‘Cead Mile Failte'—“A Hundred Thousand Welcomes”—A greeting that is given to all upon arrival in Ireland .

However, the welcome that meant the most to me was “Welcome Home to Kerry”—given by my dear friends Liam, Noreen Garvey and Helena O'Rohan. They have a lovely Bed and Breakfast in Ventry overlooking the Bay and the Atlantic Ocean . They are very close to my heart and very good to me.

I am always deeply moved when I come to Ireland —the land of my roots. My mother and father were born in Cork City and our BVM foundress, Mary Frances Clarke, was born in Dublin . This rich heritage greets me each time I return to this land; each visit is an experience of coming home.

BVM Kate Hendel, with whom I live in Dubuque , came with me to help “set up the house.” With her creative eye, she made even more beautiful an already lovely home!

It is a bit remote with sheep and cattle as my closest neighbors. But be assured their owners, my Irish neighbors, have warmly welcomed me and more recently, Mother Gail Fitzpatrick, OCSO as well. Gail has retired as Abbess at Our Lady of Mississippi Abbey and has joined me for a month of much needed rest. What a gift for me!

Life is made more interesting and lively by a little Shih Tzu puppy given to me by the Sisters at Clarke. She was born in Galway on April 13, and now quickly answers to her name, Inish.

She is my constant companion and I hope I do a good job of raising her well. I am sure that by the time of our return to America Inish will be perfectly versed in chasing sheep and loving people.

The setting of my home on the Dingle Peninsula is magnificent. I look out onto the Ventry Harbor and I am surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , lakes, cliffs, mountains, small communities with the church as their center and wonderfully warm Irish speaking people.

I am daily reminded of God's goodness in placing me in a spot with such depth of beauty. It makes the transition of moving from a very active ministry as President of Clarke College to a time that allows for more inward reflection of letting God be the one “in charge.” I am not sure that I could do this elsewhere.

A part of that “letting go” comes from moving through the beauty of this Peninsula—walking the beaches, taking pictures of unbelievable land and seascapes, climbing the mountains, wandering the streets of Dingle Town with its quaint shops. Every day is a new day with changes in weather affecting the shadows of the clouds onto the land and water.

Using the words of Bishop Patrick (d.1084) I pray, “Almighty God, who fillest the recesses of the heavens, press back with Thine oar the grey-locked waves of the deep ocean.”

Similarly, making my home on the Dingle Peninsula of Ireland allows me to reach deep down within my being and explore both the external beauty and the gift of time and quiet that unfolds within me.

About the author: Catherine Dunn, BVM (Catherine Michele) completed 33 years as faculty member and administrator at Clarke College in Dubuque this summer, 22 as president.

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© 2006 Sisters of Charity, BVM