From Gangland to Promised Land

GIVE UNTIL IT HURTS!

2012-01-26T10:50:00.004Z

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace

Just before Christmas I was running a Parish mission
at Ayrfield in Dublin. There I met a man who had been
very badly betrayed by some people he trusted, because
of this he found it very hard to trust anyone again. But
because he had read my book he was willing to open
up to me, he wanted to go to confession but he was

scared, so I introduced him to Fr Tom the Parish Priest

who has an incredible gift of loving, he was able to unload
all the burdens he was carrying to him and afterwards he
was deeply touched by the love of God in the healing service.
Fr Tom said that the whole mission was worthwhile just
for him.

Next I flew to Los Angeles and as I was going through

border control entering the United States, the man who
was checking my passport said "You seem to have visited
a lot of different countries, for what purpose" I told him that
I am an evangelist and I write books. "What kind of books?"
was his reply, so I told him I used to be a Gangster in
London until God changed my life. He then asked "did
you spend time in prison?" I said "I'm not going to tell you!"
(there was always the possibility that he wouldn't let me into
the country with my record) we both laughed and he said
"I love books like that!" so I gave him a copy, and he cleared
me to enter country. I had to smile because only God
could have arranged such an incident.

We arrived in LA on Christmas Eve and we where driving
around looking for a place to eat, but of course everywhere
was full, I pulled up outside a Polish restaurant, Niall
went in to see if there was any tables free and while he was
waiting he felt inspired to give one of the waitresses a miraculous
medal and she was so delighted, it obviously meant a lot to
her. Even though it was very busy they cleared a table for us
and we had a lovely meal and despite being half way round
the world they made as feel like a part of their family in the
restaurant. At the end of the meal I gave the same waitress
my rosary beads and she was very moved and just gave
me a big hug, she had a deep faith in God and he seemed
to be showing her on Christmas Eve how precious she was
to him.

Even though we were on holiday there were many occasions
where the Holy Spirit asked us to be available to him and
as Mother Teresa used to say "Give until it hurts"

Whilst in Los Angeles I spent some time with Paul Kelmenson
who you might remember is a big producer that would like
to turn my book into a film, his mother who is an actress herself
joined us and we had a blessed time together. We discussed
how difficult it is to give witness to God in an environment like
Hollywood. In my opinion he is a great witness as is his mum.
We went to Mass together in Beverley hills in the Church where
Frank Sinatra's funeral took place and where many of the stars
have worshiped God.

We then traveled to Mexico City to visit the shrine of Our Lady
of Guadalupe, years previously I had consecrated my heart to
Mary before this very image and it was always my desire to
visit the shrine. During Mass in the Basilica, a family sat beside
me who were obviously very poor and had probably walked
a long way to get there as they were covered in dust.They had
a young son, I felt Our Lady ask me to give the little boy some
money, as I did so I told him "this is for Christmas" and he lit up
and he gestured that he would pray for me, I said I would do
the same.

After flying back from the States, we departed directly for
England to run two weeks of retreats at a school
in Canterbury, even before we started we were jet lagged.
It was a hard slog and we had to be up at 5am each morning
and there were also talks in the evenings, after having been
in the school all day. We had a day off scheduled, but lo and
behold talks were arranged on that day also. By this stage
we all felt tired, but then the words of Mother Teresa came
back to me once more "Give until it hurts". God asks us to
be generous, especially when we don't particularly feel like it.

Each day of the retreat the students had the opportunity
to go to confession and over the two weeks literally hundreds
of them took advantage of this sacrament of forgiveness and
there were a lot of tears during these services. Many of them
emailed me to tell of there experience of meeting Jesus in a
very real way and they said it had changed their lives. Some
days the demand for confession was simply too great for the
number of priests we had.

On the final day of the retreat we had a school Mass and
Bishop John Hine presided and eight other priests concelebrated
with him, these had come because they had been so moved
by hearing the young peoples confessions and by the retreats
during the fortnight we were there. This was a truly joyful end
to the mission and the words of scripture came to me "Those
who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap."

Here are a couple of the emails the students sent after the retreats;
one young lad wrote "Thanks for what you did at the school today,
I felt a big emptiness in me for a long time but I was afraid to tell
anyone, God has filled that emptiness and made me feel loved."
one of the girls said "I just wanted to email and say thank you for
the mission it really made me feel better about being open about
my religion, I used to get teased but your retreat helped me realise
I shouldn't hide who I am, so thanks." Finally another girl expressed
"After I went to confession at the retreat today I felt a wave of relief
pour out over me, and I realised what a good day it had been as I
had found a way back into Jesus. The miraculous medal you gave
us is on me, and I doubt it will come off, and I have just done a decade
of the rosary, I haven't done one in years, again after it an overwhelming
sense of peace came over me, I'm also going back to church on Sunday.
I've realised what a beautiful place the world is and how everyone fits
into that beauty."

I really believe the more we give the more we receive and God is never
outdone in generosity, even though I'm tired I know how much God has
used his broken instruments.

Rich Mullins the famous christian singer/songwriter once said, "Unless we
fall into bed each night exhausted, from bringing souls to God, what right
do we have to say we are christian?"

You and all those you love are very much in my prayers

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

"BECOME VULNERABLE LIKE THE CHILD JESUS"

2011-12-15T14:37:00.001Z

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace

I have just returned to Ireland after a tour of England
and Scotland running parish missions and speaking
in schools across the country.

The last day of the tour I got up early in the morning
and drove two hours to speak in a school at Barrow
in Furness, Cumbria. After the talk was finished I
then drove four hours up to Cairnryan to catch my
ferry to Belfast and by this stage I was looking
forward to getting home. But when the ferry got to
Belfast and I was in my car ready to drive off, for
some reason the ramp wouldn't open and I was
stuck for two hours, I felt like Jonah in the belly
of the whale. When I eventually got back to our
house I must admit I was pretty tired and
discouraged and moaning a bit to God. I went to
check my emails and the first one I read was the
following,

"Hello, I was at the school today when you did the
talk. Before you came I was a strong athiest, I
believed God did not choose me as one he will
love. But today when you told us to say the prayer
in the silence of our hearts, my heart felt warm and
I had such a strong feeling inside me that Jesus was
very close to me. I now believe there is someone
looking down on me and protecting me. I want a
crucifix like the one you had today to show God
suffered out of love for us."

I can honestly say I was blown away by God's
goodness at that moment, the way he shows us
his grace when we least expect it and when we
don't deserve it.

Next week I will be meeting a woman called
Betty Brennan, a few years ago I heard her testimony
and it made a deep impact on my life. The thing that
hit me was when she said before she did a talk she was
always very honest with God, and she would give him her
desire to be loved and accepted by the people she was
speaking to, also her pride and ego and all the secret
emotions that we all have. In other words being open
and vulnerable before God and not pretending that these
things are not in us. Since then I have always tried to do
the same. I had a spiritual director called Fr Denis Herlihy
and he said that all spiritual growth depends on honesty with
ourselves and honesty with God.

One time I was asked to come and help run a youth
retreat and the organiser of the retreat kept telling me
that he loved what I had done and was going to get me to
speak in many different places where he had connections.
As the week of the retreat went by I noticed that it could
have been run in a way which the kids would have a much
greater chance of a personal encounter with God. I had
a dilemma, should I say something or keep quiet? I went
into the chapel and began to speak to God about it, the
more I prayed the more I felt I should say something, then
I said to God, what if I say something and because of that
I won't be asked to do all these other talks? I felt God
responded, Who do you serve? Who do you think arranges
your schedule, him or me?

I knew what I had to do, I spoke to the man about the changes
that I felt would help and there really was great grace because
of them, but sure enough there was no contact from him from
that time onwards about the talks he had promised. But just a
few weeks later my phone rang and I was invited to come and
speak at the World Youth Day in Sydney to nearly half a million
young people in one talk. I knew that only God could have
arranged it, and he was showing me that when I serve him he
will take care of everything else.

Shortly before that talk took place, I was in a gathering of youth
leaders and we were singing praise to God, around that time I
had been doing a lot of media work with TV and radio and there
was a loads of hype connected with World Youth Day. But during
this time of prayer I felt like a little child kneeling before the throne
of God, naked with nothing between me and that gaze of the Lord,
he could see straight past all the outward things and I felt him say
"It is you that I love!" All I could do was thank him that he would
give someone like me the privilage of speaking on his behalf.

As we approach Christmas and the birth of Jesus, who humbled
himself to come to us as a helpless child and entrusted himself
into the safe arms of Our Lady, I am reminded that every time
I feel down or crushed by the difficulties and pressures of life,
I can go to Our Lady and ask her to hold me in her arms and it
is there we can always find the peace and strength that we all need.

You and all your loved ones are in my heart and prayers this
Christmas.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

DO YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE FOR JESUS CHRIST?

2011-11-10T16:17:00.002Z

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace,

Recently I did a talk in Ireland and whilst I was speaking
I really felt called to challenge the people to put God first
in their lives and afterwards as I was reflecting on what had
been said I received the following email which the girl who
sent it asked that I might share with others.

She said "Around ten years ago I attended my first ever
retreat. You were one of the main speakers. I was 24 then
and never, ever in my life before had I heard the
Truth spoken with such conviction and courage than I did
the day I heard it from you that weekend. It was like Jesus
himself was speaking not you!!! After your talk, although I
was somewhat a shy person back then I wanted to speak
to you. At the lunch time (even though I was a wee bit
scared of you) I sat myself in the seat right beside yours
at the dinner table and began to ask you lots of questions.
In mid sentence you stopped me and asked me a question
I shall never forget, nor the look on your face when you
asked me: " Do you live your life for Jesus Christ?". I
couldn't believe the brass neck of you at the time and I think
I was a little embarrassed as I muttered something like
"eee yes of course i do..." rather defensively. Enroute to my
room that evening my heart was challenged like never before.
I was thinking to myself how dare he be so rude. I don't think I
like him any more. He's judging me because I'm wearing nice
clothes and make-up etc. shortly after this thought, I heard a
very still inner voice saying "well do you?" I knew, up until that
point that I didn't because I was afraid, but then I said to myself,
I want to let the yes that I told him become true, I really do want
to live my entire life for Jesus Christ and nobody else. I believe
without a shadow of a doubt that The person of Jesus Christ
became real to me during that weekend in a moment of grace
through encountering you. That was it. I met Him and my life
has never ever been the same,and it never will it be the same!
To give a person Jesus is to give them EVERYTHING!! You
told me my Saviour's name and that He existed and that he
loved me and that he wanted to share his life with me !!! This
was worth more than gold!!! His love is so powerful that I had
a permanent smile on my face for a whole year after that. No
doubt people knew I was happy because I could not hide it
even if I wanted to - I had truly fallen deeply deeply in Love with
Jesus. The truth you spoke turned into Joy for me and it was
completely transparent!" When I read this email I knew that
God was showing me that it is always our responsibility to
speak the truth in love.

Several years ago We were running a retreat in London and
all the way through the weekend I couldn't help but feel there
was something missing from the message which was being
proclaimed, it was nice but nothing more than that. Then during
the final talk of the retreat the Priest said if you want to know
what Jesus wants, the answer is simple, he wants everything!
He gives us himself completely and he wants us to give him
everything in return, it is only then that we truly experience the
joy which is his plan for us. It was than that I realised that what
was mussing was feeling challenged by the talks. God's message
to us can sometimes be challenging but it always sets us free to
know his love and friendship in a deeper way.

I have just returned from Italy where I spoke in many schools,
and Parishes. It was a grace filled time and I was very
impressed by the priests and sisters that I met there who had
a deep love for God which shone through. Also Augusto who
was my translator who organised the trip was a great
witness to me of faith and service.

Over the next few weeks I will be speaking to many thousands
of young people in secondary schools across England and
Scotland, please pray for them that they might experience
God's love and plan for them.

I remember one time I was struggling with my own brokenness
and wondering what Jesus was going to do with me, because even
though I was trying sometimes I would say things I wished I hadn't
and I was feeling a bit down that I couldn't be a better person.
That day I went to Mass and the Priest got up and said there are
some people in this Church who when we stand before
Jesus will feel ashamed and like total failures, then Jesus will
say to us "look behind you" and there will thousands of souls
who are there because of what we have done with our lives.
Sometimes when we serve God we may not feel popular but
we live to hear those words "come in good and faithful servant".

I will never forget a sermon I heard from Fr John Armitage who
said unless we are willing to be converted every single day we
are spiritually dead. A wise friend of mine once asked me what
is the most important thing we can do with our lives? I replied
that he was much older and wiser than me what did he think it is?
He said "To bring as many souls as possible to God, starting with
our own." It was the best advice I ever received.

You are very much in my heart and prayers.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

EVERYTHING HAS ITS TIME AND SEASON WITH GOD!

2011-10-06T14:54:00.010+01:00

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace

One thing that God has been showing me recently is that everything has its time and season with him, we never know when God's grace will kick in.

I recently spoke at a mission in Co Cork. The next day
a woman asked to speak with me, she told me she had
come to a point of despair in her life, she felt she couldn't
carry on. She saw the mission advertised and she prayed
to God that he would help her, but she said if nothing
changed she planned to take her own life the next day. As
I was sharing my story and throughout the evening she had
a powerful encounter with the love of God. The next day
when she woke up she had a tremendous sense of joy in her
heart and all she wanted to do was pray and thank God. She
wanted me to know what had happened to her. The Parish
Priest had said to me that when he was blessing the people
with Jesus in the Eucharist he felt that many of them were
receiving great healing. Her words shared that this was true.

There was one person I knew since my childhood who I had
been very hurt by, when I changed and started to try to live
for God, this person made life as difficult as possible for me,
and I don't mind admitting that at times I had a lot of anger
in me towards them. So I started to pray for the person and
at first I found it very, very difficult to do so. Somehow it didn't
seem real because part of me wanted them to suffer because of
the pain they had caused to me. But as the months and years
went by it became easier until I was genuinely wanting God to
bless them and show them his love. This person had no faith
whatsoever and was angry towards anyone who did. A few months
ago, to my absolute astonishment I heard that this person had a

conversion and had become a Catholic and is now attending mass every day. This news showed me that absolutely nothing is impossible to God and that maybe in some small way my feeble prayers and desire to at least want to forgive might have had something to do with their conversion.

A woman contacted me to say that nearly five years ago I spoke in her
daughters school, the girl brought my book home for her mum to read
because she knew her mum loves God and would be very interested in
my story. But to the family's surprise it was the dad who picked up the
book and his life has changed ever since. The mum said she had been
praying to God to speak to her husband’s heart and let him know that
he is real, and through the book he did. To me this was the power of
this woman's prayers and the perfection of Gods timing.

A man in his twenties emailed me to say that I spoke in his school six

years ago and at the time all he had been interested in was the

Gangster bits, so he got a copy of my life story and read the first half,

but as soon as I found God in the book he put it down. Years later he was

going through a tough time and felt very alone, it was then that some

of the things I had said to him in his school came back to his mind. He

searched his house and found my book and this time he read it cover

to cover. He went to confession and started going to Mass again and

God completely transformed his life. I know that someone, somewhere

was praying for that lad.

Also after world youth day in Sydney I shared my story in a secondary school there and only now over three year later one of the students contacted me saying that the words I spoke had made a deep impact on him and that he had a spiritual yearning and he was looking to come closer to God. Again Gods timing is not our timing but he waits patiently to work in a persons soul.

Years ago, when I first started to speak to young people in schools, my

friend Niall and I would visit the enclosed nuns, (the Carmelites and

Poor Clares for instance) and ask them to pray for us and the students

we would talk to. It was amazing the things which would happen,

because there is no more powerful weapon than prayer and there can

be no substitute for it. We can do our best and give our utmost but in

the end it is only God that can change a person’s heart.

We have many missions and school talks coming up over the next
couple of months in Ireland, England and Scotland as well as Italy.
Please keep these intentions in your prayers and that I don't get in the
way of God's grace in my brokenness.

You are very much in my heart and in my prayers.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

FAITH THE SIZE OF A MUSTARD SEED!

2011-08-30T12:50:00.007+01:00

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

I recently had the joy to go and speak at
the Youth 2000 retreat at Our Lady's shrine
of Walsingham in England. It was quite a
moving experience for me because nearly
13 years ago, Robert Toone the leader of
Youth 2000 England at the time, sent me and my
friend Niall to Walsingham to look at the possibility
of running a retreat there.

When we arrived at the shrine we had no
idea where to start or who to speak to, so
we went into one of the fields and prayed
the Rosary and asked Our Lady to guide
us. Before long we had met up with Janie
an amazing Lady from the town who is our
friend to this day and we had arranged with
a local farmer to be able to use his fields.

Six months later we returned to the same
field to say a Rosary in thanksgiving as the
retreat became a reality when 2000 young
people (many of whom had no faith at all)
arrived from every corner of the country for
the 5 day festival. God's grace worked in a
powerful way and it is amazing to see it
continuing 12 years on. It really was the
faith of a mustard seed because we didn't even
know if it was possible and there were many
easier ways of putting together a big retreat
for instance in a large city in a giant warehouse.
But the truth is that when it is God's idea, if
we are obedient to his inspiration it will bear
fruit and fruit that will last.

A couple of weeks ago were doing a mission at Drumoghill
in Co Donegal in Ireland, and on the Sunday some of the
team went to pray at a Holy well for the week ahead. They
got chatting to a woman there who said her daughter had
been talking about wanting to hear me speak because
she had read my book. The girl came to mission and God
really gave her a new lease of life, and she was so
moved by the fact that the Lord had arranged the meeting
with her mum at the well because she had been going
through a very difficult time and this showed her just
how much God cared about her and how important she was
to him.

We had a 16 year old lad called kevin with us for 10 days,
his mum had contacted me to ask if he could spend some
time with me because he had been in a lot of trouble for
the last few years. It was amazing to see the transformation
in him and the joy and peace that he received after going to
confession, he had made a decision himself that he wanted to
change and do something positive with his life. Please keep
him in your prayers as he heads home that he can continue to
grow in the grace that he has found.

Sometimes it is very difficult for these young men going back
to the environment where they have been in trouble, please continue
to pray for Anthony as he is struggling now he is back in London
that God would protect him and give the grace to make the
right decisions for his life.

Recently I ran a weekend retreat on the theme of healing the wounds
from our past, I know in my own life that it is only when we receive
that healing that we are truly free to love in the way that is God's
dream for us. It was held at Ards Friary in Donegal and it was such
a Blessed and special weekend. For me it was lovely to get to know
the people who came over the weekend and to be able to see God working
in so many ways. One man who came told me a few weeks later that his
children were saying he is a changed man and won't stop talking about
God, but he has an infectious joy and a deep sense of God's love for
him.

