Monica Brown is an Australian composer, teacher, facilitator, story teller and community animator.

A running stream forms the backdrop to birdsong and early-morning sounds. This track was recorded in Saint Anne’s Park, Raheny, Dublin, in June 2008.

Artist:	Sacred Space
Track:	Stream and birdsong
Album:	Sacred Space (2008)
Preview:	[podcast]http://sacredspace.ie/dailyprayer_beta/audio/samples/stream_birds_sample.mp3[/podcast]
More information:	Sacred Space’s website

A variety of birds contribute to this recording made in Cappamore, County Limerick in June 2009.

Artist:	Sacred Space
Track:	Dawn chorus
Album:	Sacred Space (2009)
Preview:	[podcast]http://sacredspace.ie/dailyprayer_beta/audio/samples/10birdsong_sample.mp3[/podcast]
More information:	Sacred Space’s website

Pat Collins is an Irish Vincentian priest who has written extensively on the subject of stress. He spoke to Eileen Good who put it to him that exam-time is stressful in many households.

A time of growth, promise, hope and expectation in the northern hemisphere, the month of May is traditionally associated with Mary. Miriam Gormally spoke with Helen Gallivan, author of Dawn without darkness and The temple within. Helen explained what it was that she particularly liked about May.

“Sean was 23 years old, we were three months married and his wife was dying” is a sentence in the opening chapter of a short book, Cancer, prayer and survival by Mary McDonnell. Each chapter in the book describes a new disappointment, a different shock, how Mary coped and what she learned about herself and her relationship with God. Eileen Good met Mary and asked her first how Sean was told that his new wife had leukaemia.

Nowadays, being able to receive Holy Communion at every Mass we attend is regarded as the norm – but it was not always so, as Jesuit Fr. Raymond Moloney told Eileen Good.

The Recession and God is the title of Gerry O’Hanlon’s book in which he urges that we can use this time of crisis as an opportunity to pool our resources (both secular and religious) in committing ourselves to the search for a more sustainable future. Pat Coyle asked Fr. Gerry what God has to do with economics.

‘We celebrate this great feast of Easter with flowers and song and alleluias, not only because it has to do with Jesus, but because it has to do with all of us. Christ’s triumph over death is also our triumph.’ So writes Martin Hogan, a priest of Dublin diocese, in his book Jesus our Servant. He spoke to Eileen Good about the significance of Easter Sunday and how the message of Easter may be heard in recessionary times.

Lent ends on Holy Thursday when the three days of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday are celebrated as the Triduum. Vincentian Michael McCullagh describes the importance of these days.

Redemptorist priest George Wadding speaks about the importance of fasting, pointing out that there is a danger of trying to bargain with God when undertaking to fast. Eileen Good spoke to him about the importance of fasting.