death, the current status of unofficial devotion to this little angel of God and what her example says to us in 2026.
Mystics of the Church blog - Nellie Organ
Cork ECHO - Little Nellie of Holy God: A bright light in Good Shepherd’s pained past
Text us at +353 874668950 or email at [email protected]

On this weeks programme, John and Shane are delighted to speak to Sr Jennifer McAleer about the unique story of Ellen Organ, originally from Waterford and who lived and died in Cork aged just four years old and yet whose love of the Eucharist and of the Child Jesus led to a Pope changing the rules around when children could receive Holy Communion for the first time. Ellen, known as Little Nellie of Holy God was a unique little girl coming from very difficult family circumstances including the death of her mother from TB, and who end up living in the Good Shepherd Convent in Sundayswell in Cork with her sister Mary. But she demonstrated a most unusual awareness and relationship with God, a devotion beyond her years for the Eucharist and a close intimate friendship with the Child Jesus - or Holy God as she constantly called him. We discuss with Sr Jennifer the story of Little Nellie's life, her tragic death, the current status of unofficial devotion to this little angel of God and what her example says to us in 2026.
Mystics of the Church blog - Nellie Organ
Cork ECHO - Little Nellie of Holy God: A bright light in Good Shepherd’s pained past
In part one we have our regular run through the liturgical odds and ends including the Pope's Prayer Intention for April 2026, praying for priests in crisis, the Easter Message of His Beatitude  Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem as well as a run through the saints of the week ahead. 
In part three we have this week's gospel which is Luke's account (Luke 24:13-35) of the Walk to Emmaus and the encounter of the two disciples with Jesus on the road away from Jerusaleum and how "they recognised him in the breaking of bread".
Text us at +353 874668950 or email at [email protected]

On this weeks podcast we are sharing an interview from The Way with former League of Ireland footballer Gerard Hanley. From the series "God's Call: My Faith Journey", Ger shares his faith journey and how he came to find his identity in Christ and his work with Alpha Youth rather than in his career as a footballer.
Text us at +353 874668950 or email at [email protected]