I am running another Healing weekend at Rossnowlagh Franciscan Friary
in County Donegal From Friday 9th to Sunday 11th of September and if
anyone is interested in coming you can call Paul on 071 985 2572 to
find out more details. I would love to see you there.

Just to let you know that you are very much in my heart and prayers.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

HE IS WITH US!

2011-07-25T11:31:00.005+01:00

MOTHER ELVIRA
FOUNDER OF THE CENACOLO COMMUNITY

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace

I recently travelled to Florida where I spoke at a
Conference dedicated to Our Lady, I was very touched
by the peoples prayerfulness and Faith. Also speaking
there were two lads from the Cenacolo Community
(a community of young men and women who overcome addictions by
prayer and the grace of God) who shared their testimonies
about how God was changing their lives, hopefully these had a
big impact on Anthony (the seventeen year old lad who was
spending a few weeks with me) who was coming from a very
similar background.

After this we did a Parish Mission in Southampton, it
was a great witness to me of the Faith in England to
see so many people pack the Church each night. On the
confessions evening many people went for the first time
in years and some people emailed me to tell me there
was great healing for them that night, and they had
experienced a deep peace in their hearts.

I spoke to all the lads in one school in a tough area
of Southampton over the course of two days. Many of them
contacted me by email or facebook and shared their own
stories with me, all of them were very open to God and
some had been through very similar childhoods to myself.
The thing which I noticed was that all of them wanted to
do something good with their lives and were searching
for the right direction, so please keep them in your
prayers.

I did one talk to a Church group in Kent and I mentioned
that it was wrong that Homosexuality was being taught as
an equal right to marriage in our schools, and this to
children at a very vulnerable age. After the talk I was
approached by a man who said he found what I had said
offensive because he was homosexual and living in a sexual
relationship with his partner. I said to him that I loved
him and respected him as a person, but that what he was
doing was wrong. I knew that it would be unpopular but I
said it with compassion because the truth without love
isn't the truth. During the talk I had spoken about God's
mercy and forgiveness and that he loves us in our weakness
and struggles, but even in that we need to have the courage
to stand up for what is right, and we can't change Gods laws
to suit ourselves.

I was invited to speak at a youth conference at the Sion
Community in Brentwood, Essex. As soon as I walked into the
tent where the conference was taking place I was moved to tears
by power of God's presence. I shared with them that sometimes
when I had prayed with young people in the past I had seen an
image of Jesus crying and saying to them that he never wanted
them to suffer, to feel the pain and loneliness that they had
and that he wants them to know that he is with them in their
suffering. After this many of them came forward asking for
prayer and there were a lot of tears.

Some of the young people shared with me that one of the biggest
struggles for them is purity, there is so much pressure on them
now and at a much earlier age than ever before, the pressure is
coming from all angles particularly from the media and from their
own peer group, as I was praying with one girl I had an image that
she was looking at a reflection of herself and throwing stones at
herself because she didn't like what she saw, then Jesus appeared
and took the stones from her hands and showed her how beautiful
she was in his eyes. Ultimately it is only God who can give us
that sense of identity, security and self worth that we all so
desperately need.

You are very much in my heart and prayers, please pray for me also.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

"THE LOVE OF GOD HEALS US AND GIVES US THE STRENGTH TO CHANGE"

2011-06-21T10:04:00.006+01:00

ST JOHN BOSCO

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

The last few weeks have been fairly hectic, as a team
we did six Parish Missions on the trot. It is always a
great experience to meet all the new people that God
puts in our paths. The Parish Priest at Swanlinbar in
Co. Cavan was so full of wisdom and good humour
that it was a joy to be with him. At the end of the
mission he said the thing that had touched him was
how vulnerable the team members had made themselves
in their testimonies. I think when we share something
deep from our own lives, particularly our weakness and
struggles it always reaches into the hearts of others.

I travelled to London to speak to a confirmation group
in Edgware, many people turned up for the talk and I
thank God that it was a grace filled night. Afterwards
I ended up praying for quite a few people and I was
overwhelmed by the suffering that some people have
to live with, but even more so with the compassion and
mercy that God has for us in that suffering.

It was my pleasure to speak at the Northern Catholic
Conference in Liverpool, both to the young people and
the adults. There seemed to be a tremendous sense of
joy at the conference and I really enjoyed meeting many
old friends, including one man who I hadn't seen in years
who from the kindness of his heart had paid for my airfare
when I went to join the Franciscan of the Renewal in New
York. I told him this changed my life and without him it
wouldn't have been possible.

I received a great grace myself when on a long car journey
I put on a CD called anger and unforgiveness by Deacon
Bob McDonald. In it he exposed that anger is never the right
way to deal with situations. In community life it is easy to
challenge people and to do it in an angry way and to justify
it by saying it is righteous anger. In truth our anger is never
righteous, only God is capable of that, and when we raise our
voice we create far more harm than good. This was a powerful
message to me and I knew that I could never again justify anger.
I pray for the grace to deal with everyone with gentleness and
patience. I suppose it comes down to the old saying that "The
truth without love isn't the truth" As St John Bosco said when
talking about the boys of whom he was in charge of "We must
be firm but kind, and be patient with them, never giving in to
anger"

About a week ago a young man called Anthony came to spend
some time with us on the team. I had known Anthony when he
was 11 years old and God had deeply touched his life at a retreat.
Now he is 17 years old and for the last few years he has been in
a lot of trouble with drugs and all the usual pain that goes with
that lifestyle. He told me that he came to a point of despair not
knowing what to do and not feeling the strength to change, he
went to Mass on a Sunday morning on his own (he hadn't been
to Church in years) and he begged God to help him. Within a few
days his uncle had contacted me and he ended up coming with
me to Medugorje where he went to confession and got rid of
everything that was burdening him. The hardest thing is for him
to forgive himself, but God has been showing him again and
again that not only is he totally forgiven but that he has great
plans for his life.

Being with Anthony reminds me of myself at his age, all the pain
and confusion and the search for love and meaning and trying to
make sense of the suffering that all of us face in life. Because of
this I find it easier to love him and accept him, because it is like
loving and accepting myself at his age. In the end it is always the
unconditional love of God that heals us and gives us the strength
to change, and even though many times I fail I know that is the
love God asks me to show to everyone that I meet.

You are very much in my prayers, please keep me and Anthony
in yours.

God bless you in his deep love.
John Pridmore

EVERY SOUL IS PRECIOUS TO GOD!

2011-05-14T12:46:00.007+01:00

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace and have
had a blessed Easter.

The first two Parish missions back after
Easter were in Abbeylara in County Longford
and in Clones Town Co Monaghan. It was amazing
to see the faith of the people turning out in
great numbers for both of these weeks, during
one of the reconciliation services a woman came
up and said that she had been very hurt by
something that happened to her, she and her
husband had split up and she had lost custody
of her children. She realised that evening that
she had a lot of unforgiveness about this and
she brought this to the Priest in confession,
afterward she said she had a great joy in her
heart and felt as if a weight had been lifted
from her.

I travelled over to England to help with a
retreat for about 200 teenagers in preparation
for their confirmation, this took place in Ealing.
Before the retreat began I knelt down before a
statue of Our Lady and I felt she was saying she
wanted to touch the young peoples hearts with the
love of Jesus. It was very moving to see this
happening as the day unfolded, the kids were queuing
up in droves to go to confession and also despite
the peer pressure which is always difficult for
teenagers they came forward to be Blessed by Jesus
in the Eucharistic healing service without anyone
even having to ask them. I felt privileged to have
been able to be part of the day.

As each day begins I consecrate everything I do to
Our Lady and invite God into all that I do, even the
smallest things and I find that he always takes up
the invitation, sometimes in very funny ways.I was
due to meet someone for lunch in a Hotel restaurant
and when I arrived I was informed that you had to
be wearing a tie to eat there. So I went back outside
and I noticed there was a Tie Rack shop across the
street, so I went across to buy myself a tie and got
speaking to the shop assistant who was from Mexico,
I told her I had always wanted to visit the Shrine
of Our Lady of Guadalupe and she asked me about myself
and I told her a bit of my story, I felt God wanted me to
give her one of my books which I had with me and she
was delighted when I gave it to her. It is only God with
his sense of humour who could have arranged such a meeting.

When I eventually got into the restaurant I got chatting
to one of the waiters who was from Poland and he asked
me my story and when I told him about what God had done
in my life he was very emotional and he said he was
going to get a copy of my life story. I love these sort of
meetings and am always reminded how infinitely important
each soul is to God.

On the Sunday I spent the day with my brother in London,
for the first time he came to a talk I was giving and
he really enjoyed it and for the rest of the day with
all the people we came across little incidents happened
which he noticed, where I would try to reach out to
the people I met in some way to bring a bit of joy
to their lives. Now of course my brother knew me when
I was a gangster and he was very struck by how much I had
changed because I used to do the opposite. God does
change us and I think the thing which brings joy to my
life is that he wants to be with us in everything and
the times when I get it wrong and don’t love the people I
meet in the way God would wish, I simply say sorry and
start again because Our weakness is not an obstacle for God.

You are very much in my heart and prayers please keep me
in yours.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

"DON'T WORRY WHAT YOU ARE TO SAY"

2011-04-11T11:29:00.005+01:00

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

During the time of lent I have been particularly busy
with parish missions. At Berkeley road in Dublin a
woman came up to me and said "well, you've converted
me!" she went on to tell me she had been to confession
for the first time in 30 years and the following
morning she was so full of joy that she wanted to dance
her way to Church.

Next I went to Milford in Donegal for a week long mission.
It was very uplifting to see the peoples faith with the
Church being packed every night and many people returning
to the Sacraments. There were two secondary schools in
Milford, both of them put the whole school together for
me to speak to all the students, one had 400 and the other
had 700, there was a great openness both from the pupils
and teachers.

After this I travelled to Derry to speak to 250 young people
in Lumen Christi College, It was a joy to be able to speak
to them in the school Chapel and to see my old friend
Stephen Doherty who is the chaplain there.

We returned to Uddingston in Glasgow for a second mission.
I really enjoy these because it takes me out of my safety
zone and often I have no idea what I'm going to say until
I actually start speaking, it encourages me to trust God
because he said "Don't worry what you are to say, because
what you are to say will be given you" and I've noticed
that when I do this, God can and will say something that I
could never have planned and he knows every person there
intimately and what they need to hear.

I always feel God calling me to true freedom in him, not
to be afraid what people think, to truly put him in the
first place in my heart. I think it brings great joy to
God's heart when we are ourselves and real not trying to
impress anyone and it is then that he uses us the most
powerfully.

I also had the great blessing to run two confirmation
retreats for youngsters in Ireland. I found it a breath
of fresh air to spend the day with these kids, in Ireland
they get confirmed at 11 and 12 years old. At that age
they still have that innocence and freedom to be themselves.
They asked me brilliant questions and were so open to
the Holy Spirit, at the end of the retreats there was a
joyful atmosphere and they all came up and asked for a hug.
As we approach Easter it is good for us to remember that is
why Christ came, to restore lost innocence and to heal our
souls so that we would know peace and joy in our lives once
more.

I also spent 3 days in Cumbria talking in schools. This was
arranged by a lady called Judy who is in the Salvation Army.
I was very impressed by her, all she was interested in was
bringing souls to God and that they would know Gods love for
them. I was speaking in schools with all faiths and
none and I tried not to have any agenda but to speak whatever
I felt God would like to say to them. I thank God that many
of them emailed to say how much it had meant to them. On
the Friday night I did a talk at the Salvation Army hall
and between 100 and 150 turned up including some of the
kids I'd spoken to in the schools.

At that evening I met a man called Jimmy who told me that
in his past he had been a gambler and a big drinker and had
been very unhappy in this lifestyle. One day he had seen a man on
the street crying and he had went and helped the man, this
incident changed his life and he ended up becoming an officer
in the salvation army. I was interested to learn that they
promise not to drink alcohol or to smoke as members of the
Salvation Army. I told him that three members of my community
were pioneers (they take a pledge not to drink and offer that
little sacrifice for those who are addicted to Alcohol).
I think that is a good witness of love for others, but I
personally haven't felt called to it, I still enjoy a glass
of wine and the odd glass of malt whiskey. I think that is
the beauty of our faith that even though we may have slightly
different approaches God uses us all to build his kingdom
if we desire it.

You are in my heart and prayers, please keep me in yours.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

"PRAYER, WORK AND RECREATION"

2011-03-14T11:20:00.005Z

ST BENEDICT

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

I had a truly blessed trip to America especially
the Men of Christ conference that I spoke at in
Milwaukee, it was amazing to see 3000 men together
to express their Catholic faith. It was a grace
filled event with many men coming back to confession
after a long time including one man who said it was
50 years since he had been. To hear some of the
testimonies after the conference was very moving,
quite a few of them said it had brought them back to
Christ and had motivated them to become better husbands
and Fathers. I would love to see more Men's conferences
on this side of the pond.

I received many emails from the young people in the
American schools that I spoke in, and of course it
just reminded me that no matter where you travel people
are going through the same difficulties and struggles.
I thank God for their openness and also for the grace
that he is bringing about in their young lives. One girl
said she was new to the school and she wasn't expecting
to able to go there for several reasons. But at the
opening Mass for the year she kept crying throughout
as she felt God saying to her this is the place I have
planned for you. During my talk she felt God was again
confirming her that this was the place where he would
help her to grow closer to him and learn her Catholic
faith.

One thing that God has taught me over the years is that
it is important to get a balance in what I do. At one point
in my life I was working 365 days a year and I thought
I was doing God a service through this. One day a priest
challenged me "when do you take a day off?" he said, because
if we don't take some time off eventually we become jaded
and burnt out and then we are no use to anyone, this happened
to me on a couple of occasions. For nearly a year I lived
with some Benedictine Priests in Liverpool and they taught
me that St Benedicts motto was "Prayer, work and recreation"
and that it is vital to get a balance between the three if
we want to lead fruitful lives for God.

I have just come back from a few days rest and even though I
have a very busy few weeks leading up to Easter I feel renewed
and ready for all the challenges ahead. Whilst I was in Chicago
I wanted to go and see a show, and as I was praying I felt God
was saying to go and watch Les Miserables even though I have
seen it several times before. At the theatre I had a great
chat with the man I was sitting next to and I told him about
my life story and what I do. A few days later I received a
lovely email from the man, who told me that he was a teacher
and he had told the boys he taught all about his chance meeting
with me, they all agreed it wasn't just a coincidence. In the
class they discussed what it means to be a Christian man and
they are now going to read my book in their class. Once again
God showed me that when I invite him in to any decision,even
the small ones he takes that invitation seriously.

This week I am running a parish mission at Berkeley road in
Dublin, on the monday morning a man came up to one of our
team and said he had attended another mission we had done in
Dublin a couple of years ago, he said it had been the turning
point in his life and now he goes to Mass every day, at this
he burst into tears and gave the team member a massive hug.
It is beautiful to hear stories like his because it encourages
us to continue and never to give up no matter what difficulties
come our way.

You are very much in my heart and prayers, please keep me in yours
as over the next couple of weeks I will be speaking in Schools
both in Ireland and England.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

"PRAY, HOPE AND DON'T WORRY!"

2011-02-15T13:52:00.009Z

ST PADRE PIO

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

After returning to Ireland from the tour of schools in England
I was struck by how many of the young people who contacted me
by email or on facebook were deeply searching for God in their
lives. Some of them have been through very difficult times and
have had to cope with emptiness, loneliness and rejection.
A few of them told me that when they were younger someone had
said to them "Remember you are never alone, God is always with you",
or words to that effect. At the time these words hadn't meant much
to them but at some point they had started to pray and speak to
God and they had started to believe for themselves. One girl
told me that she took the rosary pack we give out to the students
home with her and even though she isn't a Catholic she prayed it
for the first time in her life. I know from my own life that
prayer is the key, there are no short cuts, we have to spend
time with God and let him fill any emptiness with his love
and peace and far from it being wasted time I have always seen
that my days have been fruitful when I have invited God into
every situation.

The first parish mission of the new year was in Meadowbrook,
Dublin. We were inviting the people from weekend Masses to
come to the mission and a man came up and said that about
2 years ago he had been channel surfing on TV looking for
something interesting to watch and he came across me sharing my
testimony on EWTN. He said it had made him think about his life
because he very rarely went to church, so much so that he had
emailed me to find out if he could come to see us, however at
that time we weren’t doing a mission anywhere near him so it
never happened. The reason he came to the Mass this particular
weekend was that his son was making his confirmation and was
doing a reading from scripture. When he heard us speaking at
the mass he said he nearly fell off the bench in surprise. He
not only came to the mission but brought a large group of people
with him. This just showed me the power the media can have in
reaching out to people who are searching in their lives and also
how perfectly God arranges all our circumstances if we give him
permission.

That same week I travelled down to Waterford to run a couple of
one day school retreats. For both retreats we had between 70 and
80 seventeen year old boys. At the end of each day we held a
Eucharistic healing service with them in the chapel, the teachers
said they had never seen the lads so reverent and I think God
really touched them in a way they could understand. One funny
thing that happened was during the second day 10 of the boys who
had made the retreat the day before returned to do it again because
they had enjoyed the day so much, the teachers were pretty surprised
by this and because they thought only good can come from it, they
didn't stop them. Once again I think prayer is the key, before any
talk or retreat we would pray and intercede for those we are meeting
and ask God to remove any blockages to his grace and also we write
to every contemplative order in Ireland and the UK and ask them to
pray for our work.

The next mission was in Dromahane, Co Cork. The Church was absolutely
packed with people from all age groups, it was quite literally
standing room only. After one of the nights a priest said he had
heard confessions the whole night through, until long after the
service had ended and for most of them it was their first time to
confession for at least 10 years.

St Padre Pio always used to say "Pray, hope and don't worry" to do
our best and leave the rest to the power of God. I know for me these
last few weeks the Lord has been reminding me to put prayer in the
first place in my life and everything else will work out in God's
way and in God's time.

Please keep me in your prayers this week I'm speaking in schools
and prisons in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and on Saturday 19th February I
will be speaking at a conference called "Men of Christ" held at the
Milwaukee theater. You can find more details on www.menofchrist.net

Please keep me in your prayers and know that you are in mine.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

"I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD"

2011-01-15T14:55:00.005Z

ST PETERS BASILICA IN ROME

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

As the new year approached it was a
relief when the snow and ice eventually
melted in Ireland. I travelled over to
London to speak at the youth 2000 new year
retreat about the the grace of confession,
which is always a joy for me because it was
through this Sacrament that God transformed
my life. One of the leaders emailed me to let
me know that at the end of the retreat many
of the testimonies of the young people told of
how God had removed from them tremendous burdens
through an honest and genuine confession.

