by Sr. Sheila Devane MMM                 Ireland                    26.02.2025

In Ireland, as in some other countries, there is a special devotion to the Child of Prague. Brides seeking a fine day for their wedding traditionally put a statue outside in the open – preferably in the garden- praying that the rain stays away. This works with varying success – a rain free day in Ireland is a big ask and if it happens is a huge gift!

On January 25th here in the Motherhouse in Beechgrove, Drogheda, Ireland we planned a special celebratory event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of our beloved foundress Mother Mary Martin.  January in Ireland is winter and can be a month of really challenging weather but it is the variation and changeable nature of Irish weather, especially at this time of year, that proves especially difficult for anyone planning a January event!

I decided to do my bit and play my part in beseeching God for a mild day or at least one without too much rain, snow, sleet, or storms so that guests could travel and the day be honoured.  The forecast was looking grim, indeed serious, as the meteorologists, day after day, in the week leading up to the event warned of storms, orange alerts and most of all a red alert – the most serious weather alert possible- for the day before in what has been called ‘Storm Eowyn.’

A friend had travelled to Prague some years ago and decided to bring me back a gift: there it is the tiniest of tiny statues of the Child of Prague.  It is sitting beside a teaspoon in the photograph to illustrate its diminutive size.  Looking at it I wondered if something so small would “work” but, remembering that ‘small is beautiful’ , I placed it in a shrub outside the door and hoped it would not get lost in the soil or be blown away or indeed forgotten (by me!)  I looked at it each time I passed and said a prayer ………..always asking for a mild day.

The bad weather forecast continued – not only was Storm Eowyn forecast but another storm with a Spanish name – Hermina – was coming on its tail.  How could this be?  So, Friday was to be the apex of Storm Eowyn and Storm Hermina was due to begin on Sunday morning.

I travelled to Drogheda on Thursday as all non-essential travel was banned in Ireland on Friday 24th and we experienced one of the worst and most devastating storms in our recorded history – as I write on Feb 3rd thousands of homes, businesses, and farms still remain cut off from electricity & phone connections and some are still without water too.

Fortunately, the east coast of Ireland did not experience the devastation of those areas on the Atlantic Ocean – all along the western seaboard.  Saturday was a beautiful, dry, sunny, mild day in Beechgrove; most guests were able to travel and we had a memorable celebration unmarked by any weather catastrophe.  On the following day, returning to Dublin, Storm Hermina was making its presence felt as the wind blew the car along the motorway, trees were shaking, it was raining and the grey sky was ominous.

We were blessed to have had a day of anniversary remembrance between the two storms, to have been able to gather, to travel in safety and not to have experienced the destruction and chaos prevalent in much of the country.

I am thankful to the Child of Prague and I think too that ‘the lady of the day’ – our dear Mother Mary Martin – once again worked her magic or miracle and made sure that we were able to be where we wanted to be.  Travelling is so much part of our MMM lives and we all have weathered a few storms too – on that occasion we were certainly living between two of the biggest!
With gratitude for a very happy and safe celebration!