(27 April - 5 May 2005)

Blessed Edmund Rice

[Personally, I prefer finishing the Novena on the Feast itself rather than on the day before, as this highlights the Feast better.]

To those of you who are preparing your own novena I say ‘Good on you! Get on with it!’  To those of you who may need some help, the following is offered as an example that you may adapt to your local situation.

The Novena will consist of  four parts each day:

    (1)   Reading;

    (2)   Reflection before an Image;

    (3)   Litany of Blessed Edmund;

    (4)   Prayers of Thanksgiving and Petition. 

The material used here has been drawn from many sources and is used with the presumed permission of the clients of Blessed Edmund who first produced it.

1. Reading:

Thankfully, there is a growing  amount of reading material on Blessed Edmund available.  Your local centre should be able to help you. Try also various Edmund Rice websites.  For the Novena, concentrate on  one of the more recent offerings, such as the following, reading prayerfully and reflectively a page or two a day:

Teresa Pirola (2000), God is in the Ordinary – Reflections on the Life of Blessed Edmund Rice (Holy Spirit Province, Australia); Donal S. Blake (1996), A Man for Our Time – A Short Life of Edmund Rice (Veritas, Ireland); Tony Shanahan (new ed., 1998), A Quiet Revolution (Holy Spirit Province, Australia); James A. Houlihan (1997), Overcoming Evil With Good: The Edmund Rice Story (Iona College, NY); Desmond Kyne and Desmond Rushe (1996), Edmund Rice – The Icon Story (Columba Press, Dublin); E.B. Garvey (1996), Give to the Poor in Handfuls – Life of Edmund Rice (St Mary’s Province, Sydney, Australia).

2. Reflection before Image:

There are many images of Blessed Edmund in circulation, some more/less appealing than others. Some of the historical ones are, frankly, not very good paintings, while some of the more modern ones are too sweet, too sugary for some people’s tastes! To those attracted by symbols, the icon created by Desmond Kyne may be the answer. One that appeals to many young people involved in the Edmund Rice Camps is the triptych of the youthful Edmund designed by Irishwoman Teresa O’Regan, sister of Br Jim Donovan of St Helen’s Province.  (The original is in the Visitor Centre at Westcourt in Callan.)  I recommend, as an experiment, that this be the image used for our novena this year.  Please send me in your reactions to its use.  What follows is Teresa’s own reflection on the painting she produced:

“Alone, abandoned, through suffering, handicap, poverty, The least of the little ones looks out from the darkness – From under the shadow of the cross. Edmund’s hand is extended above her In a gesture of loving protection. A bare tree echoes the cross And evokes winter, ‘this birth season of decease’. The red pall of suffering gradually  yields To the emerging red-gold light of the new dawn.   The figure represents both Edmund Rice And his enduring spirit embodied in his followers.

        The glow of the Resurrection Morning,

        The light of the Risen Christ,

        Emerges as from within the figure of Edmund.

        His rough textured garment reflects a life of struggle,

        Its red colour the paradox:

        Out of suffering new hope is born.

        Edmund’s hand is raised in blessing

        Above the heads of children

        Representing the many strands

        Of the modern family of Edmund Rice.

        Under his arm wheat ripens.

        The seed sown in love

        Continues to yield a rich harvest,

        The tree is aflame with the fire of autumn.

        In the background, the road winds ever upward.

        The journey begun at Callan is never ending.”

3. Litany of Blessed Edmund Rice  (Single click the left mouse button to be taken to the site)

4. Blessed Edmund Prayers of Petition (Single click the left mouse button to be taken to the site)

5. Prayer for a Favour  (Single click the left mouse button to be taken to the site)