Next I travelled to Rome to share my story with
about 500 young people from all over Italy. I was
told that some of them were from areas such as
Naples and Sicily where there is a lot of pressure
to become involved in the criminal underworld. They
really responded to the message and many of them came
up to me to thank me afterwards. Also I spoke to them
of Mary's meals which I am involved with, which feeds
over 470,000 children in schools in some of the worlds
poorest countries. Translating for me was Augusto who
has translated my life story "From Gangland to Promised
Land" into Italian and it will be published this year.
I never cease to be amazed that the book is now available
in French, German, Italian and even Hungarian. I can
honestly say I never expected that to happen when I started
to write the book over ten years ago. Only God could do
that! When I was at school I had been told I was stupid and
would never amount to anything, actually I was dyslexic
but in those days they didn't know what that was. So it
just proves to me that God doesn't choose the qualified, he
qualifies the chosen.

One of the highlights of my trip to Rome was praying at
the tomb of Pope John Paul II in St Peters Basilica, this
incredible man who gave his whole life for Christ and
burned like a torch for God until he had nothing left to
give. I felt his presence as I prayed there and was deeped
moved to hear just yesterday that he will be Beatified in
May this year. What a witness to future generations he will be!

I am back in England now and halfway through a tour
speaking to over 7,000 young people in schools and prisons
around the country. The suffering that we come across is
heartbreaking. At one school a teacher asked me to
speak with one of the students, who told me that he had
got into serious trouble with the police and he deeply
regretted what had happened. His court case was looming
over him and he was facing the very real possibility of
a prison sentence, he asked me to pray over him because
he felt so afraid he couldn't even sleep. As soon as I
began to pray God's love touched him in a very powerful
way and he was amazed by what had happened and just how
much God cared about him, he knew that no matter what the
future held that God was in control of his life and was
more powerful that any foes he may come across even in
prison.

At another talk I was doing I met a young lad who was
covered in eczema and as you can imagine it made him
itch continuously, but you should have seen the joy in
this lad and the courage he faced this difficulty with. I
prayed with him and asked God to contiue to give him the
strength to be such a witness in adversity. But in truth
it was me who was blessed by meeting him.

At one place I stopped at a cafe to get some breakfast
(a full fry up of course!) but in the cafe there was
a young girl in a wheelchair who looked liked she was
suffering from something like leprosy all over her face.
Every time I looked at her she beamed a lovely smile
at me that melted my heart. I went over and gave her a
miraculous medal as a token of Our Lady's love for her
and she was just full of joy and thankfulness and in my
opinion full of God. Now she was a truly beautiful soul.

I met up with the fantastic Ladies who put together the
Rosary packs that we give out to the Kids. These women
give tirelessly of their time and finances because of
their love for God and the young people. They never seem
to think of themselves and yet I know that among them
they have suffered such difficulties as depression, Illness
and painful problems in family situations. I have never
known them to complain and I have to say that these people
are the hidden Saints in our Church. Please keep them in
your prayers that God will give them the strength to
continue their wonderful ministry.

Through all these witnesses that God has put in my path it
reminded me of the words of Jesus "In the world you might
have trouble, but do not be afraid because I have overcome
the world".

You are very much in my heart and prayers, please keep the
rest of this tour and all the young people I'll be meeting
in yours.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore.

PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL FROM THE ROOFTOPS!

2010-12-26T17:38:00.006Z

POPE JOHN PAUL 11

Hello Everyone

I hope you have had a blessed Christmas and the
new year will be a time of grace and peace.

I arrived back in Ireland at the beginning of
December after being travelling for nearly three
months. It was a great feeling to sleep in my
own bed again. I had the privilege to speak in
Blackrock College in Dublin to 400 boys, Myles
the teacher who invited in to speak told me that
afterwards the lads were very open to what was
said to them. One of the students was called
Pearce I had met at the World youth day in Sydney
and it was good to see how he was growing in his
faith.

The first Parish mission I did on returning to
Ireland was in Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim. The snow
came down very heavily and then temperatures
plummeted to well below zero. the roads were
hazardous to say the least. The amazing thing
was the people still turned up to pack the church.
This was a great witness to me of the faith of
people in Ireland and their love for God. The
parish priest Fr Peter is a great man, full of
charity and wisdom and he taught me so much in
the time I spent with him.

The next mission was near Belfast and the thing
that stood out to me there was a conversation I
had with one of the priests. No matter what he
did it always seemed that someone wasn't happy
with the way things were done. I just encouraged
him that it was my experience that we are not
called to be popular but to serve God and to do
his will. That is where all the grace is and also
where true freedom is. Frank Duff who founded the
Legion of Mary only had one question when he was
discerning something and that was "Does God want
this" and if he felt it was God's will, he would
go ahead with it knowing that the Lord would
provide for his every need. Later that day the
Priest thanked me and told me it was just what he
needed to hear.

I remember hearing Pope John Paul II saying "Now
is the time to go out into the highways and the
byways and to proclaim the Gospel from the rooftops"
and telling us not to be afraid to proclaim the
truth in love. Time and again I see that it is the
truth that has a profound effect on people and
especially the young, even though it won't always
make us popular. I remember visiting the Holocaust
memorial in Jerusalem and being deeply affected by
what I saw, and wondering how could this have been
allowed to happen? and as you are leaving the building
there is a plaque on the wall with the words written
on it "All it takes for evil to succeed is for a few
good men to remain silent".

After returning to the house from Belfast I had
nothing in particular planned but then three things
just fell into place in the way that only God can
do it. I spoke to all the students in two local
schools. The teachers brought them over to their
churches and I spoke to all the young people at
once. Both groups were about 400. I thought it
showed an incredible openness on behalf of the
teachers to go to all that effort to make it happen.
Then in one of the evenings a meeting was arranged
for a project that I'm involved with called Salve
Regina Oige. We are in the process of building a
retreat house in Medugorje to bring teenagers in
groups of up to 60, to give them an experience of
God's love and peace in a safe and secure
environment. I love it when events fall into place
like that because it shows that God is well and truly
in charge if we keep seeking his guidance.

You are very much in my heart and prayers, please
pray for me as I am speaking to seven thousand kids
in schools across England in the new year.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

AMAZING GRACE!

2010-11-22T15:55:00.008Z

WANDSWORTH PRISON

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace

After spending a few weeks doing talks in different parts
of Australia I travelled back to London and I had the
privilege to go and do a talk to some of the prisoners
in Wandsworth prison. It was a voluntary talk so only
those who wanted to come were present, it was a blessing
to see that 200 men turned up. It was very moving for me
to be able to speak to them because I know what it is like
to be in their situation. As I was speaking I could see some
of them were crying and I hope and pray that it gives them hope
for their own lives. When I was in prison one of the main
ways God spoke to me was through books and at the end of
my talk all of them came to me and got a copy of my book.
The priest Fr Sylvester told me that 5 or 6 of men requested
the chance to go to confession.

Next I travelled to Wales to lead a parish mission in Caerphilly.
As part of this I spoke in the secondary schools. A young lad
took one of my business cards home with him and showed it to his
dad and told him about my life. His dad had been brought up a
Catholic but had drifted away from his faith, but he had started
searching for God in his life. So he ordered one of my books on
the Internet and when he received it he read it in less than a day.
Then he emailed me and asked me what else could he do to come closer
to God, I told him to go to confession and not to be afraid to be
totally honest and also not to be afraid of what the priest might
think because he would just be delighted to see him returning to
God. At this he journeyed down to the next mission we were running
in Porthcawl and he attended a healing service. During this he went
to confession for the first time in 23 years. As he left confession
Breda (our musician) began to sing amazing grace and he said he
didn't just sing the words he really heard them in his heart and he
said from then on he was coming back to mass.

It is amazing to see that after the talks how many young people
contact me on facebook to share their struggles and to ask questions.
After one school in Manchester more 60 students made contact.
It shows me just how powerful a tool for good that facebook can
possibly be.

This week I have been running a Parish mission in Moss Side in
Manchester. The Priest here is Fr Pat Deegan, he is originally
from Dublin but has lived in England for a long time now. We
had a healing service on the Tuesday night and while I was
praying before the talk I felt God asking me to speak about
forgiveness. One of the hardest people for me to forgive in my
life was myself. I shared the story of a friend of mine called
Jimmy, and when he was a young man he was put in prison for a
violent crime and he said as the judge sentenced him he laughed
out loud in front of the whole courtroom to keep up his image of
a hardman. But that night as they locked him in his cell he cried
himself to sleep. The years passed and Jimmy was in and out of
prison and fell deeper and deeper into the world of drugs and
violence. A number of things happened to Jimmy including nearly
dying from a drugs overdose and he knew God was asking him to
change his life. One day he came to hear me speak at Our Lady's
shrine of Knock in Ireland and he ended up going to confession.
He came back to his faith and changed the way he was living
completely. The only problem was that he couldn't forgive himself
for his past, he had a son called Shane who was 8 years old and
he couldn't let the boy close to him because he felt so unworthy
to be able to love him, so he just used to give him money. But
of course the boy was in need of affection. One day Jimmy went on
pilgrimage to Medjugorje (where it is claimed that Our Lady has
been appearing since 1981). He was praying the Rosary at the grave
of a very Holy priest called Fr Slavko (who was the first priest
I ever went to confession to) and while he was praying Our Lady
appeared to him and he said she looked at him with such a tender
love that it melted his heart, then she said "Jimmy, why can you
not forgive yourself? my son died on the cross for you 2000 years
ago, Forgive yourself!" at this he began to cry and the floodgates
of God's love and healing were opened in his heart. When he came
home from there for the first time in his life he was able to hold
his son Shane and tell him that he loved him. you should see the
two of them together now, I have seldom seen a Father and so who
are so close.

After the healing service many people shared with me how much
this had helped them to let go of things from their past. I am
convinced that God doesn't want us stuck in the past, once we
have confessed our sins we should let them go forever, they no
longer exist in Gods eyes and he wants us to have the joy
of innocence once again.

I am heading back to Ireland now, I have been on the road for
nearly 3 months and it will be a great blessing to get back to
my own bed for once. Please keep me in your prayers as I have
quite a few talks and Parish missions before Christmas.

You are very much in my heart and prayers.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore.

"THE RETURN OF LOST INNOCENCE"

2010-10-25T15:16:00.007+01:00

THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON BY REMBRANDT

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace

I am nearing the end of a very blessed time in Australia.
I have spoken in many different schools in Sydney, Brisbane,
Tasmania and Melbourne. One incident which particularly
touched me was at a school in Sydney where after the talk two
fifteen year old boys approached me seperately. They had both
had parents who had divorced and when they were listening to
my story and heard that I had been through similar pain to
to their own, God had really spoken to their hearts not to
give up on life or to stop loving.

Another thing that sometimes surprises me is that no matter what
age children are God can come to them and show them his love.
I spoke in a primary school (which is a little unusual for
me because I normally speak to the older kids) and one of the
young children began to cry during my talk, at first the teachers
were concerned that something was wrong with him, but it turned
out he experienced God's love for him in a deep way and they
were tears of joy

I spoke at a mens conference at a retreat centre overlooking a
beautiful beach in Sydney. One man told me that he hadn't been
to confession for many years and during the conference he approached
a priest and went to confession and got rid of all the burdens he
was carrying in his heart. He shared with me that it was only
when he came out of confession that he noticed the beauty of his
surroundings and the view took his breath away. He knew that God
was showing him that after confession we truly start again and
are renewed in his grace and restored to childlike innocence.
It reminded me of the first confession I had made when I was twenty
seven years old after which I could hear the birds singing and feel
the wind on my face and everything seemed different because I was
reunited with God.

One of the things that I have felt that God has been showing me is
to really love the Church, because it is Christs Church even though
it is made up of human beings who are not perfect, it is still
Gods gift to us to show us the sure way to follow him in this life.
I had the privilege of taking part in some events with ecumenical
communities here in Australia and it is surely the desire of Christs
heart that all christians would be one. But I feel that it is very
important that we not lose our Catholic identity and not be afraid
to witness to the power of the Sacraments and Our Lady's intercession
in our lives.

Over the last few weeks I have been travelling a lot and constantly
giving talks and it can get a bit tiring. One night I was thinking about
this and I remembered there was a Christian musician from America
called Rich Mullins and he was someone who gave of himself tirelessly
to serve God, and he once said "unless we are falling into bed exhausted
each night trying to bring souls to God what right do we have to call
ourselves Christians" and it just reminded me that even in the difficulties
it is an incredble blessing to be able work for the Lord.

Just to let you know that you are in my heart and in my prayers, please
keep me in yours.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

"CHASING THE DRAGON"

2010-09-24T11:26:00.004+01:00

HONG KONG

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

After the summer the Parish missions began again and I
spoke in Durrow, Co Laois then two more missions in
Ballyduff and Causeway in Co. Kerry. The Parish priest
there said that many people came back to confession after
years away including one man who hadn't been for forty five
years. The missions are such an opportunity for people who
have drifted away for whatever reason to make a new start
with the Lord and it is beautiful to see the joy on their faces
by the end of the week.

Next I travelled to Hong Kong where I spoke in a school and
a prison. The priest who took me to the prison was an amazing
man. He had already been kicked out of China unjustly for
helping the poor and he lives very very simply like the poor
whom he ministers to. His main work is on the streets with
drug addicts and prostitutes and it was a real blessing for
me personally to go onto the streets to pray over the drug
addicts with him. One of the people he works with is Jackie
Pullinger who wrote the book Chasing the Dragon. In the prison
itself I did a talk to a group of men including triads
(Chineses gangters) and as I was speaking one of the men broke
down crying in front of me.

One of the things this Priest is doing is bringing Chinese bibles
into the prison, many of these men will never have seen a bible
in their lives and I know from personal experience that when
you are locked up you are often looking for something to read.
The Priest and all the families I met during my stay were an
incredible witness to me of faith and love in action and were
an inspiration to me that I will never forget.

After this I travelled on to Sydney. Within two hours of landing
I was speaking to students at a Sydney university. As I shared
the story of a friend of mine called Lily who when she was 7 years
old was abused for two years by a friend outside her family.
There was a part of her who really hated this man and by the time
she was 16 years old she was very promiscuous, drinking too much
and taking drugs. When Lily did come to know God’s forgiveness
and love and started living her life for God I noticed that there
was a real sadness in her at times and I asked her one day where
she thought the root of this sadness was. She prayed about it for
about a month and when she got back to me she told me that there
was a time just before her sixteenth birthday that she went to
a hall with ten boys from her school and let them do anything
they wanted to her and it was a few days after that she tried to
take her own life. I prayed with her and told her to go back into
that situation and in her heart invite Jesus in to it. As I prayed
with her she broke down crying for a long time and when she composed
herself she told me that Jesus came in amongst all that shame and
wrapped a white cloth around her and kept repeating ‘My innocent
little seven year old girl’. At this One of the students I was speaking
to began weeping and I felt she was receiving a deep healing in her own
heart.

After this I moved on to Brisbane and spoke at another university. I
thank God to be able to do this work and ask for your prayers because I
will be speaking at many schools and parishes in different parts of
Australia. One of events that I will be speaking at is the 'Share The
Holy Spirit' conference in Sydney. This will take place from Friday
October 1st to Tuesday October 5th at the Sevants of Jesus centre,
15 Park Road, Seven Hills, NSW 2147. To find out more about this
conference check out this website www.servantsofjesus.org

Finally just to say you are very much in my heart and prayers.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

"SCRATCH BENEATH THE SURFACE"

2010-08-16T13:56:00.011+01:00

ST BERNADETTE SOUBIROUS

She scratched beneath the surface to find the miraculous spring of water at Lourdes.

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

The last few weeks have been really blessed, I went
to do a talk in Wheatfield prison in Dublin. The men
that I spoke to were very open and most of them took
a copy of my book. They had some really good questions
and I could see that they were searching. It was
heartwarming to hear from some of them that they were
praying everyday and trying to use their time in prison
fruitfully.

One man that was in the prison was a nephew of a friend
of mine, I had met him a few years previously and he had
been badly injured by some other men and he was looking
for a way out of the lifestyle he was caught up in. At
the time I encouraged him to go to the shrine of knock
and make a good confession and start afresh with God. He
told me he had done this and after the confession he had
wept because he felt God's compassion and mercy for him.
He told me it completely changed him and he hadn't been in
trouble since. He was in prison for an offense he had
already been charged with before we met. I could see the
light in him and the hope he had for the future.

Following this I travelled over to Bournemouth to speak at
a dinner given by The Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship.
It was a lovely evening with about 60 people present from
all different Christian denominations, it was great to chat
with them afterwards and to hear the way God has been working
in their lives also.

After that I had the opportunity for a few days retreat in
Devon where I really felt God calling me to go deeper with him.
A bit like when St Bernadette was told by Our Lady to drink
from the spring at Lourdes. At first there was just a muddy
patch on the ground and when she began to scratch beneath
the surface people thought she was mad, but she didn't give
up and in the following days water started to flow from the
mud where Bernadette had been digging. From this water
flowed a spring in which people started to have miraculous
healing experiences, and this remains one of the great
attractions of Lourdes to this day. In the same way I felt
I had to scratch beneath the surface and spend some time
listening to what God was trying to say to me. After this
I felt refreshed and renewed for whatever the Lord has in
store for the coming months.

From there I travelled to Our Lady's shrine of Walsingham
where I did a few talks at the youth camp and also did a
workshop on my experience of the healing of the wounded
child within. This is a process that had happened to me
over the course of several years where God was healing the
wounds from my childhood and setting me free to be able
to love. I remember about eight years ago I woke up one day
and felt totally free within, I though that this peace
couldn't possibly last but I can honestly say that from
that day til this, it has never left me. I have recently
finished my third book called "Journey To Freedom" which
among other things tells of that journey which we are all
called to. The book will be available in a couple of months
time.

After Walsingham I returned to Ireland where I was invited
by the Franciscan's of the Renewal to Moyross, an area in
Limerick with a notorious reputation for gangs, where I shared
my story of how God had transformed my life from violence
and despair, to an incredible adventure in trusting him.
I was told that many of those listening are still involved
in that same lifestyle and I pray that God would touch their
lives with his grace.

Finally you are very much in my heart and prayers, please
remember me in yours.

God bless you in his deep love.
John Pridmore

THE LORD IS NEVER OUTDONE IN GENEROSITY

2010-07-05T15:39:00.008+01:00

THE WIDOWS MITE, A GIFT THAT PLEASED JESUS.

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

The last few weeks have been quieter than usual and
as a community we had the chance to take an eight day
break in Croatia, where God really spoke to us in the
silence and there has been a lot healing and grace for
each one of us. We had the chance to visit Medugorje
where it is claimed that Our Lady has been appearing
since 1981 and many miracles occur especially conversions.

