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Date: 8 August 2026 Location: St. Mary’s, Pope’s Quay, Cork Opening Context We began our meeting with a time of Adoration before reflecting together on the reading. The meeting took place on the Memorial of Saint Dominic, priest, founder of the Order of Preachers. Saint Dominic’s life of prayer and desire to lead others to God offered a fitting context for a reflection on seeking God’s glory rather than our own. Diego Velázquez, Kitchen Scene with Christ in the House of Marth

Opening Reflection This month's selection was inspired by taking my family to see the stage production of The Sound of Music at Cork Opera House on 1 August 2026. I deliberately avoided reading reviews beforehand, wanting to experience the production with fresh eyes. I left genuinely surprised—not only by the quality of the performance, but by how naturally it presented themes of faith, family and vocation. Watching the film again afterwards stirred a sense of nostalgia for a

Date: 25 July 2026 Location: St. Mary's, Pope's Quay, Cork Opening Context We began our meeting with a time of Adoration before reflecting together on the reading. As our meeting took place on the Feast of Saint James the Apostle, we were reminded of his readiness to leave everything behind to follow Christ and his witness of courageous discipleship. Reflection Reading Book: LEAD: The Four Marks of Fatherly Greatness Author: Devin Schadt Pillar: Pillar 4 – Discover the Discip

Date: 11 July 2026 Location: St. Mary's, Pope's Quay, Cork Opening Context We began our meeting with a time of Adoration before reflecting together on the reading. As our meeting took place on the Feast of Saint Benedict, Abbot, we were reminded of his enduring example of faithful discipleship, prayer, and the ordering of one's life towards God. Reflection Reading Book: The Four Marks of Fatherly Greatness Author: Devin Schadt Pillar: Pillar 3 – Assume Your Authority (Embrace

Date: 27 June 2026 Location: St. Mary's Church, Pope's Quay, Cork Opening Context We began our meeting with a time of Adoration before reflecting together on the reading. As our meeting took place on the Memorial of Saint Cyril of Alexandria, and on the Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we were reminded both of the importance of defending the truth of the faith and of Mary's humble example of discipleship, entrusted by God to accompany us in our journey towards Ch

Date: 13th June 2026 Location: St. Mary's, Pope's Quay, Cork Opening Context We began our meeting with a time of Adoration before reflecting together on the reading. As our meeting took place on the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we were reminded of Mary's attentive heart, which treasured all things and pondered them in silence before God—a fitting example as we reflected on overcoming distraction in prayer (source). Reflection Reading Book: LEAD

Date: 23 May 2026 Location: St Mary's Church, Pope's Quay, Cork Opening Context We began our meeting with a time of Adoration before reflecting together on this week's reading. Reflection Reading Book: LEAD: The Four Marks of Fatherly Greatness Author: Devin Schadt Pillar: Pillar 4 – Discover the Disciple (Embrace the Child) Reading: 175 – Identifying the Temple Pages: 403–404 Lucas Cranach the Younger and Workshop (c.1545–1550) Christ Blessing the Children. The Metropolitan

Date: 9 May 2026 Location: St. Mary's Church, Pope's Quay, Cork Opening Context We began our meeting with a time of Adoration before reflecting together on the reading. As our meeting took place during the Easter Season, our reflection was framed by the Church's joyful celebration of the Risen Lord and the new life we are called to live in Him. Reflection Reading Book: The Four Marks of Fatherly Greatness Author: Devin Schadt Pillar: Pillar 3 – Assume Your Authority (Embrace

Date: 25 April 2026 Location: St. Mary's, Pope's Quay, Cork Opening Context We started with adoration before our reflections. Reflection Reading Book: The Four Marks of Fatherly Greatness Author: Devin Schadt Pillar: Pillar 2 – Embrace Your Essence (Embracing Woman) Reading: 68. God's Plan for Your Marriage Pages: 181–182 Christ the Bridegroom (traditional Byzantine icon). Available at: Orthodox in Malaysia (Accessed: 31 July 2026). The reading centres on one of the greatest

Introductory Reflection This month, I would like to share a film that I came across unexpectedly—and which, to my surprise, stayed with me. It is not a film I would have actively searched for, nor one that presents the fullness of the faith as we understand it as Catholics. Yet, it contains something worth noticing. As fathers, we are called to be attentive not only to what enters our homes, but also to how we interpret it. Not every good thing is complete, but even partial t

