Pope Francis famously urged pastors to be shepherds who ‘live with the smell of the sheep’. This was the appeal extended to the participants of the weekend Mariapolis (27th- 28th June) at the Focolare Centre in Prosperous, on the theme Living Closeness. Around 100 people took part, coming from Belfast, Sligo, Limerick, Galway, Kilkenny, Wicklow and Dublin. Some stayed for the two days, while others dropped in as time allowed.
Padraic Gilligan giving the main reflection on Saturday, drew on a personal experience to illustrate how not to live closeness! He and his wife of 45 years were away on a holiday on their own for 3 weeks – the longest time alone since they married. Their closeness grew through the holiday, until, in his words ‘I threw my toys out of the pram over a stupid movie choice and after almost three weeks of closeness, suddenly we weren’t that close any more. It was like snakes and ladders where True Closeness is number 100 – we were up there at number 97 and suddenly we’re out of control, slithering down the snake again to about number 3.’ So as they had done countless times before, they started again to re-build closeness. Quoting Focolare President, Margaret Karram, he noted ‘Closeness is often hard to live with those with whom we’re closest …’
Living Closeness requires going within, going outside and going above, he said. Going within and above is all about our closeness with, and to, God. ‘It is He Himself who transmits Himself to our neighbours through us.’ The ‘going outside’ Closeness demands total openness – welcoming people without reservation; entering into their way of seeing things. He illustrated it with the example of his own relationship with Shane, a homeless drug addict with whom he has become good friends who often sits outside the local shop. ‘I buy him a coffee and sit outside on the pavement beside him. We usually chat about whatever book he’s reading and he tells me how he’s trying to get off the drugs.’
He concluded that ‘Closeness is what love looks like when it’s lived, day in, day out’, starting from nearness to God and moving outwards. ‘And this is exactly what Pope Francis is getting at when he talks about shepherds with “the smell of the sheep”: men and women who carry, on their skin and in their hearts, both the scent of God’s love and the stories of the people they walk with.’
‘Closeness’ was evident in the warm interactions between people during the weekend event – during buzz groups in the hall, at meals or in the different afternoon workshops. These ranged from learning how to build a dead hedge, to arts and crafts; from learning how to breathe properly to the Pope’s recent encyclical on AI – Magnifica Humanitas.
Mariapolis participants also watched the live international news broadcast Collegamento where news of the movement is shared live every two months all over the world. (see EN – Link-up – 27 June 2026)
On Sunday, the focus turned to the environment, creation and our common home. Dr. Joan Back introduced the morning session with a moving reflection on Union with God, one another and creation, which included some writings by Focolare founder Chiara Lubich. These were taken from a period of mystical illumination called Paradise ’49. One short meditation refers to the ‘thread of gold’ running through all creation: ‘I have been created as a gift for the one next to me and the one next to me has been created by God as a gift for me. As the Father in the Trinity is all for the Son and the Son is all for the Father. On earth all is in relationship of love with all: each thing with each thing. It is necessary to be Love to find the thread of gold among beings.’
The reflection flowed naturally into a session entitled Creating Hope for Our common home, in which encouraging experiences highlighted how, even small initiatives play a part in the climate justice revolution.
The Mariapolis also featured lighthearted moments of craic and fun – icebreaker games, a quiz on birdsong, a class in Irish dancing . ‘I leave feeling so nourished and refreshed,’ remarked a woman attending the event for the first time.
The event concluded in an outburst of joy and music at the final Mass. After Communion, celebrant Fr Colin Rothery asked for a moment of silence in order to thank the Holy Spirit for these light-filled days. As the meeting hall became totally still, a powerful gust of wind blew through the room and then abated, a strong symbol of the presence of God who had been so close to everyone over the weekend filling them with hope and enthusiasm.