Our lady has always been important to me, I think she
helps us face the parts of ourselves we are afraid to
look at and guides by the hand especially when we don't
know the way. I remember I met one Priest who said he
thought he knew Jesus and then he met a beautiful lady
who showed him oceans of Jesus that he never knew existed.
That Lady was Mary. We also spent a few days by the coast
just relaxing and spending some time together as a community.

After coming back from there I went to Eastbourne with my
Mum, it was a blessed and eventful time and I thank God for
her prayers and witness to me.

Next I returned Ireland and have spent the last week
decorating the house inside and out. During the week
I went to do a talk at a prayer group in Westmeath.
Once again after speaking to the people I was
reminded of the terrible suffering that some people
have to endure in their lives as they shared with me
their struggles, but you could sense the presence of
God there and his compassion for his children.

I was reading a book recently by the great evangelist
John Wimber and he was talking about healing, he said
"It is my opinion that the best way to become whole is
to help others, we get well in helping others get well"
I really believe this is true, it is in giving that we
receive. It is incredible the grace of healing in
community at the moment in this time of rest (for most
of the year we are very busy running parish missions)
and the Lord is proving once again that he is never
outdone in generosity.

Next week I will be going to Dublin to talk in a prison
and after that I will be going to England to do a talk
in Bournemouth, please keep those in your prayers.

You are very much in my heart and in my prayers.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

WALKING AMONG LIONS!

2010-06-07T17:21:00.006+01:00

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

It was nice to get back to Downside Abbey to do a second
mission with Fr Michael Clothier. Fr Michael who is a
Benedictine monk has been a great friend for the last
twelve years and he had invited us to run a mission in
the parish of Midsomer Norton which has a wonderful
16th century church.

Downside abbey always has fond memories as I would often
stay there when I was giving talks in the local areas and
work pray and eat with monks. The Parish mission was a wonderful
gentle mission and you really felt the sense of the Holy
Spirit coming as we entered into Pentecost. One lady as she
was leaving the mission said that she had been to confession for
the first time in 40 years and she felt a joy like she was
a young girl again, which to me represents the innocence
God has created each one of us to have as we should be innocent
as little children.

It was also an amazing grace to be able to speak to so many
secondary school children. During the week I spoke to 2000
kids including to the whole school of Downside abbey and Prior
Park where Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor went to school and his
nephew is headmaster. While at Prior Park I met my old freind
Fr Malcolm who used to be chaplain at a category A prison in the
the Isle of Sheppey and he was now chaplain at Prior Park and I
told him it was nice to see him out of prison which made him laugh.

The greatest blessing for me was receiving a relic of my confirmation
saint St Thomas More who was a lion for Christ and during that week
I felt like I was walking in his footsteps speaking in both Catholic
and non Catholic schools and trying to bring the love of Christ to
each of the people we ministered to.

Leaving Downside abbey I flew to Rome to give some talks with my good
friend Magnus McFarlane Barrow who is the founder of Mary's meals. It
was a great blessing to spend time with Milona Von Hapsburg and Sylivia
who is the sister of the visionary Jelena. I felt a real closeness to
Our Lady and knew she was encouraging me to glorify her son at every
opportunity through my words and actions as the great Saints who roared
Christs glory at every opportunity with the fearlessness of a lions
heart and with the gentleness of the Holy Spirit the dove of God.

We then had a blessed mission at New Addington in Surrey where the people
had a hunger and an openness for God. Again God opened the doors so I
could speak to hundreds of young people in Croydon schools where one
headmaster really seemed to put Christ first in his school, he was a great
witness. He felt faith was the key to bring young people to a morality
and a hope in a run down environment.

We travelled then to East London and the Parish of St Ignatius in Stamford
Hill wher my good friend Fr Bernard Charles a Jesuit priest is based. The
mission was wonderful with over 30 different nationalities coming to worship
and open their hearts to God. It was great blessing to spend time with several
Jesuit priests and to see God working in their lives. During this mission I
flew to Ireland to give some talks at a novena in Dublin for Fr David a Sacred
Heart priest and on Sunday I was back in home parish of St Josephs in Leyton
East london to speak to a youth group and met some young people who seemed
to be the future lions of Christ ready to proclaim him at every opportunity
through their words and witness.

I pray that each one of us has hearts open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit
and that this be a new time of Pentecost where we can bring the fire of the
Holy Spirit to everyone we meet.

May God fill you with his deep love, you are very much in my heart and prayers.
John Pridmore

"GIVE YOUNG PEOPLE THE TRUTH!"

2010-05-11T13:38:00.006+01:00

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

It has been a busy but very blessed month. I did
a Parish mission at Donegal town were the Parish
Priest is Fr Willie Peoples. In the current climate
where it can't be easy for priests he was a great
witness to me of what it means to be open to God
and to others. I just happened to be in Donegal
town about a year ago and met him by accident and
straight away he booked us to run a mission. The
thing that struck me about him was his joy and how
real he was with everyone he met, very much himself
in the best sense.

I was running a mission in Blanchardstown in Dublin
and woman came on the first night to hear me speak
with her husband and young son. She said that they
didn't normally go to Church but both her and her
husband had been deeply touched, her husband went
to confession for the first time since his first
Holy communion and she had received a lot of grace
at the healing service where she couldn't stop crying
because she felt so loved. At that parish there were people
from more than 40 different nationalities some with
a strong faith and others returning for the first time
in many years. Once again the Parish priest Fr Paddy
was a great host, full of love and always looking to
serve.

At that mission I spent a few days with my good friend
Padraig Keogh, It was Padraig that I first went on the
road with when I arrived in Ireland, he gave up his job
for six months to travel around with me speaking in schools
and parishes. Also there were Tom and Joan Reynolds who
over the years have given me great support, I often stayed
with them when I was in Dublin and it was like a home away
from home, good food and great company but most of all the
warmth of God's love. Just to round it off Paul and Yvonne
Rooney were there also, it was Paul who first invited
me over to Ireland to come and speak in schools and has been
a good friend ever since. I love the way God gives us true
friendships which last through the years.

I travelled down to Ennis in County Clare to do some talks
and while I was there I had the chance to play Golf for the
first time in ages, even though I didn't play brilliantly
it was fantastic to be outside and I really enjoyed the beauty
of nature and getting a bit of exercise.

I was staying near Newtownbutler for a couple of days and myself
and a couple of my friends went to Mass on a friday morning and
out of the blue the priest asked if I would come and speak at
his Masses that weekend. I did so and it was incredibly blessed.
I thought it was amazing how open and trusting it was for him to
want me to do that when I had only met him once before, seven years
previously. That weekend I met a Canon who said two of the masses
who was nearly ninety years of age, the minute I met him I knew he
was a truly Holy man, he oozed Gods love and compassion and it gave
me great hope of what is possible in someone who really tries to
live their life for God.

One thing that struck me hard during the last month is the amount
of tradgedies happening, I have come across several suicides and also
those who have attempted suicide. It once again strengthed in me
the conviction of just how important it is for young people especially
to understand that they are loved and cherished by God. We went into
one school in Athlone and the headmaster put all the boys together
(over 400 boys) with just a few minutes notice. It was a wonder to
see how hungry they were to hear the truth that their lives are
precious to God and he has a plan for them. Mother Teresa used to
say "Give young people the truth and at least they have the choice
to choose the truth" I thank God for that headmaster and his obvious
love and care for his students that he put that message of Gods love
as the most important lesson they could ever learn.

Later this week I will be off to England for a few weeks to take
part in Parish missions in Mid Somer Norton, New Addington and
Stamford Hill. Please keep those in your prayers and be assured
that you are in my prayers also.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore.

FRIENDS FROM HEAVEN!

2010-04-09T12:33:00.009+01:00

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

A couple of weeks ago I flew over to Paris to take part
In a conference where Jean Vanier the founder of the the
L’Arche community was speaking. He had read my book and
a member of his community had invited me over to speak
at the conference. It was the first time we met, yet it
was like meeting an old friend. I had lunch with him and
as we chatted I just thought what an inspiration to meet
someone who had lived Jesus all his life and was still living
him today.

He shared many stories of situations he had encountered.
He told me of one boy called Eric who stayed with them in the
community, Eric was blind, he couldn’t hear or speak and he was
confined to a wheelchair. But the worst of his suffering was
that he was filled with anxiety and no matter what they did
no one could seem to help him. One day they took him into the
chapel where there was adoration of Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament. After a few minutes with Jesus, for the first time
since they had known him, he seemed completely at peace. Jesus
had been able to show him at the deepest part of his being that
he was beloved by God. This really touched my heart also because I
know in my life the greatest healing I have received is in
silence before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Whilst in France I received an email from a good friend of mine
who is a Carmelite Nun, She told me she felt St Therese of
Lisieux was interceding for my ministry and wanted to call down
the fire of the Holy Spirit upon all those I speak to. So I
started to invoke her in the prayer I say at the beginning of
each talk. It was great because when I returned to Ireland to
speak at a parish mission in Carrigaline who should be right
behind the ambo where I was speaking from but a statue of
St Therese. I’ve always loved her, she has a great sense of
humour and is an incredibly powerful intercessor, she is a
good friend in heaven.The mission was very blessed with many
people being touched by God’s love. It was a particular pleasure
to meet three great priests, Fr Bertie, Fr Aidan and Fr Charlie.

My good friend Br Martin from the Franciscans in Moyross is going
back to America to join the seminary to become a priest, please
pray for him because I think he will be a very powerful priest.
We had the chance to spend a few days together doing talks in
schools in Cork and Dingle, it was one miracle after another
and I just thank God for giving me friends like him. One email
I received from a girl we had spoken to said her faith had come
back alive and that she and her friends were crying during the
talk because God was touching their hearts. It is a real blessing
to receive so many emails from the schools particularly and it just
fuels me to want to carry on doing this work for as long as God
allows me.

As the years go by I see more and more that it is really true what
Jesus said that whatever we give up for the sake of his kingdom he
will reward us one hundredfold even in this life and I think one
of the greatest gifts we can receive is that of true friendship.
I’ve recently finished writing my third book, it is entitled
‘Journey to Freedom’ it will be available in a few months time,
it is all about the gift of freedom that Jesus leads us into.
A few years ago I had a heart attack and I think that it was only
after that I really began to embrace the gift of life that up until
then I had taken for granted.

I had the joy to speak at a Youth2000 retreat taking place near Dublin,
I was very impressed by the grace filled atmosphere at the retreat and
seeing so many young people being moved by God. The organisers James
Mahon and Anne Quinn did a fantastic job. Youth 2000 in Ireland is
going from strength to strength and it was good to meet up with the
youth2000 Ireland leader Paul Rooney and his wife Yvonne and spend a
bit of time with them. Yvonne lived with us in community as did
James Mahon and it is great to see them both so happy and fulfilled in
their lives and serving God so powerfully.

In Holy week I led a mission in Newtownstewart, Co Tyrone and then spent
Easter in the house at Carrick-on-Shannon with my mum and the rest of
community.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be speaking at Parish missions in Donegal town and at Mountview in Blanchardstown near Dublin. You can find the details on the community website www.stpatrickscommunity.org

You are in my heart and in my prayers, please pray for me.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

YOUR REWARD WILL BE GREAT IN HEAVEN!

2010-03-15T11:15:00.005Z

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and peace.

I've just returned from a tour of schools in England
where I had the chance to speak to over 5000 young people.

One thing I really enjoy is going back to schools where
I have spoken before and to meet the teachers and see
how they are getting on. A teacher told me that after
a talk I did a couple of years ago, they couldn't find
a particular student, he was known to be a bit of a
troublemaker and had a reputation of being the toughest
kid in the school. They searched everywhere for him and
eventually they found him kneeling down in the Chapel with
one of his mates praying the Rosary using one of the packs
we had given them.

I got an email from one young lad who I gave a book to in
a school, he said he had been struggling in school feeling
a bit lonely and left out by some of the other students who always
seemed more popular, but when he received the book (and he
was the only one that got one) he knew in his heart that
God was saying he was very special to him and never forgotten.
After this he went to confession and experienced God's deep
love for him. He is now going to Mass regularly. It just
reminded me how each one of us needs to feel that we are special
to God and when we do it changes everything for us.

It is such a blessing to see so many good teachers who are
willing to put great effort into getting the students together
for my talks. At one school a teacher brought every kid in the
school over to the local church for two separate talks because
the school simply didn't have a room big enough to take them
all. I'm sure this wasn't easy to arrange and probably didn't
make them very popular with some of the other staff. I have
great admiration for these people and it is a fantastic witness
to me of giving and not counting the cost to ourselves.

At another school, when we asked the headmaster if it would be
possible to put a few more students together, straight away he
went and rounded up students who were doing exams that week,
he knew this wouldn't go down well with some people, but he
said as far as he was concerned Faith was the most important
gift he could pass on to the children in his school. I thank
God for people like him and I believe their reward will be great
in heaven.

Mother Teresa used to say "give until it hurts" and I've witnessed
time and time again when people do that, it is then that God
works real miracles of his grace in and around those who are
prepared to put themselves out.

Some of the emails I have received from the young people I spoke
to have moved me deeply, your heart would go out to them when
you hear the situations some of them are dealing with, one young
lad had been smashed to bits by life and in the depths of this
darkness Jesus had come into his heart and was transforming all
his suffering into something beautiful. He felt a real peace
in his heart and the ability to love despite everything
that had happened to him. He now writes poetry and the poem he
sent to me brought tears to my eyes.

It was a joy to me to have my Godson Stuart with me for many of
the schools and prisons and I know that his testimony made deep a
impact on all who listened to him.

At one of my talks to a confirmation group in London I met a
friend of mine from the old days before I found God. He used
to be involved in football violence when I knew him and I was
amazed to discover that God had completely changed his life.
It was a real blessing for me discussing with him the
similarities of how God had worked in our lives and how God
seems to choose the most unlikely people to do his work.

This week I'm running a Parish mission at Annaduff in Co Leitrim,
Ireland and then I'll be travelling to Paris to speak at a
conference arranged by Jean Vannier the founder of the larch
community, I'm looking forward to meeting him as I've always
loved the work he does.

You are very much in my heart and prayers, please keep me in yours
also.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

"COME, FOLLOW ME!"

2010-02-16T11:01:00.017Z

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace

At the moment I am taking a bit of a break for a couple of weeks and
I am travelling through San Francisco, Los Angeles, Mexico, Costa Rico
and Panama. It is the first proper rest I have taken for a long time
and I must say I feel rejuvenated.

Whilst I was in Los Angeles I met up with my friend Paul Kelmenson who
is a film producer in Hollywood and he is still eager the turn my book
"From Gangland to Promised land" into a film.

On my travels I have met some very interesting people, I met one man
from the Falls road in Belfast, a place very dear to my heart where
I have done quite a few talks over the years. I gave him a copy of
my book and I hope he is enjoying it.

I was on a boat for a few days when I was in the region of Costa Rica
and the entertainment director got wind of my life story and he asked
me to do a talk to 200 people. I knew only God could arrange such a
thing and it was my pleasure to say yes to his invitation and to speak
to those people of the love and power of God in my life.

God's plan for us is so awesome and I think he loves to be part of our
lives whether we are on holiday or whatever we are doing. I have found
that if my heart is open and I want to serve him, he sends me
opportunities and that is where his miracles happen. It has been such
a blessing for me to see the different cultures and peoples of the
countries I have visited, not only on this trip but on all the trips
that I have made since following God's call for my life. Millions of
people over the centuries have heard that same call from Jesus to "Follow
me" and like the poem footprints says, he never abandons us on our
journey and the reason why there is only one set of footprints in the
difficult times is because it is then that he carries us.

I will be returning to Ireland for a couple of days at the beginning
of next week where I will speak at a Parish Mission in Swinford Co. Mayo
in the Catholic Church at 7.30pm in the evening on monday 22nd February
and also the following evening at 7.30pm.

After this I will be heading to England for a tour of schools with my
Godson Stuart who will also be sharing his story. I am looking forward
to this as We will be speaking to well over five thousand young people
in schools in Manchester, Liverpool, Worcestershire, Cambridgeshire,
Hertfordshire, Kent, London and surrey. I would really appreciate if
you would keep this tour in your prayers.

May God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

THE SEEDS WILL GROW IN DUE SEASON!

2010-01-22T12:25:00.012Z

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

I have just finished a tour of schools around England.
It was an amazing time with loads of little miracles
along the way. I always pray asking God to guide me
in every aspect of the tours including where I stay.
Many times people ask me what I do, and sometimes I give
them my book "From Gangland to Promised Land" I often
receive emails from them saying how God has touched
them through the book.

This last couple of weeks I have spoken to thousands
of young people in schools in Macclesfield, Lancaster,
Warrington, Preston, Workington, Whitehaven and Barrow-
in-Furness. Many of these emailed me telling me how
God has shown them that he is real and that he loves
them. Also some of their parents emailed me saying
how when the children got home thay couldn't stop
talking about what I'd said to them.

I think the outpouring of grace that happens on these
tours is because there are so many people praying for
them. All the contemplative religious orders in the
British Isles as well as many faithful souls around
the world including Australia, New Zealand and USA.
I thank God for their prayers and their love.

I spoke in the prison in Rochdale and the prisoners
were so open to God's love and all of them wanted to
chat afterwards, you could see the hope in their eyes.
The prison guards told me that when they saw the
group that had come to the talk (it was voluntary
for them to come) they were worried that there
was something afoot because some of them were
the most troublesome inmates in the prison, but the
only person who had brought them there was God, for
a meeting with his merciful heart.

Recently I received two emails that brought great joy
to my heart. One man told me that I came to his school
six years ago when he was a teenager and at the time
my story meant nothing to him, but he came to a period
in his life when he went through a lot of difficulty
and the words I had spoken about God's love came back
to him, and now he has started to pray and read the
bible. Another man said I had spoken in his school
years ago also and he had purchased my book, but he
only read the first part because he was interested in
the gangster lifestyle but he never read the second
part where God came into my life. The years passed, he
got married and had children and he started searching
for a deeper meaning in his life. He found my book and
read the second half and God touched him in a profound
way with his love.

When I read these emails it just reminded me that all
we are called to is to be faithful to what God asks us
to do. He watches over all the seeds that are planted
and brings them to friution.

You are very much in my heart and in my prayers.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

ST JUDE "THE PATRON SAINT OF HOPELESS CASES"!

2010-01-10T12:12:00.008Z

Hello everyone
I hope you had a truly blessed Christmas and New year.

I had the grace to spend a lot of time with my mum during this period
and I thank God for the gift that she is to me. When I was a gangster
in the darkest period of my life, I never knew it but my mum used to
pray for me every day. Eventually she prayed a Novena to St Jude
(the patron Saint of hopeless cases) that Jesus would take me and
that I wouldn’t hurt myself or anyone else any more.

