Charity Reports

In 2019 there were six residents living in the community in Muintir Mhuire, young men who felt the need for ‘time out’ for various reasons and /or rehabilitation. They followed a programme of prayer and working in the gardens and greenhouses and providing all their own vegetables. They worked, too, on the maintenance of buildings and grounds. The ethos is one of love and respect for the individual and each resident was encouraged to make use of his gifts and abilities in a supportive community atmosphere which did much to raise self-confidence and improve mental, emotional and, indeed, physical health.

The charity has an outreach programme through its shops in Youghal and Midleton. The Muintir Mhuire residents also gave help in collecting and sorting materials and in the shops themselves. Through this, they learnt further skills -of communication, organising, management and learning to integrate into the wider community all of which went to raise the self-esteem of those who had little confidence in themselves..

In our belief that God is the primary healer and recognising the importance of spiritual development as equal to physical, mental and emotional, a number of our activities were prayer centred. The residents prayed together each day. On Thursday nights a holy hour was held in the chapel and was open to non-residents. Also open to non-residents were prayer meetings for families held in the open air around the Blue Cross, symbolic of Medugorje. On the anniversary of the death of Father Donal, our founder, Bishop Crean said Mass for the Community and friends. In the spirit of fostering a Christian and caring community, all these events were followed by a cup of tea or coffee and a chance to chat.

Tea or coffee and a chance to chat were also part of the outreach programme where people may have come into the shops to browse and found a warm welcome, a listening ear, an offer of prayer and, often, respite from loneliness. If they were in very poor circumstances financially they could get something at little cost or, sometimes, at none, if necessary.