September 2023: Book Reviews

A QUIET SPACE
A Short History of the Sanctuary

Sr Stan Kennedy and Sr Síle Wall
Veritas Publications, 2023
978 1 80097 076 2 • €16.99/£15.30

Described as one of the best kept secrets in Dublin, for the past twenty-five years the Sanctuary has been a centre of peace and meditation tucked away behind the Lodge at Stanhope Green, in the Stoneybatter/Grangegorman area of Dublin. Based in the tradition of Christian meditation and inspired by the vision of Mary Aikenhead and her Religious Sisters of Charity, the Sanctuary welcomes people of all faiths and traditions and none. Participants can become involved in its extensive programme of classes, courses, conferences, creative activities and retreats. Sr Stan Kennedy and Sr Síle Wall describe the work of the Sanctuary as responding to ‘hidden need, social, psychological and spiritual.’ The Sanctuary also offers online resources as part of its mission to promote mindfulness and compassion in a world that appears to be in a constant state of crisis of one kind or another. The traditional institutions while still helping to maintain this vision are nonetheless diverted and in some disarray having lost their allegiance and relevance for many lives. The aim of the Sanctuary is to enable a form or reconnection to take place within and between people and their environment. This colourful and informative little book of 92 pages gives a history and personal accounts of those who have created, used and maintained this oasis of calm that is open to all. The royalties from the book go towards the work of the Sanctuary.

– Reviewer: Fr Paul Clayton-Lea
  Intercom, September 2023