Soon after this, God stepped into my life in a powerful way and I ended
up going to a retreat at Aylesford priory in kent. I went to confession
and I had an incredible experience of Jesus when I received him in
Holy Communion that changed me forever, everything I had searched
for and had never found was with me in that moment, the one thing
that truly satisfies our wayward hearts, the love of God.

That took place eighteen years ago and just this week a friend of
mine called Michael was visiting from Australia, I stayed with him and
his family last year when I doing talks over there. I took him
to Aylesford to show him around, I brought him into one of the chapels
which I told him was one my favourites, it is the Chapel of
St Jude, and I became very emotional because I knew in a deep way that
it was his and my mum’s prayers that had led me to that place and to
Jesus, and I felt like he was saying to me that there is no such thing
as a hopeless case with God.

This week I have started a speaking tour in England, the first engagement
was at Westminster Cathedral hall. That evening the weather was truly
awful, there was a heavy snowfall all over London and the Southeast.
I was amazed to see so many people turn up in these conditions. I received
an email from one young man who told me he had been touched by God’s
love during the talk and particularly when I spoke about the fact that it
says in the bible three hundred and sixty six times “Do not be afraid” that’s
one for every day of the year even one for a leap year. He told me that he
made a decision in his heart at that moment to go ahead and make enquiries
about becoming a Priest (which he had been thinking about for some time
but kept putting it off) I will be keeping him in my prayers that God will
continue to bless and guide him.

That evening after the talk we travelled down to Brighton, even though the
roads were covered with deep snow, I really felt that God was asking me to
travel anyway. The school I was meant to be speaking at was closed because
of the weather but despite this I ended up meeting with Fr Graham Ricketts
and had a truly Blessed time with him and also Dominic Dring a teacher from
the school I had been due to speak in just happened to be at the Mass we had attended and I had a grace filled conversation with him also. After this I was filled a great joy because he showed me once again that his plans are so much
better than our plans if we can just be open to the guidance of his Holy Spirit.

Please keep this tour in your prayers I am due to speak to several thousand
Young people in schools across the country.

You are very much in my prayers.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH AND DWELT AMONGST US!

2009-12-24T12:27:00.009Z

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

As Christmas day draws near and we await the
celebration of the birth of Jesus into a stable
at Bethlehem I know that the Lord has been
preparing all our hearts so that we can receive
him with great joy on that day. I am still
amazed by his love that he would come to us and
not despise to dwell in our hearts as our intimate
friend and saviour.

We just finished a mission at Letterkenny Cathedral
it was the second time we had done a mission there
and one of the nights was about the power of the Angels.
I shared with them an experience I had a couple of years
before my conversion when I was still a gangster, I was
on my way to collect a debt from someone who lived in
a block of flats, I must have looked incredibly menacing,
my hair was gelled back and I was carrying a machete in my
pocket in case there was any trouble. I got into the
lift to get to the floor where the man lived who I was
to collect the debt from, and into the lift came a young
lad maybe 13 years of age. All of a sudden this lad looked
me right in the eye without any fear and he said "Jesus
loves you man" and then he left. I was stunned and I just
replied "I'm glad someone does". After this I didn't go
and collect the debt, it just didn't seem important.

Now I don't know who that boy was, but he was an angel to
me (after all an angel is a messenger from God) what courage
it must have taken to say that to me. I am sure it had a
big effect on me and prepared my heart for what God was
planning in the future.I always try to remember things
like that, a simple word of truth or encouragement
can genuinely change someones life if it is the Holy Spirit
who inspires it.

The mission in Letterkenny was truly blessed, on the wednesday
night we had more than twenty priests hearing confessions
for two hours and every night the Cathedral was full. It was
great to spend some time with my old friend Fr Eamon Kelly
who is the administrator of the Cathedral, his gift of joy
and his heart of love for his people are a fantastic witness
to me.

The final mission of the year was in Kentstown, Co Meath, one
man from Poland was very touched by Gods love for him and
he said with tears in his eyes that this was going to be his
best Christmas ever because he knew deep in his heart Jesus'
love for him and his family. That is what it is all about
as far as I'm concerned, we all need to know that love which
brings meaning and purpose to our lives.

I am spending Christmas with my mum and just trying to take
a bit of quiet time and prepare for a tour of schools in
England in the new year, I am really looking forward to that!

I will be sharing my story at Westmister Cathedral hall on
Wednesday 6th January at 7.30pm for anyone who is able to come.
I'd love to see you there.

You are in my heart and prayers please keep me in yours.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

GOD'S TENDER LOVE AND MERCY!

2009-11-20T12:16:00.012Z

I hope you are well and at peace.

Since coming back from my travels it has been
nice to spend a couple of weeks in Ireland.
I had been looking forward to going to Malta to
do some talks but unfortunately I got a serious
dose of the flu and that wiped me out for about
10 days and I wasn’t able to travel.

Last week I spoke at a parish mission in Charlestown
Co. Mayo, the Church was packed and it was very
heartening to see many young people coming to the
mission and this week I have been running a mission
in Oldcastle Co. Meath. At both of these missions
we had reconciliation services where everyone had a
chance to go to confession, we had about 12 priests
available both nights. It was amazing to see hundreds
of people going to say sorry to God and receive his
healing and peace in that beautiful sacrament.

One girl told me how she had been no longer going to
Mass, but she came to the mission and went to
confession for the first time in over 15 years and she
said she felt so happy and had a great warmth in her
heart which she knew was Gods love. Another man told
me how when he was a young boy he had been sexually
abused and also badly beaten and as he had got older
he turned to drink to try to mask the terrible pain
he was in. He had gone to confession for the first
time in many years and he said that God had done
something special in his heart because the hardness
and coldness he had felt for so long was starting
to melt away, he also said he felt Our Lady very
close to him and she was going to teach him how to
love again.

The greatest joy in my life is to be able to speak
to the young people in schools and to tell them
truth about Gods love for them. I think God wants
to work through everyone and all it takes is for
someone to be open for a miracle to happen. A few
months ago I did a interview for an Irish Television
show called Nationwide with a woman called Mary Fanning.
Mary went away and arranged for me to speak to the
young men at Clongowes College in Co. Kildare. It was a
really blessed talk and the boys responded so well,
many of them purchased my book with their own money
and told me how God had inspired them through my story,
one of the boys was Mary’s son. Because of her openness
many lives were touched. That was a great witness to me
of following the promptings of the Holy Spirit and if
only good can come of it just go ahead and do it!

I also spoke at another school in Maynooth and the
students were equally touched. I have often heard it
said that religion isn’t cool these days, but I have
found that if you really give young people the truth
they are hungry for it. I receive hundreds of emails
after giving talks in schools and when I hear some of
the situations the young people are dealing with it
would break your heart.

I thank God for his heart of compassion which is always
seeking out those who feel lost and abandoned and
showing us his tender love and Mercy.

You are in my heart and in my prayers, please keep me in yours!

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

IN GIVING WE RECEIVE!

2009-10-19T11:05:00.007+01:00

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

The last few weeks have been amazing, first of all I
travelled to Hong kong where I spoke in a school to
300 young people but also another couple of talks came
about that hadn't been arranged in advance one in a
prayer group the other at a healing Mass in Macau. The
whole stay was a great blessing and the people were so
friendly and open.

Next stop was Australia where there seemed to be a lot
of people coming to my talks probably because I had spoken
at the World Youth Day in Sydney the year previously.I spoke
at a theology on tap event and it was a grace filled evening
with many confessions taking place.

One young man of about 17 years of age asked me to pray over
him because he had a tremendous amount of anger in his heart,
I prayed asking Jesus to come into the situation and whatever
was causing the anger, he said he felt a tingling all over him
and a deep peace. I saw him again a few days later and he told
me he was doing the same thing I had done and asking Jesus into
every situation that troubled him. When he done this he said he
felt the tingling and the peace once again and he knew that Jesus
was showing him that he was with him in all his struggles.

I stayed with a beautiful family Paul, Annette and the children
who were an incredible witness to me of love and generousity
It was a real joy and an honour for me to spend time with them
and get to know them.

I did a lot of talks and prayed over many people whilst I was
in Australia, but as always with God he gives us far more than
we give him. A couple of times members of the Servants of Jesus
Community (a fantastic community based in Australia from whom I
learned loads during my stay) prayed over me and it was a
tremendous blessing for me. One of them told me that as he prayed
he saw me as a little child in God the Fathers arms. Afterwards
I felt a real closeness to our Heavenly Father. It is in giving
that we receive!

I also met up with my old friend Fr Richard Aladics and as always
that was a joyful time. He is now ministering at Campion College
in Sydney where I spoke to the students.

I love the way that God organises these trips and all the pieces
of the jigsaw seem to fall into place. I met someone who has invited
me to come to Malta next year and speak to the young people. I'm
looking forward to that already and everything else that God has
in store.

I'm heading back to Ireland now where I'll be speaking at a Parish
mission in Celbridge on monday 26th october.

Be assured that you are in my prayers, please pray for me and those
I will be meeting in the coming weeks

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

GOD DOESN'T CALL US TO BE SUCCESSFUL, HE CALLS US TO TO BE FAITHFUL!

2009-09-17T14:49:00.007+01:00

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

I have just returned from the Cayman Islands where
I was invited to speak to many of the young people
and share my story with them. The person who invited
me was Diana who a few years previously had been a
chaplain for a school in Leeds where I visited to
speak to the students.

Diana told me that my visit to Leeds had made a deep
impression on the kids many of whom had started to become
involved in crime, breaking into cars and were
beginning to lose their way. She told me that some
of the ones who had started to get into trouble had
completely changed after the talk and one of the
lads is now in seminary. It is such a blessing to
hear, sometimes years later how God has been working.
At the time we can't see the fruit of what
we're doing but we can trust that God is always working
whether we see it or not.

Another example of this is that recently I received an email
from one young man in his twenties who told me that I came
into his school when he was a teenager and gave my testimony.
He said at the time it hadn't meant much to him but he had
come to a time of great difficulty in his life and all the
words I spoke came back to him and now he has a deep faith in
God.

Also I spoke to a man in Scotland who I'd met for a brief time
when I'd been staying at Craig Lodge house of prayer. He told
me the conversation I had with him changed his life and led him
to a deep encounter with God's love for him. I am very grateful
to God for letting me see these fruits and it just gives me the
encouragement I need to continue doing what I'm doing.

The actual trip to the Cayman Islands was very blessed and I met
some fantastic people.I got to speak to a great number of young
people in the schools. One of the highlights for me was speaking
in the prison and when I finished my talk one of the prisoners
approached me and told me that whist I was speaking he had felt
the love of Christ for the first time in his life and he felt
he now had the strength to change his life.

When I arrived back in the UK I travelled up by train to Glasgow
to join the rest of the community for a Parish mission. On my
journey up to Glasgow my train suddenly ground to a halt and
tragically a young girl had killed herself by throwing herself
in front of the train. I prayed for her soul and also for her
family. It just reminded me how important it is for young people
to know the message of God's love for them. I am just about to
leave for a speaking tour of Hong Kong, Australia and Thailand
where I will be sharing my story in many schools and I would
ask you to keep this in your prayers, because it is these prayers
which are the most important thing for all those I speak to.

The mission in Port Glasgow was a joy to be part of and numerous
people experienced the mercy and forgiveness of God in confession.
It was great to see the joy in the Parish and to know the God is
working powerfully among them and has great plans for them.

Mother Teresa said "God doesn't call us to be successful, he calls
us to be faithful" but if we try (even in our weakness) to be faithful
to what he has called us to do, it will always bear fruit eventually.

You are in my heart and in my prayers.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

THE START OF A NEW ADVENTURE!

2009-08-26T15:13:00.010+01:00

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and have had a blessed summer.

I have been preparing over the last couple of weeks
for my upcoming trips. I will be doing a lot of
traveling. I have started in Scotland where I am
currently doing a parish mission in Newarthill, near
Glasgow. The Church has been absolutely full each
night and there have been some beautiful stories of
how God has been touching peoples lives. Two girls
who are sisters went to confession for the first
time in years, both of them had experienced incredible
difficulties but after going to confession they
attended a healing service where Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament comes to each person. Both of them said that
they felt a powerful presence of God's love and that
they were going to start going to Mass every Sunday.

I received an email from a man I met whilst on holiday
who read my book and he said that not only he but also
his wife and children had stared going to Mass again.
It is amazing how the Holy Spirit works in peoples
lives. I try to pray about everything I do and beg
God to show me where to stay and even the smallest details
of my trips. Time and again God has shown me that he
hears these prayers and little miracles are always
happening that only he could bring about.

I also had a personal retreat for myself and the
community given by my Spiritual director Fr Jim Finn.
The theme was scripture and it reignited the passion
in my heart to read God's word. It is incredible how
God can speak to us through the scriptures and sometimes
a couple of sentences can feed us for weeks at a time.

I ask for your prayers because over the next few weeks
I will be visiting Florida, The Cayman Islands, Hong Kong,
Australia and Thailand to do talks. What a blessing it is
to be able to do this work for the Lord and the adventures
he leads us on when we try to follow him.

You and all those you love are in my heart and prayers.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

DO NOT BE AFRAID TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL FROM THE ROOFTOPS!

2009-08-01T15:56:00.015+01:00

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

Since the last blog I went to Spain to visit the shrine
of the Apostle St James (the brother of John) at Santiago
de Compostela. St James was the first of the twelve
Apostles to be martyred for his faith and as I knelt
before his tomb I really felt the power of his intercession.

It was here in August 1989 that Pope John Paul II gave a
famous speech where he told the young people of the world
not to be afraid to "proclaim the Gospel from the rooftops"
A young man called Ernest Williams listened to the speech
and was inspired to start a group called Youth 2000 which
is young people evangelizing other young people. This
is the group God used to bring me to a deep knowledge of
his love and mercy. So while I was there I felt a renewed
desire to do all I can to proclaim his love in my life.

After Spain I went to Switzerland to speak at a retreat for
youth. I was leading a small group and I asked them if they
knew they were loved by God. They all said yes. Then I said
is it a knowledge in their head or do they know it deep in
their heart? All of them said that they weren't really
convinced that God accepted them warts and all. I shared
with them the freedom I had received in understanding that
God loves me totally, especially in my weakness, and that
because of that I don't feel ruled by what others might
think of me. One teenage lad called Samuel suddenly said
"Can I have that?" I replied "I'd love to give it to you but
I can't, but you can give it to yourself!" One of the greatest
lessons I have learned in my life is that we shouldn't live
for others opinions of us, but for God.

After this I returned to Ireland where my community and I
were filmed by RTE for a programme called nationwide which
will be screened on September 11th at 7pm. I was also on
another RTE show called Spirit Level with Joe Duffy.
It can be viewed at the following link.

http://www.rte.ie/tv/spiritlevel/av_20090726.html?2586051,null,228

It was a real blessing to have my old friend and spiritual
director Fr Denis Herlihy with us to lead a retreat on
healing the child within. All the members of the community
were deeply touched by the grace of God and they were
shown the roots of the fears that can sometimes control
their lives. There were many tears and I know it was a life
changing experience for them as it had been for me when
I first did this about 9 years ago, it is only looking
back to see how many things God has changed in me since
then that I just thank him and praise him for all he given
to me.

I'm going to be spending a few weeks at the house now and
preparing for all the missions and talks which lie ahead
in the coming months. Please pray for me especially that
I might have good health and know that I am praying for
you.

God bless you in his deep love

John Pridmore.

LIVING THE NOW!

2009-06-29T11:03:00.007+01:00

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

After returning from my trip to Liberia I spoke at
the Northern Catholic Conference at Liverpool hope
university. I did three talks, one to the youth and
two to the adults. About 500 people attended the
weekend and it was a very blessed and special
occasion. Quite a few of those I spoke to came up
to me and told me how much God had touched them
through what I'd said, so I knew I was in the right
place. It was nice to have my mum there with me,
she had travelled up from London to spend the
weekend with me and enjoy the retreat.

Next I travelled to Medugorje in Bosnia to take
part in the Mary's meals conference. There were
speakers, both Priests and lay people, from all
over the world including India, Malawi, Liberia
Romania and the Phillipines explaining the work
they do in their countries to feed hungry children.
It was a truly inspirational experience.
I spoke about how we have raised money for this
beautiful charity in Ireland. One of the things
I shared was that after I had decided to offer my
support to Mary's Meals, Magnus McFarlane Barrow
the founder, asked me to visit their headquarters
at Craig Lodge. As we left to return to Ireland
one of my community members picked a saints name
from a box and said this saint will help us
establish the charity in Ireland. The saint he
picked was St Andrew the Patron of Scotland.

I must admit, I didn't really have a clue how to
go about raising money or awareness in Ireland.
One day an idea came to me to have a collection
for Mary's meals on the last day of our Parish
missions. When I went to Mass I discovered it
was the feast day of St Andrew and I knew the
idea was of God. We started to do just that and
to date we have raised over 450,000 Euro's in
Ireland alone and when you consider that you can
feed a child for a whole year for 7 euro's, that
makes a lot of children who are being fed.

The highpoint of the week for me was doing a talk
along with the visionary Jacov to hundreds of
people in the main hall. Many different people
contacted me by email to tell how much they had
received from hearing my story, including the
parents of a young lad from Cork called Joseph
who had been deeply moved by what he heard.

I had the chance to spend a couple of days on
the coast of Croatia. It was breathtakingly
beautiful and I felt a deep peace in my heart.
Once again God was showing me that we don't
have to go chasing him everywhere. He is right
there with us wherever we go as long as we seek
to do his will. If we live the present moment
with God (and not get caught up in future worries)
that is when miracles start to happen. If we
truly live the now we could even walk on water,
but as St Peter found as soon as we start to
doubt and worry we will sink.

Next I'm off to Spain for a Holiday/pilgrimage
to Santiago de Compostella, Avila and Valladolid
for couple of weeks. Following this I'll be
speaking at a retreat for young people at
Saint Maurice in Switzerland. Then I'll be
returning to Ireland for a weeks retreat
with my old friend and spiritual director Father
Denis Herlihy who brought me to deep inner
healing by facing the fears and wounds from
my childhood.

you are all in my heart and in my prayers.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

THE LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS!

2009-06-04T11:39:00.005+01:00

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

I have just returned from Liberia where I spoke to ex children soldiers
who were forced to take part and witness horrendous acts of violence
during the war which took place there starting in 1996 and continued in
various forms until 2002.

I went at the invitation of Magnus McFarlane Barrow the founder of Mary's
meals, which is an international movement to set up school feeding
projects in communities where poverty and hunger prevent children from
gaining an education.

