Seven Saturdays for seven mystics

Brendan Comerford SJ gave a series of weekly talks on seven different mystics during November at December 2023 in Gardiner St Chruch. Up to fifty people gathered weekly in the John Sullivan room on Saturday mornings (and in all weathers) to listen to him talk on the lives and mystical experiences of some of the great Christian mystics. You can watch his introductory talk to this course here »

St. Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, St. Edith Stein, and St. John of the Cross, number among those whose lives are being explored along with Good Pope John (John XX111), St Catherine of Siena, and Jesuit Pierre Favre. Each week participants learnt about one of the seven chosen mystics, their intimate relationships with God, and the legacy that they have left in the church.

Brendan commented “For the mystic, God is more than an idea to be grasped. God is an experience to be encountered in every area of life.” Quoting Dorothy Day, the famous American social activist and mystic, he says, “She speaks of the mystic as not only loving God but is also in love with God, and this being in love with God has a profound influence on their attitude not only to God but to oneself, and others.”

The series of talks ended on Saturday, 9 December, with a talk on Pope St. John XXIII. Brendan
hopes to run the talks again next year when he will explore the lives of seven different mystics.

Brendan is a member of the Jesuit community in Gardiner Street and is currently writing a book on St. Pierre Favre SJ.