Date: 11th April Location: St. Mary’s Pope’s Quay, Cork, T23 P8ER Context We began our meeting with a time of adoration, placing ourselves in silence before the Lord. We were grateful to welcome new members, as well as fathers who had been away and have now returned. It was a simple and meaningful start, reminding us of the importance of being present together. Reflection Reading Book: LEAD: The Four Marks of Fatherly Greatness by Devin Schadt Pillar 1: Listening to dis

Date: 28th March 2026 Location: St. Mary’s Pope’s Quay, Cork, T23 P8ER Context We started with adoration before our reflections. Reflection Reading Book: LEAD: The Four Marks of Fatherly Greatness by Devin Schadt Pillar 4: Discover the Disciple (Embrace the Child) Reflection #174: Becoming a Father on Earth as The Father in Heaven (Page 401) Anonymous (n.d.) Christ Healing the Paralytic . Yale University Art Gallery. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File

Introductory Reflection Cinema has a quiet way of entering the home. What we watch shapes memory, and memory shapes how we understand life and faith. For fathers, this carries a simple responsibility: to be attentive to what is welcomed into the family space. A good film can open a door to reflection, to conversation, and even to prayer, without forcing it. Keith & the Movies (2018) Paul, Apostle of Christ (2018) . Available at: https://keithandthemovies.com/2018/03/25/paul-a

Date: 14th March 2026 Location: St. Mary’s Pope’s Quay, Cork, T23 P8ER Context We started with a time of adoration before entering into our reflections. Bosch, H. (c.1505–1515) Ascent of the Blessed . Oil on panel. Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice. Available at: Wikipedia Reflection Reading Book: LEAD: The Four Marks of Fatherly Greatness – Devin Schadt Pillar 3: Assume Your Authority (Embrace Charitable Authority) Reflection #125: Saving From and Saving For (Page 300) Note

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026 Location: St. Mary’s Church Pope’s Quay Context We started our meeting with a time of adoration before our reflections. This helped us quiet our minds and place the meeting under God’s guidance. Reflection Reading Book: LEAD: The Four Marks of Fatherly Greatness Author: Devin Schadt Pillar 2: Embrace Your Essence [Embracing Woman] Reading: 67. A Key to a Successful Marriage Page: 179 Veronese, P. (1563) The Wedding at Cana . Oil on c

Introductory Reflection Cinema can leave a quiet mark on a family. A film watched together does not end when the credits roll. It often continues in memory, in small conversations, and in the questions children ask days later. For fathers, this matters. We are responsible for what enters our homes. Stories shape how sacrifice, courage, and obedience are understood. When we choose carefully, we help form imagination and conscience without noise or pressure. Movie Details Twent

Date: Saturday, 14th February 2026 Location: St. Mary’s Pope’s Quay, Cork, T23 P8ER Context We began our meeting with Adoration. Before speaking or reflecting, we placed ourselves in silence before the Lord. This helped us to slow down and become attentive to His presence. Reflection Reading Book: LEAD: The Four Marks of Fatherly Greatness – Devin Schadt Pillar: Listen to Discern Your Mission (Embracing Silence) Chapter: The Real Infusion (Page 119) El Greco (c.1590) T

Date: Saturday, 24th January 2026 Location: St. Mary’s Pope’s Quay, Cork, T23 P8ER West, B. (1801) The Ascension . Oil on canvas. Denver Art Museum, Berger Collection. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AThe_Ascension%29_by_Benjamin_West%2C_PRA.jpg (Accessed: 4 February 2026). Context We began the meeting with a time of adoration before moving into our reflections and discussion. Reflection Reading Book: LEAD: The Four Marks of Fatherly Greatness — D

Movie of the Month – When History and Conscience Collide Modern storytelling often presents revolutions as heroic turning points—necessary ruptures with the past that promise liberation and progress. Yet cinema occasionally pauses long enough to ask a deeper question: what is destroyed along the way, and who decides the cost? There Be Dragons invites the viewer to revisit one of Europe’s most turbulent moments—the Spanish Civil War—not through ideology, but through conscienc

Fathers of Saint Joseph – Meeting Notes Date: Saturday, 10 January 2026 Location: St. Mary’s, Pope’s Quay, Cork (T23 P8ER) Merisi da Caravaggio, M. (1602). The Taking of Christ . Oil on canvas, 133.5 × 169.5 cm. On indefinite loan to the National Gallery of Ireland from the Jesuit Community, Dublin. National Gallery of Ireland. Available at: https://www.nationalgallery.ie/art-and-artists/highlights-collection/taking-christ-michelangelo-merisi-da-caravaggio **(Accessed: 1