I became involved in Mary's meals when on pilgrimage to Medugorje in
2005 I really felt that God wanted myself and my community to do
something, just a sense that the work we were doing of evangelisation
wasn't quite complete,something was missing and I didn't know what it
was. So I went to the Grave of a priest called Fr Slavko Barberic (the
first priest I ever went to confession to) whom many people think is
a Saint, and I prayed the rosary with the specific intention that Our
Lady would show me what this missing piece of the jigsaw was. Later
that day I bumped into Magnus (who was an old friend of mine) and he
told me about the work of Mary's meals and showed me a power point
presentation he had put together. As I watched I was deeply moved and
I knew Our Lady was saying to me "do whatever he asks you for this
charity, because it is mine."

Not long after this I set up Mary's meals in Ireland and over the last
4 years we have raised over 400,000 Euro's which goes directly towards
feeding hungry children.

It was a truly humbling experience to visit the school feeding shelters
in Liberia and to see the dedication and love of the volunteers who
prepare the meals, and to witness the massive effect it has on the
children. I could really sense the grace of God at work. Starting with
the generosity of those who make donation’s in Ireland and England,
without whom none of this would be possible.It has been amazing to
watch this small acorn grow into an oak tree with God's help and
blessing. Now Mary's meals feeds 350,000 of the world’s poorest
children daily and 15,000 in Liberia alone.

The experience of speaking to the children soldiers is one I'll never
forget, I shared my story with them and I could see that it was
something they could deeply identify with. One of the young men described
how when he was eight years old, his cousin and he were forced into
working as part of a group providing security for General Taylor.
His cousin fell ill through malaria, and was unable to complete
his duties for the general which included acquiring hot water
for Taylor’s bath. For failure to comply with orders when he was
sick, the cousin was placed against a tree and shot with the intention
of the murder being witnessed by the other children so they would
learn not to go against orders placed on them. Another young man
still has 20 bullets in him, and was forced to carry out orders
of murder of men, women and children, throughout the war.

Despite everything these young men have been through they have
an incredible resilience I felt a deep sense of love for them that
they had seen such evil in their lives, something which they could
do nothing about because they were so young, I actually wept because
it reminded me of the crucifixion of Jesus, total innocence meeting
such darkness. But the light shines in the darkness and I could see
such hope in these lads and I thank God for the chance to meet and
speak with them.

I met with a SMA priest, Fr. Garry, who is looking after over 100
children soldiers, providing them with food, shelter, and an
opportunity to have their lost childhoods restored. He has been
helping the Gola people recover from the civil war, and has worked
with them for over 30 years. During the war he refused to leave
the village where he ministers to them because he knew without
him the people would almost certainly perish. He himself was
kidnapped and that was where he first befriended the children
soldiers who were his kidnappers. He stated to me how ‘without
justice there can be no lasting peace’ alluding to how quickly
another war can begin when the deeper issues are left unresolved.

One man I met gave me immense hope for the future, that was the
monsignor who is effectively the acting Bishop at this time, he
is a real man of God and a great witness of love. Also mother
Teresa's Missionaries of Charity are there bringing God's
tenderness and compassion to the poorest of the poor.

After returning home I feel a profound sense of love in my heart
and a faith that God never abandons any of his children
especially those who have suffered.

If you would like any information on the work of Mary's Meals
you can find it on www.marysmeals.org

You and all those you love are in my prayers

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

WHEN I AM WEAK THEN I AM STRONG!

2009-05-15T15:00:00.005+01:00

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

For the first time in quite a few years I had the joy to do some talks in Wales, and I spent a bit of time with my old friend Fr Gareth Leyshon, I had known him long before he entered seminary and we had worked together often in the past. It was a powerful time talking to many young people in schools and I received lots of emails telling how God had really touched the life of these students.

I also took part in a weekend youth retreat and I ended up running a reconciliation service where up to 60 people went to confession and some of them told me how this had transformed their lives. The great thing about our faith is that even if we mess things up, (which we all do), the moment that we return to our God with sorrow and a desire to change we can start again.

One of the priests at the retreat said to me that the thing that had deeply struck him during my talk was that God works so powerfully in us in our brokenness. He wants to use us to bring his light to others just as we are! We can't come any other way. We don't have to pretend to ourselves or others that we are perfect, just simply be ourselves and be free to tell of God's patience and goodness. Let us not be afraid of our weakness because as we know Jesus used a donkey more than once!

I have spent the last week with my Godson Stuart doing talks in schools in England, some of you may know I met him over 10 years ago when he was 12 years old and living in foster care, he had been rejected by all the people who were supposed to love him and was already in trouble with the police and taking drugs. I spoke in his school and we had to get special permission from social services for him to come on a retreat. During that weekend he went to confession and said sorry to God (even though at that stage he wasn't even baptised) After the confession he knelt beside me at a healing service and as the Priest brought Jesus in the blessed Sacrament to him he threw himself into my arms with tears running down his face saying "For the first time in my life I know that I'm loved, I know that Jesus loves me". Six months after this Stuart was baptised a Catholic and he is an incredible witness of how the love of God can transform someone’s life.

While Stuart was talking in the schools of what God had done in his life, he was crying because the love of God was moving him so much, and I noticed that many of the students were wiping away the tears also because I'm sure they could relate to the things he has been through in his life.

In one school that I visited was a teacher who is a very good friend of mine and he had just received the news that his sister has breast cancer (please keep her in your prayers) and of course it was very difficult for him. But he said that after our talk and just spending a bit of time together, he felt the grace to be able to trust God and had a deep peace in his heart, which he deserves because he is someone who really tries to serve God and place him in the centre of his life.

One of the days Stuart and myself went to visit Sr Maria Nutella a Dominican nun who is based in the New Forest in Hampshire. It was a real blessing to see her again and we ended up praying over one another. As she prayed over me she received a picture of lots of little boats with people in them and these boats were tied up with heavy ropes. This represented the fact the souls of these people were not free to follow God fully. But
as she watched she saw that I began to cut the ropes so that these people could respond to God's love for them. It was a confirmation to me that my mission is to speak to whoever God sends me to and hopefully that they may have the grace to respond to whatever he is calling them to in their lives.

She also saw clearly that wherever I went the devil was waiting to attack the work that God wanted to do. There is nothing to fear in this because God is infinitely more powerful than him, but we must have our eyes open to the reality of spiritual warfare and be ready to combat him with the weapons that God gives us. Every day I and my community would pray protection prayers such as the Holy Michael the Arc angel prayer and others like it, with the express purpose to repulse his attacks on us and on the people we minister to, it really works! and I would recommend it to everyone.

Finally It has been amazing to see God working in the ordinary everyday circumstances, I have given books and miraculous medals to countless people I have met on my travels and the thing that blows me away is that every one of them is so important to God that he would arrange the whole trip just for them if it were necessary.

Just to assure you that you and all your loved ones are in my prayers.
God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore.

FACING OUR FEARS

2009-04-24T16:04:00.005+01:00

Hello everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

After arriving back from the amazing few weeks I was ministering in New York I spent two weeks at the community house (pictured above) in Carrick on Shannon, County Leitrim. The name of our group is The St Patricks Community and we run Parish missions across Ireland and the UK.

It started about 8 years ago when I arrived in Ireland with nothing but a bag full of clothes and a car but the conviction that God was calling me to Ireland to Evangelise. I went on the road speaking in schools and parishes with a friend of mine called Padraig and it was incredible the miracles God worked in that time. Even though we didn’t have a penny to our names, we never had to spend a night without a roof over our heads and it was an exiting adventure travelling from place to place never quite knowing what the Lord had in store for us next.

Gradually as time went by more people came to join me and at the moment there are five of us, 3 guys and 2 girls, who make up the team. God has really taught me that if I want to be truly intimate with him the only way that can happen is if I am vulnerable. That means really sharing with him what is going on in my heart and not trying to hide or disguise my deepest fears but exposing them to him.

Each of the team members are at different stages on that journey to the freedom that God wants for them and one thing we have found is that if we are not prepared to be vulnerable with one another and share our fears and brokenness it is very unlikely we will share it with God. Community life has a habit of very quickly exposing all the masks we wear to make people love and accept us. When all of this stuff comes to the surface and you realise that the people you are living with are just the same as you, then that is the beginning of the healing process. God will never withhold his love and tenderness from us when we come to him in our weakness.

After Easter I went to speak at a Parish mission at Glasnevin in Dublin. On the Tuesday night we had 14 priests hearing confessions and many people ended up going for the first time in years, it was great to see the joy on their faces afterwards. I also spoke in a school in Dublin and the young people were so open while listening to what God had done in my life. Many of them emailed me and told of how God had touched them through my talk and they wanted to read my book to find out more.

I am the so thankful to God for the privilege of doing what I do, the greatest joy I have in my life is to see someone realise that they are precious to God and he loves them.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

BE YOURSELF NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY!

2009-04-03T16:23:00.004+01:00

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

I have spent the last couple of weeks in New York. During this time I spoke at a mens day of prayer where 3000 attended.After my testimony one of the Priests from the Franciscans of the Renewal came to speak to me and shared how while I was speaking he could really feel the love of God the Father and how it had a powerful effect on him. He also said that for some time he had experienced the pain that people where suffering and would shed tears for them at the drop of a hat, I told him that it was the same for me and that this deep compassion for others was a beautiful gift from God and nothing to be afraid of.

I had the joy to do a live show on EWTN (a Catholic television network) with my old spiritual director Fr Andrew Apostolli, it was fantastic to spend the
day with him and I learnt so much from him. The day after the show I received an email from a man who said he decided to go to confession after what we had said on the show. He been going to Mass without receiving the Eucharist for some years, after his confession he went to Mass and received Holy communion and God showed him his presence and his love for him in a deep way. He wanted to say to me that these programmes were doing great good.

While I was in New York city I stayed in the house of formation for the novices of the Greyfriars. This year they have seventeen young men who desire to give their lives totally to the service of the Lord and especially the poorest of the poor. What a witness to me of dedicaton and generous hearts.

I went to speak at an event called theology on tap in Buffalo. I shared the story of a girl I know who when she was a little girl was sexually abused by
someone outside her family and had later gone on to become very promiscuous as a teenager. On one particular occasion she been with several guys at the same time and afterwards had felt such a sense of shame that she had attempted to kill herself. She ended up going to a priest for confession and during the confession the priest had placed her head on his heart and she had wept tears of joy. The only problem was that even after this confession she couldn't forgive herself for the things she had done. One day she asked me to pray over her to heal the memories of the situation where she had been with several guys at once. I told her to place herself back in that situation in her imagination and I would pray for Jesus to come with his healing, very quickly she began to cry so much that at first I was quite concerned. After about half an hour when she seemd totally at peace I asked her what had happened when
we prayed. She told me that in her imagination she had been back in the situation where the several guys were using her and she felt disgusted with herself when suddenly Jesus appeared with a white gown that he placed upon her and he said the words "my innocent little seven year old girl" and he covered all her shame with his love. She realised that God wasn't looking at her with disgust for the things she had done but could only see a little girl who should never have suffered in that way. What an immense healing for her that was.

After this talk a girl approached me with tears flowing and she told me how she had lived a similar life to my friend and that through her story she realised that God was looking at her with utter compassion and understanding and that now she would be able to forgive herself and really begin to live her life anew.

The next day I said to John (the man who had invited me over for the talk) "there was a lot of tears last night" and he replied "Yeah, including mine" and we both laughed, grateful to God for all he had done. The two families that I spent time with were a real inspiration of what family life can be, one had nine children the other had ten.They had so much love and concern for each other and a joy which was infectious.

Lastly my friend Fr Robert Stanion (pictured above) passed away. I thank God for his life and how he taught me by his example that the greatest way we can serve God is by being ourselves. He was always very real and never pretended to be anything other than what he was, but his heart was so full of love that he was always ready to lift the burdens from all those who crossed his path, may he rest in peace.

Know that you and your loved ones are in my prayers.

God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

BRING MY LOVE TO OTHERS!

2009-03-16T16:20:00.003Z

Hello everyone
I hope you are well and at peace.

I had an incredibly blessed time in New Zealand and God taught me many lessons. Whilst I was in Christchurch I had the privilege to meet with with Sister Dorothea, she has been an enclosed Carmelite nun for the past 25 years. She herself was converted during a Black sabbath Rock concert and has an amazing heart to pray for the young people of the world to experience the fire of Gods love. Over 20 years ago God inspired her to pray for one person in particular that would have a mission to spread that same fire. As we talked together I really saw that her prayers were instrumental in my conversion and sustained me in all the battles I've had as I've tried to follow Gods path for me. I thank God that we had a chance to meet up and see the perfection of his plans coming together.

I was asked to speak in a prison, on arrival I was told they expected me as an educational speaker. There was some pressure to not mention God in the talk. I went ahead and spoke about how it was God and him alone who had transformed my life. You could see that the prisoners were deeply moved and the woman who arranged the talk came up to me and said "If God isn't educational then I don't know who is!"

On my journey home I stopped off in Los Angeles for a couple of days and a mutual friend had arranged for me to meet up with Jim Caviezel (the actor who played Jesus in the passion of the Christ) I went to pray a rosary to ask God to bless this meeting and as I was praying I suddenly remembered how a few weeks previously I had been driving from Auckland to do a school three hours north, I was feeling very tired. The evening after I had spoken in the school I ran a reconciliation and healing service in a local church, after which a girl from the school came up to me with tears running down her face and explained how during my talk in the school God's love had touched her heart, so she had come along in the evening in the hope the same experience, When the Priest carried Jesus in the blessed sacrament to her God had brought massive healing into her heart and she was crying with pure joy. The same evening a 22 year old lad told me how he had been to confession for the first time in over 10 years. All this reminded me that the greatest thing we can ever do is to introduce someone to the God who loves us, and that is what is important to God. After all of this I didn't end up meeting with Jim Caviezel and it was the meeting with the mutual friend Paul which was important to the Lord because he said the conversation had changed his life.

On arriving back in Ireland I did a talk for a prayer group and I felt while I was talking that even though I had really prayed about the talk I was a bit all over the place, to my surprise the man who ran the prayer group came up and told me it was the best talk he had ever heard. This really taught me that we are not the best judges of how God is using us and that we should never analyse, just trust in him.

Finally I was down in Limerick for a fundraising evening for Mary's meals where I shared my story and met up with my old friend Magnus McFarlane Barrow who founded this fantastic charity which now feeds over 360,000 children in the poorest countries of the world every day.

You are in my prayers every day, please keep me in yours. I am off to New York to talk at a big Mens day of prayer among other things and I'm really looking forward to that.

God bless you in his dep love,
John Pridmore

LIGHT THE FIRE OF GODS LOVE!

2009-02-23T15:52:00.002Z

Hello everyone,
I hope you are well and at peace.

I have arrived in New Zealand and have spoken to 4000 young people over the last week in various locations around Auckland. I received an email from a man who came to one of my talks, he told me he had been a bouncer and had been leading a wild life but after hearing my story he has decided to change his life and is now planning to go to bible school for a couple of years.

When you do a talk you never know the effect that it may have, so it is always encouraging to hear that God has been working. Since coming to New Zealand I have heard from several people who have told me of what has happened to them since my trip here last August. One young man who heard me speak at world youth day said he was heading down the wrong path in life but now he has let God into his life and it has transformed him.

One teacher told me that a group of young men whom I spoke with had been deeply impacted by Gods grace and are going from strength to strength. Also a prayer group that I visited has started many new ways of reaching out and serving God including a pro-life group to fight against the evil of abortion, the leader of the group told me these were all fruits of my talk.

The most important thing is to do whatever God leads us to, because that will always be what brings about the most grace. I had been feeling for some time that God might be asking me to spend more time travelling to different locations to do talks. One day someone was praying with me and they got the picture of a globe with various fires (representing God's love) been lit all over the world. I knew that God was confirming this new calling! within a matter of days I received invitations to come and speak in the Carribean, New York and other places in the USA. Add to this the trips I already had planned to New Zealand and Australia and you can see that the Lord sometimes works quickly when he wants something.

I must say I am really enjoying the incredible adventure of following him to the ends of the Earth. This week I will be talking in schools in Christchurch and flying to Wellington to speak on television and also in a school.

On the way back from New Zealand I will visit Los Angeles to visit a friend of mine, Paul Kelmenson a Hollywood producer who would like to turn my book into a film, so please keep that in your prayers.

The most important thing is that no matter where someone lives or what they may have done in their lives, God wants the fire of his love to burn in their hearts and to show them how important they are in his plans. All of us can make an immense difference if we say yes to him!

You are very much in much heart and prayers,
God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

THE JOY OF SERVING GOD!

2009-02-05T12:40:00.003Z

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

Since coming back to Ireland I have done two Parish missions one in Enniscroan and one in Waterford city. At Enniscroan the Church was packed every night and It was incredble to see the peace in the people at the end of the week.

During that week I had the joy to meet up with my old friend Fr Bernard Murphy, the head of the Franciscan friars of the renewal. He came into a school with me in Moyne, Co Longford. He said it was so important to see me witness to God's love without fear and with real conviction because that shows the young people that it is real, and that also when we follow God he sets us free to be ourselves and not to worry about what others think of us. After that talk I received many emails from the pupils telling how God had touched them and asking how to come closer to him.

The next weekend I did a talk in Wexford and a man came who had read my book and wanted to have a chat with me. He hadn't been going to Church for many years but someone had given him my book and it had opened him up to faith he had been taught as a child. He ended up coming to the Waterford mission and he went to confession for the first time in over twenty years. It was obvious that God had touched him in a deep way and I think he will do great things for the Lord in the future.

A woman came up to me at the mission and asked me to pray for a 4 month old Baby who has Down Syndrome but who was seriously ill with an infection and in danger of dying. I think these children are like angels who God has sent to bring his love and joy to the world, they are so full of God. A few days later she told one of my friends that the child was back to full health and that she thanked and praised God for it. The most beautiful part of it was that the mother, who had found it a bit difficult to accept the child at first thinking it would be a burden on her, had realised through the illness what a precious gift this child is to her.

At the moment I am in England doing a tour of schools, so please keep me and the children in your prayers. Next I will be travelling to Los Angeles and then on to New Zealand to speak at a big youth conference in Auckland.I will then share my story to thousands of teenagers in Schools in both Auckland and Christchurch. What a joy it is to serve God, I never thought I'd see so much of the world let alone doing something Which I love so much, telling others about the God who loves them!

You are all in my prayers
God bless you in his deep love.
John Pridmore

WE NEVER WALK ALONE!

2009-01-17T14:53:00.006Z

Hello everyone
I hope that you have had a blessed Christmas and you are at peace.

For Christmas this year I went away for a few days with my mum. First we went to Paris where I visited the beautiful church of the Rue de Bac where our lady appeared to St Catherine Laboure and gave her the miraculous medal. She said anyone who wears this medal will receive many graces and protection from God. I've given out literally hundreds of thousands of these medals to young people and Our Lady says they are an outward sign of how much we are loved by her.

