Place du Martroi, Orléans
Place du Martroi, Orléans
“Si je n’y suis [en la grâce de Dieu], Dieu m’y mette; et, si j’y suis, Dieu m’y tienne! Je serais le plus dolente de monde si je savais ne pas être en la grâce de Dieu”
— Jeanne d’Arc

Today’s Feast Days

13 March

Euphrasius of Illiturgis
(1st cent.)
First Bishop, Martyr, Missionary
Gerald
(732)
Abbot / ἡγούμενος, Abbot-Bishop
Mochoemoc
(c. 550–656)
Abbot / ἡγούμενος
Nikephoros I
(c. 758–828)
Patriarch

The Celtic tradition recognized that an anam chara friendship was graced with affection. Friendship awakens affection. The heart learns a new art of feeling. Such friendship is neither cerebral nor abstract. In Celtic tradition, the anam chara was not merely a metaphor or ideal. It was a soul-bond that existed as a recognized and admired social construct. It altered the meaning of identity and perception. When your affection is kindled, the world of your intellect takes on a new tenderness and compassion.

John O’Donohue (1956–2008)

Irish poet, author, and Catholic scholar

Anam Cara: a book of Celtic Wisdom (1999)