Next we went to Bruges in Belgium and we went to Sunday mass after which they were venerating the miracle of the precious blood. Many years ago there was a Priest who was having doubts about whether Jesus was truly present in the blessed sacrament and during the Mass the wine turned into real blood and he doubted no more. They keep that blood of Christ in the church unto this day. It just reminded me of the incredible gift that Jesus gives us each time we go to mass.

At the beginning of January I started a tour of schools in England. I talked to over 4000 young people over the course of two weeks sharing with them how God has changed my life and brought me to a greater freedom and peace than I'd ever dreamed was possible.

In the schools many of the young people came up to me and shared the painful situations that they were living and asking me if God can really help them. I prayed with one girl who said she didn't believe that God exists asking God to show her he is with her in her suffering, and many others were asking for prayers to help with very difficult situations at home. I think God's heart bleeds for these his beautiful children and he asks all of us to reach out to them.

Before the tour began I had arranged for a meeting with a good man who has helped us out financially to make these tours possible and where we were to meet him was a long distance from the two talks I was doing that day. Then, an old friend from Ireland, who is a teacher, called me and said she had started work in a new school and would it be possible for me to come and speak to the students? Sure enough her new school was right beside where we were meeting the man who helps us. I knew this was God, only he can arrange these things to the smallest detail.

The talk was really blessed and all the students were so open to God's love for them. After the talk I ended up praying with a few teachers, including the headmaster. He asked if it might be possble for myself and my community to come to his school and help run a retreat day for his staff. I felt so thankful to God to be part of his plan and to see him working his miracles!

I am never ceased to be amazed how when we try to serve God he looks after us in the smallest details. One day we had been very busy since the early morning. We were on our way to another talk when I turned to Will and Niall who were in the car with me and said it would be just nice to sit down and have a nice meal together for an hour or so. Soon after I took a wrong turn and right in front of me was a harvester restaurant. I thanked God for his goodness that he gives us everything we need and loves to see us happy. It is often in the little things that God can show us just how precious we are to him and I pray that our eyes would be always open to see these gifts of love.

One of the days we had finished quite early and I really wanted to go for a walk to get some exercise, but unfortunately it was pouring down with rain. The only indoor place where I could get a decent walk was the Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham which was a fairly long drive away, but off I went and while mooching round the shops I ended up giving my book to two girls who worked behind the counter and I know it was going to be a blessing for them. Also because I was in Birmingham I met up with My old Friend Fr Richard Aladics who was visiting from Australia at the Chaplaincy of the university of Birmingham. We had a great chat with some of the students and it was a truly blessed evening. If it hadn't been raining I wouldn't have been in Birmingham at all. I love the way God can use everything to guide us.

One of the vital things on these tours of schools is the satellite navigation system for the car which guides us to all the addresses which we otherwise would struggle to find. It is the same in our lives, without the gift of Gods Holy Spirit we will always struggle and often get lost. When we surrender our lives to him and let him guide us then miracles start to happen and life becomes an exciting adventure. Somebody once said that the word faith could stand for a Fantastic Adventure In Trusting Him!

You and those you love are in my prayers every day.
God bless you.
John Pridmore.

PREPARE OUR HEARTS FOR CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-15T13:46:00.005Z

Hello everyone
I pray that the infant Jesus would fill you with his joy this Christmas.

The last couple of weeks I have been speaking at Parish missions and in schools. First of all I was in Mullagh in Co. Cavan. It was a truly blessed mission with many people being touched by the love of God. On the final night the Priest said he had more confessions during the week of the mission than he had in the previous 14 years.

After this I travelled down to Tullycross in Connemara for another mission and had the opportunity to speak in the local secondary school. The young people are so open and hungry for the truth of God's plan for their lives and it doesn't matter where you go in the world they are facing the same struggles and the answers are only to be found in God.

Next I travelled to Galway to meet a friend of mine Mike Short who runs a Christian cafe in the town. They do incredible work and it is always an inspiration to visit them. Mike had set up a number of talks in schools all of which where very blessed.

I asked Mike to say a prayer with me and while we were praying he got an image of a high powered electric cable which he thought represented the power of God, then he saw that to handle the powerful cable it had to be held in thick insulating material. This insulation represented the humilty which is absolutely necessary for the power of God to be manifested in our lives, because we can do nothing by just our own strength or wisdom, but we can do everything in him.

So if you sometimes feel weak and broken, that is no obstacle to God using you powerfully, in fact it is probably an advantage. As St Paul says "when I am weak, then I am strong". So when God does work miracles we don't think it is because of us.

Let us prepare our hearts to welcome our God who comes to us in the form of a helpless child this Christmas, so that we would not be afraid to draw near to him. May the prince of peace fill you with his deep peace and heal all the wounds of our lives so that we may bring his light into our world.

God bless you and all those you love,
John Pridmore

ONLY IN GOD IS MY SOUL AT REST

2008-11-26T14:49:00.002Z

Hello Everyone

I hope you are at peace.
As always the last few weeks have flown by, the mission in Sligo was a great blessing, the Cathedral being full every night and many people coming back to their faith. I heard of one man who went back to confession for the first time in 59 years. What joy he must have brought to Gods heart.

After the mission I had the chance to spend a few days at home and I took the opportunity to tile the bathroom, which I really enjoyed because it is always nice when you finish a job to look at the work you have done. I'm sure the Lord loves to look at us and even though we are not the finished article, we are his creation and he rejoices in us.

Next I went to speak in several schools across Ireland. After the first school I spoke in I received an email from a girl Who had been really suffering from loneliness and was feeling at rock bottom, she was also self harming. She felt that no one loved her. Thank God that after hearing my talk and speaking to her by email she is feeling a lot better and I know that God has great plans for her life, so please pray for her that she would truly know the deep love that Jesus has for her and how he loves to be with her.

I went to speak in Blackrock College in Dublin and was deeply impressed by the RE department, the Chaplain and the Principle who are instilling a profound sense of the faith and how each boy can make an incredible difference in this world. There was a great response to my talk from the boys and many of them took books. I have so much hope for the future when there are still schools like this who put God at the centre of all they do.

After the schools were finished I headed for Donegal for a short break. The hotel I had booked had changed the original dates and had given me my stay for a discount, otherwise I probably would have gone somewhere else. But as always God had his plan. While I was eating in the restaurant the first night I got talking to a married couple and I ended up sharing my story with them and I gave them a copy of my book "from Gangland to Promised Land". The next day I saw the man sitting in the Lobby reading my book, so I asked him what he thought of it. He answered me "To be honest John I have been very emotional while reading it" I could see tears in his eyes and he told me that he hadn't been to mass in a long time. It reminded me once again that there is no such thing as a holiday from God, he wants to use us to reach his beloved children wherever we are and whatever we are doing, and that is what I live for.

Also in Donegal I met up with two of the Priests of the local church and went out for a meal with them, what a joy to make new friendships in the Lord. I have found that the promise Jesus made when he said whatever we give up for him, he will give us a hundredfold in return, is totally true and what greater gift could he give us than friendship, firstly with himself and then with so many others that he puts in our paths.

Finally I met up with my old friend Fr Eamonn Kelly from Letterkenny and spent some time with him. His mother has 19 children and is still going strong. when I met her this time she was praying her Rosary by the fireside in her house. She looked so content and peaceful and that is the gift that God imparts to us when we place him in the centre of our lives.

Please know that you are in my heart and in my prayers.
God bless you in his deep love
John

THE HARVEST IS RICH BUT THE LABOURERS ARE FEW.

2008-11-04T15:32:00.001Z

Hello Everyone

May the Lord fill you and all who you love with his peace.

At the end of the week of the mission in Wigan a man told me a beautiful story. He had been to confession for the first time in 40 years and he had a deep experience of Gods love. After the mission he went into his local pub and was talking to one of his friends and telling him his experience, he gave him a prayer card and went off to speak to someone else. Ten minutes later he returned, the man had read the prayer card and tears were running down his cheeks, he then said that he wanted to know how to join the Church. It was inspiring for me to hear how quickly this man had begun to spread the blessing he himself had received. God wants to use all of us to bring his light and love to others in all places.

I spent a few days in York, a place I've always loved and where I've often felt very close to God. I got speaking to a priest in one of the Parishes and he asked me if I would like to come and speak to a group of people who were joining the Church. It was a very blessed talk and afterwards a man came up to me and told me his story. A couple of years ago someone had given a copy of my book (Gangland to promised land) to his wife. At first she didn't read it and put it down somewhere in the house. A few months later she saw me on television (EWTN) telling my life story. Then she picked up the book to read it and was very moved by it. She gave it to her husband (who wasn't a Catholic) to read, and God really spoke to him through it. He decided to become a Catholic and was doing the RCIA course where I turned up to speak. Only God could have arranged this run of events, it's a source of great peace to know he is in control of every situation when we hand over our lives to him.

Next I headed to Amsterdam to speak at an event arranged for young people. At the hotel I was staying I met a man from Limerick in Ireland. I told him a bit of my story and what I did, then gave him a copy of my book. Afterwards he told me he told me he was inspired to hear of an Englishman who loved the Catholic faith and that he was going to take his faith more seriously from that moment on.

At the event for young people, I met a woman called Stephanie who had arranged for me to come and speak to the young people. She was on fire for God, and in a country (Holland) where there seems to be a lot of confusion in the Church, She showed me once again that anyone who truly gives their life over to God and spreads his love and truth will make an immense difference. I thank God for people like her because the harvest is rich but the labourers are few.
Mother Teresa said "If you give young people the truth they have the chance to choose the truth". I have always seen that people, young and old, are thirsty for the truth and recognise it when they hear it.

Just to say that you are all in my prayers and please pray for me because I will be doing a lot a talks in schools over the next couple of weeks.

God bless you all in his deep love
John

MANY ARE CALLED BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN

2008-10-20T14:38:00.001+01:00

I hope you and your families are well and at peace.

Since the last update, I have led two parish missions, one in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, and the second in Ashton-in-Makerfield, in Wigan.

During the week in Tullamore, more than 1,500 people came to the church each evening to take part in the mission, and about 500 were there for the 7 and 10 am morning mass each day. A friend of mine, Fr. Marius from the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, flew from New Jersey to help hear many of the confessions that week. Some of the days, he would hear confessions for more than four hours as well as counselling those who came to him with their various problems. There were 25 priests on hand to hear confessions on the Tuesday night, where for more than two hours people continued to go to Jesus and find His loving embrace, and share their hearts and pain with Him. It never ceases to amaze me how God touches the deepest parts of our hearts and draws us to Himself. I thank God everyday for the gift of confession, and how it renews me and gives me the strength to continue to try and live like Jesus.
Each day during the week I was in three different secondary schools speaking to the young people, sharing with them my conversion, and letting them know about the love of God for them. Many of the students from those schools came along to the evening sessions and attended the early morning mass before they went off for classes.
There are so many distractions in our world today, and with the constant buzz of television, mobile phones, and computers, it is hard for us to hear the voice of God, who speaks to us in silence. I would always encourage people to make time for prayer, because it is through prayer that we come to know the one who created us, and loves us unconditionally. As soon as we take something to prayer, it begins to change. Whether we are coming to Him with our problems, our various needs, or just to say thanks, Jesus loves to hear from us.

Early on in the mission one of the priests mentioned to me that there was a gang of youths who would hang around the church at random times and had been causing trouble and making life difficult for some of the elderly of the parish. I came across them one afternoon, and after speaking to them for a few minutes, I asked them a bit about themselves, and they began to open up and share what their lives were like. Some of them said how they had dropped out of school early, others had family members in prison, and how life was difficult at home. Each of them came along to the evening sessions, and I am sure God was sowing many seeds of His love in their hearts.

Last Sunday morning I went to speak in HMP Liverpool Prison, to over 130 inmates there. Even though there can be a heavy feeling of intimidation and bravado that the prisoners try to put over, underneath it all they are like children to God, in need of the same love as each one of us. After the talk, I went up to one man and said to him
‘I have a book for you’
He looked somewhat surprised as I handed it to him, and he said,
‘Why did you pick me out from all of the others?’
I said, ‘I felt inspired by the Holy Spirit to give it to you.’
By the tears in his eyes I could see that this really touched him and he went on to say,
‘Do you know this is the second time this has happened to me. Just last week there was another person in here speaking to us, and they picked me out too.’
‘That is God showing you how special you are to Him, and that He has great plans for you.' I added.
God knows each one of us in an intimate and personal way. None of us are numbers to Him, He carries each of us in His heart as if we were His only child. Scripture says ‘even the hairs of our head are counted’ and that God ‘has carved us on the palm of His hand’. It meant so much for this man to know that God understood him, accepted him, and had a plan for his life. We all need to know the gift of His love, it is something we can not earn, but we can receive it freely any time we ask for it. I know for myself, that without God’s love, life is meaningless, but with His love, every day is a miracle and my eyes can be opened to the wonder of the world He created.

This week I have been in Wigan leading a week of mission in Our Lady Immaculate Church. Each day of the week I went into St. Edmund Arrowsmith Secondary school and spoke at an assembly, to more than 1,100 students. The school was named after a local martyr who laid down his life in witness to the faith.
It was through the same blood of the martyrs in the early church that Christianity began to spread so rapidly in the Middle East and in Europe. From the 12 apostles to those who still risk their lives to proclaim the good news, our faith has been passed down by their example and sacrifice. We can pray to have the same desire and passion to love Jesus as they did and in the words of St. Teresa of Avila ‘We will set the world ablaze'

I will be sharing my story in St. Anthony’s church, in Bradford on Monday October 20th at 7:30, and will prepare to travel to Holland to speak at a youth conference there before returning to Ireland for a mission in Sligo Cathedral November 3rd- 7th at 7:30 p.m.

I thank you all for you prayers and emails, and you are in my heart and prayers.

May God bless you in His deep love, and may Mary our Mother enwrap you with her peace.

God Bless

John

THE GIFT OF GODS LOVE

2008-09-25T14:45:00.004+01:00

I hope you and your families are well and at peace.

Since coming back from speaking at a Marian Conference in Arizona, in the United States, I have led two week long missions in Ireland. The first one was in Kilcloon, Co. Meath, and the second was in the Cathedral in Cavan Town, Co. Cavan.

Throughout the mission in Kilcloon, I was giving my testimony in secondary schools during the day, before the evening sessions which began at 8:00 in St. Oliver Plunkett’s Church. On the Tuesday morning of the mission I was invited in to speak to about 200 students in a school in Kilcock. After speaking to the principal for a few minutes and encouraging him to put in as many students as possible, he began to organize for me to speak to the entire school in the gymnasium for a hour. Because of his openness to the Holy Spirit, I was able to speak to the whole school which numbered over 750 young people and share with them the hope and love that Jesus offers them in their lives.
I went on to tell them how it was through the sacrifice of their ancestors, and the blood they had spilled during the penal times that there is a Catholic faith in Ireland. And how not so long ago that their own family members in previous generations made incredible sacrifices, even to the point of risking their lives, to even be able to go to mass and receive Jesus. I reminded them that if they wanted to find out the answers in regards to their faith, they would have to be willing to ask the questions. Finally, I encouraged them to pray everyday, because it is only through prayer that we can come to know Jesus and recognise His voice in our hearts.

On the Tuesday night of the mission, I gave a talk on the gift of God’s Mercy. It was through the grace of making an honest and open confession that I came to experience the great gift of God’s forgiveness in my life, more than 17 years ago. It is always a privilege to have the opportunity to try and lead others to that same gift that I received. After sharing about my own experience in confession, and why it is so important for us to make a new start with God in this sacrament, more than 10 priests took their places around the church to hear the confessions of the more than 600 parishioners who came. It was beautiful to witness people coming back to Jesus as the prodigal son came back to the Father, (Luke Ch. 14 Verse 11) and seeing first-hand the love and forgiveness of God who has always been waiting to embrace his children and shower them with his love.

Later in the week I returned to speak in the secondary school in Maynooth, speaking to the fifth and sixth year classes.
I talked to them about how each of us have a part of our heart that can only be filled and made complete by the love of Jesus, and that in my own life I looked everywhere but Jesus to find something things to fill it. No matter how much money I made as a gangster, how many drugs I took, or how much power I got, I never found satisfaction or fulfilment in my life. There was always emptiness, and if we don’t look to Jesus to fill that void in our hearts, we will never know the joy of what it is to really live and love. At the end of the talk one young lady came up to me and thanked me for what I had said, and went on to say how much she really needed to hear that. I know that if the whole talk was just for her to come to understand that love of God for her, it was all worth it.

The following week, I led the mission that was held in the Cathedral in Cavan town. When I gave my testimony on the Monday night, the church was full up with more than 1,500 people in attendance. Even at the 7 am mass in the morning there was over 250 people who came to support the mission. On the Tuesday night there were 26 priests who heard confessions, for more than two hours. I saw many leaving that sacrament with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces, as they left their burdens and pain with the Lord, and received the grace of His complete forgiveness for them.

On the Wednesday morning I went to St. Patrick’s College and spoke to the 500 students there, sharing my story and encouraging them to come along to the evening session in the Cathedral. More than 100 students come along to experience the Eucharistic healing service held that night.

The next day after the 10 a.m. mass as people were leaving the church one woman came up to me and shared how much she was enjoying the mission. As she continued to speak, tears formed in her eyes, and she thanked me for what she had received during the week. I could see that she had been touched by God, and from her response of shedding tears, I knew a miracle had happened in her heart.

On the Friday, which was the final night of the mission, dedicated to the Holy Spirit, I went before Jesus in the tabernacle to pray before my talk. As soon as I knelt down, I felt the incredible love of God for me, and I began to cry, as I felt overwhelmed by His love and care. I said to Jesus that I would not be able to speak if he kept filling my heart with his love because it was too much to take. I saw in a new way from that experience that no matter how many years we spend trying to get to know God’s love for us, we will never come to a full understanding of it until we are united with Him in heaven. That is the joy we can carry in our hearts in this life, that when we do meet Him, that love which we can never completely know on earth is ours for eternity. Coming to know the love of God for us, is the most important thing we will ever need to learn in our lives. When we open our hearts to Him, He takes away all fear and anxiety and grants us His peace, and if we listen carefully we can hear His voice, ‘My beautiful child, in whom I am well pleased.’

I will be in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, in the Church of the Assumption from Monday September 29th to October 3rd giving my testimony and talks in the evening at 7:30, and at the morning masses at 7a.m. and 10 a.m. It would be great to see you if you there if you can make it.

I remember you all in my prayers and I thank you for yours.

May God Bless you in His deep love

John

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INTO THE WILD WEST!

2008-09-02T16:03:00.002+01:00

Hello everyone, I hope you are well and at peace.

The last few weeks of the summer have been spent traveling home from Australia via New Zealand and the United States. It was a great joy for me to go into a school in Auckland to speak to the young people about Gods love for them. At that school there was a brilliant teacher who seemed to really love the students. He invited me to come and speak to some of the older lads from the school who met together on a Friday evening. Whilst speaking to them I felt very moved by the Holy Spirit because each one of them was so important to him and that these were young men who would stand up and witness to their faith in a powerful way in their lives. I noticed that many of them had tears in their eyes and that they felt the same passion to do Gods work I as did.

Often we hear about the darkness in our world but with young people like these and lots of others that I’ve met, we need not fear the future but look forward with hope to whatever God is preparing.

Many months previous to even having planned to visit New Zealand, God had given me a friendship with a Carmelite nun from Christchurch who had read my book. She said it would be great if I could come and speak to young people in New Zealand. It seemed a very unlikely prospect at that time, but you can never underestimate what God will do once these sisters start to pray for something.

The moment I stepped off the plane I felt Gods peace and I knew that I was right where he wanted me to be. All the talks were really blessed and the entire week we were there it seemed the Lord was guiding everything we did.

We decided to head North to the Bay of Islands for the weekend, on the journey it began to rain heavily and I saw a girl hitchhiking and stopped to pick her up, sure enough she was heading to the exact same destination as us. She asked me what
I did, so I told her my story and how Gods love had transformed my life. I mentioned about how one of the turning points in my life had come when I felt the Holy Spirit for first time. She explained that she had been raised in communist East Germany and she seemed to be searching for answers in her life. After a few minutes she asked
a beautiful question “Tell me more about this Holy Spirit?” We had a great chat and she really understood the need for the forgiveness and healing of Jesus in our lives. She was so open to God and I know he will guide her to a deep knowledge of him. There were so many incidents like this that I could write a book for them alone
and I thank God for the prayers of the Carmelites and all those who pray for me.

The next stop was Los Angeles where I met a friend who is a film producer. An incredible Man of faith who wants to try and make as many films with a Christian message as possible. He showed us round the city and took us to places where tourists
would seldom see. Wherever I went I carried Miraculous medals with me and I gave these to the people we met. One old woman in a shop gave me a massive hug when she received a medal and another woman was moved to tears when I gave her a medal for her child. Our Lady said in one of her apparitions “If you knew how much I love
you, you would weep for joy”.

We drove across the desert into the wild west, from Los Angeles to Phoenix and I received a totally unexpected grace. I was aware of the prayers and presence of my Dad who had died a few years previously. He had always been a massive Western fan (John Wayne was his and my favourite) I felt he was with me and that he was proud of me. I was so thankful to God and it filled my heart with joy.

When we arrived in Phoenix a lovely Lady called Ann had arranged for us to visit the grand canyon, it was a truly awesome experience. Only God could create something so beautiful. I'm always amazed at the places God takes us when we say yes to him in our lives. I can honestly say I have never been so fulfilled. Somebody once said that the word faith could stand for a "Fantastic Adventure In Trusting Him".

The last appointment of my summer travels was for a big conference in Phoenix, but I also had the grace to be able to speak to two large groups of students at a local high school. Sometimes I don't get the chance to speak to all the people I would like to at the talks because there are often time constraints, but I thank God for the gift of the email contact I have with people, many of whom share deeply their struggles and also joys.

please know that you and those you love are in my heart and prayers.
God bless you
John Pridmore.

GOD"S PERFECTION

2008-08-07T05:55:00.007+01:00

Hello everyone, I pray that you are well and at peace.

After world youth day ended we had another couple of weeks before we were due to leave Sydney and nothing had been arranged in the way of talks.It was to be an amazing time when God really intervened with the things he wanted us to do.

First of all a Sydney businessman called Peter arranged for me to speak in his son's school ( Kings college ) to 1200 boys, I felt thankful to God for this chance to speak to his children and for the grace that came from it. Because of Peter's help this opened the door also to speak in Barker college to 3 different groups of students, each of around 300. Many of the young people told me how much hope my story had given to them. It is a great joy that God will guide us in even the smallest things if we really surrender our lives to him.

Next we headed off to the Hunter Valley for a 3 day break to see a bit of Australia. The first morning I was there, I went to confession to the local Priest. To my amazement he had purchased my book at World Youth Day and he ended up asking me to speak at the weekend masses. Again I felt the joy of knowing this was all God's plan. After the talks Two different men came up to me with tears rolling down their faces and explained how much God had helped them through my story and strengthened them in his love. Each one of us is so precious to God that he is always looking for new ways to show that love. There are no coincidences if our eyes are open to him working in and around us.

After one of the Masses a young boy called Matthew, who had heard me speak, came up to me and asked me if I would come and speak in his primary school. He had already spoken to the local nun Sr Mary and she was in agreement that I should come. How could I say no? Children are so open to God and are a great witness to me of how they keep things simple and joyful. Sure enough I was in the school on the monday morning speaking to 300 primary school kids. I didn't feel tired after these talks, I felt renewed and refreshed, once again the words of Jesus "There is more joy in giving than receiving" rang true in my heart.

The last day (Sunday) that we spent in Australia we went to visit a community called the Servants of Jesus, they are an ecumenical community with both Catholics and Protestants working together to serve the Lord. What a blessing it was to share with them the story of God's mercy in my life. It was incredible to see the power of God working in them and their openess to the Holy Spirit and the great desire they have to serve him in whatever way he chooses. I knew I was exactly where God wanted me and I thanked him for letting play a part in his plans.

The day before my visit to the Servants of Jesus, I received a phone call from my old friend Fr Richard Aladics. He had just arrived in Sydney to start in his new post as chaplin to Campion College. He asked if I could come and speak to the students on the Sunday afternoon. I said it would be my pleasure and when I looked at the Map to see where Campion college was located I saw that it was five minutes away from the Servants of Jesus. I was just blown away by the perfection of God and how he moves us around like pawns on a chess board if we let him. It was so great to meet up with Fr Richard and at same time share my story with his students and to see the great plans God has for their lives.

You and all your loved ones are in my prayers.
John Pridmore

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YOU WILL RECEIVE POWER!

2008-07-22T05:09:00.000+01:00

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are well and that you have peace in your heart. It has been an incredible last couple of weeks in Sydney, one of the first talks I was asked to do was to a group of leaders of different youth groups, just before I was due to speak there was a time of praise and I was thanking God for being here and the prospect of speaking to hundreds of thousands of young people at the World youth day events. As I was praying I received an image in my mind of myself as a little child kneeling before Jesus and him just looking at me with complete love and acceptance and all the other things that seem so important in the world were stripped away and all that was there was my relationship with him, and my heart was filled with joy because I knew that was the what I live for. During the talk afterwards I really felt God had incredible plans for all these young people coming to Sydney and he would make them his witnesses in the world.

The thing that has struck me is that God wants to work in every situation that we find ourselves in, one evening I was walking down by the harbour in Sydney and I bumped into a group of pilgrims from Guam and I gave one of the girls a book and I don't think she knew what to make of it at first. A week later she turned up at one of the talks I had done and told me how God had really touched her heart. There are no coincidences with God.

One morning during Mass the Priest got up to give his homily and he said a man came to him yesterday and said it had been fifty years since his last confession, "I was walking down George street in Sydney and I saw the joy in the young people from all over the world and I thought THEY ARE RIGHT! and so I have come to confession to start again with God." God was working through those young peoples witness and they hadn't even known it.

At Barangaroo on friday night I was speaking to over 100,000 young people at the Receive the power live event, and I really felt the power of God and his message for them Not to be afraid of the Darkness in our world because it can never put out the light of Christ which burns within us.

Lastly I had the honour to speak at the vigil in Randwick to over 250,000 people. I was originally meant to speak for 10 minutes but someone didn't turn up and I was given 30 minutes. It was a beautiful sight to see so many young people gathered together and I thank God for such a blessing and knowing that every single one of them is precious to him and that he has a plan for all of them to bring his love to the world. As the theme of the world youth day said " You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses". I pray that will come true in all of our lives.

God bless you and know that you are in my prayers.

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Randwick photo from sydney morning herald

DOWN UNDER

2008-07-22T05:02:00.002+01:00

Originally posted 05/07/2008 05:55:22

Hello everyone

I pray that you have peace in your heart at this time. It has been a very interesting last couple of weeks with a lot of traveling. I set off for Australia via singapore and this was to be for me the longest flight I had ever taken (almost thirteen hours) and because I'm quite big and I've got a bad leg I asked God for a seat with a bit more space, after trying to book an exit seat online but it not being possible. Sure enough at the airport the airline moved me to the most spacious seat I've seen.

God really does care about the little things if we entrust them to him. Whilst flying I was reflecting back on how nine or ten years ago I was terrified of flying and even though I used to do it, it was always an ordeal. The issue had been control, I didn't like the idea of the pilot having my life life in his hands. But as the years passed and Gods grace worked on me in this area he slowly showed me the reasons for my controlling and brought healing to those roots of fear, and of course the reality is that God is in control of every situation if we will hand them over to him. For me it's a miracle that I can actually enjoy a flight and that is the freedom that Jesus wants to bring to every area of our lives.

Singapore is a very busy city with many people working twelve or more hours per day. Me and my friend Niall were walking back to our hotel after dinner one night and in front of us was a man in his late fifties with a girl who was at most seventeen years of age. He made it clear to us that the girl was a prostitute and to him just someone to be used, he said to us "You can take her if you want"

The girl was beautiful and I had incredible sadness in my heart that she should be treated this way. All I could do was pray that she might know that love above all loves. I remember a few years ago whilst I was living in The Bronx in New York, I was passing through a red light district when one of the young women who worked the streets came up to me and asked for a cigarette. I started to tell her the story of a girl who was searching for love, the first boy she had fallen for, she had sex with him because she thought that was the price she had to pay to earn his love, but after this he dumped her and it felt like her heart had been ripped apart. with the next guy it was the same story and this happened again and again until eventually she thought she was worthless and ended up selling her body on the streets to survive from day to day.

But one day she met a man who seemed to look right into her soul and loved her for who she was and didn't want anything from her. So she fell to her knees and washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. That girl was St Mary Magdelene and the man was Jesus. When I said this the the woman began to cry and said "please pray for me" I handed her a Miraculous medal and promised her that I would. It just reminded me how important and how powerful it is to pray for those caught in this trap (men as well as Women) that God would show them how precious they are to him and lead them to a better way.

After arriving in Australia the first week has been filled with many media interviews including Sky news and various others and it's obvious the World Youth Day down under is going to be incredibly powerful.

For those of you who can come I'd really encourage you to, but if not your prayers would be a great blessing. Here are just a few of the events I will be speaking at. Mon 16th July Sydney university 6.00pm, Wed 16th July State theatre 3.00pm, Thurs 17th July Sydney convention and exhibition centre 8.00pm, Fri 18th July Receive the Power live Barangaroo Darling Harbour 7.00pm, Sat 19th July World Youth Day vigil Randwick race course 3.45pm. Please God over the next few days we are going to see miracles and I'm just very thankful to be here.

Be assured of my prayers for you and those you love.
John

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THE FATHERS LOVE

2008-07-22T04:53:00.001+01:00

Originally posted 21/06/2008 14:32:21

Hello everyone!

As summer arrives I pray that you are truly at peace. After arriving back from my break in Canada I was looking forward to a tour of Schools in England which I had been praying for for a long time. One of the first schools I spoke in was a boys School in North London, during the talk I started to tell them that God is a good Father who will never turn his back on us and will always look for new ways to help us understand his deep and lasting love for us, no matter what we may think of ourselves. As I was speaking I noticed that several of the boys began to cry and I realised that they had probably never known the love of a Father in their lives and I thanked God that he was showing that to them in their hearts. We all need to know that we are accepted by at least one person, God, and his opinion of us never changes.

I received an email from one girl who said that after listening to my talk she was deeply touched by Gods love and she decided that she wants to be confirmed and to start to take her faith seriously. I was confirmed when I was 27 and I can honestly say it was a major turning point in my life because it is during confirmation that we receive all the gifts of the Holy Spirit. For my Comfirmation Saint I chose St Thomas Moore who has been an inspiration and a help to me every day of my life since then.

As we travel around the schools it is always amazing to hear how God is working in the lives of those who invite me to speak. One woman who had asked me to a school in Oxford told me that a few years ago her life was in a real mess and she wasn't practicing her faith, but one day she wandered into the Padre Pio bookshop in London and someone who worked in the shop gave her a copy of my book (From Gangland to promised land) She ended up coming back to God and to a deep faith in him, and it is obvious to see that she is doing incredible work reaching out to others who are struggling.

It is often said that wherever our own wounds are, that is the very place our mission can be for God. He turns everything on its head and brings good even out of evil. That is the joy that we can experience if we give our lives to him.

The Chaplin of the final school I went into on the tour told me that while he was reading my book he came to the part part where I didn't understand that Jesus was really present in the blessed sacrament. So The next time I went to Holy communion I said to Jesus "If this is really you, Show me because I don't understand" and all I can say is that every good feeling I had ever felt was magnified a million times and I knew that it was Truly Jesus and I also knew that I would be a Catholic to the day I die. After reading this he realised that he didn't really understand either so he said the same prayer and he said for the next 2 hours he wept because of the love that Jesus showed him and that he really was present in Eucharist. I just reminded me of how simple our relationship with God can be, he is our best friend and he has the answers to all our questions.

Lastly, Please pray for all the Young people at World youth day in Sydney where I'll be speaking during July.

May God continue to bless you and show you his plans for your life

John Pridmore

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GODS AWESOME CREATION

2008-07-22T04:51:00.000+01:00

Originally posted 30/05/2008 23:04:30

Hello again!

I hope you and all those you love are at peace. The last few weeks have been an incredible time of grace. I was running a Parish mission in Oldham and many people went to confession for the first time in years and it always amazes me how God can work so many wonders in peoples hearts even through broken people like myself, but then people know that it really is God working!

After oldham I travelled up to Glasgow to run the first Parish mission I have done in Scotland. It was a real blessing to see the faith of the people and how many turned out each night at the Parish of St John the Baptist in Uddingston. One of the highlights of the mission was being able to go into the secondary schools and share with the young people about the love of God and how it doesn't matter how desperate a situation is, as soon as we ask God into it he can turn it all around.

It is always very moving to read the emails the young people send and to hear of their struggles, and it often moves me to tears. I thank God every day for the Gift of being able to love and I think that part of that is really feeling the pain of others. I know I have lived through that pain in my life but I also know there is great hope because God always wants to make up for those times of suffering by surrounding us with his love.

After the mission I travelled over to America, where I was speaking at a conference in Notre Dame University in Indiana. I was amazed because after my talk I was signing books and spoke to the people as I was signing and again I saw the deep struggles that people have and I felt Gods compassion for each of them, no one is forgotten by him and if we really knew that there would be no fear in our lives. St Padre Pio said that "fear is a greater evil than evil itself" and I know this is true for fear is the one thing that can take the joy out of our lives.

After the conference I flew up to Canada and we spent a few days in Banff, deep in the Rocky mountains. The beauty of the surroundings would take your breath away and we have even seen a bear eating away merrily about twenty yards from us. But one of the things that struck me is that Banff is a place where a lot of young people come searching for something and all too often it seems they seem to only find emptiness even among all this beauty. It reminded that no matter where we go or what we do the only real happiness or joy come from our relationship with Jesus who is always with us and will never let us down.

Please keep me in your prayers because I will be going to World youth day in Australia to speak and it promises to be something special.

God bless you and know that you are in my heart and prayers.
John

COME HOLY SPIRIT

2008-07-22T04:47:00.002+01:00

Originally posted 09/05/2008 12:59:06

I pray that you and your loved ones are well and at peace in this time leading up to Pentecost. Over the past 3 weeks I’ve led two Parish missions, one in Dungloe, Co Donegal and the other in Oldham, Lancashire. Both were very blessed and in particular, being able to speak to the students in the local secondary schools was a high point for me. It was a very encouraging to see a lot of these young people come along to the evening sessions of the mission. I received many moving emails from them telling of how God had touched their lives.

After the week in Dungloe I had some time of prayer before the next mission and I decided to visit Our Lady’s shrine in Knock, Co Mayo. There were some things on my heart that I really felt I needed to bring to confession and to put right with God. During this confession I asked the priest for tough penance to make up for what I’d done. He replied “Our God doesn’t punish, he just loves” and it reminded me once again just how patient and gentle God is with us.

Later that week I flew to London to do some work preparing for the World Youth Day in Sydney this July where I will be speaking at various events. On my trip I spent some time with my Godson Stuart. I met him for the first time nine years ago when after doing a talk in his school, he came along to a weekend retreat that I was running. We needed special permission from social services for him to come because he was living in foster care and he was already in trouble with the police despite the fact he was only twelve years old. During the retreat Stuart went to a Priest to confess even though he wasn’t a Catholic and the Priest prayed for him that he may know Gods forgiveness and love.

Later that evening at a healing service, where Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament comes to each person individually, I was kneeling next to Stuart as Jesus came to him and tears started to roll down his face and he threw himself into my arms saying “for the first time in my life I know that I’m loved”. Six months afterwards he was baptised a Catholic and I have the honour to be his Godfather. Stuart just celebrated his twenty first birthday and he has a great heart which he shares with everyone he meets.

Last Sunday evening I went to give a talk at the SPEC centre in London, which is a place where they run retreats for young people from all over Westminster Diocese. One of the team who now runs these retreats is a young man called Will. I first came across Will four years ago when I was speaking in a Church in his home town of Glastonbury.

At that time he was taking drugs, spending most of his time on the streets and getting in trouble with the police. The day I was due to speak he saw a poster advertising the talk outside the Church that said “Come and meet the man behind the machete” he liked the sound of this and wanted to see for himself. I spoke to him after the talk and gave him one of my books and told him I would be praying for him. A few months later I received a phone call from his mum asking if I could help as he was about to be kicked out of school. I told her that for it to make a difference he would have to come and spend some time with me in Ireland.

During the two weeks he spent with me he started to open up about some of the problems in his life and I spoke to him about forgiving those who had hurt him. We said a prayer with him and he said he experienced Gods love deep in his heart. Over the next year Will continued to struggle with peer pressure especially at school and gradually fell back into trouble. Eventually Will came and spent six months on the team giving his testimony in Parishes and schools where he had a great effect on many people who heard him speak.

Last Easter Will became a Catholic and went to confession for the first time which had a profound and lasting impact on him. It’s incredible to think that this same young man who had so many struggles and difficulties is now leading others to Christ in such a powerful way. Will is looking forward to travelling to Australia for his first World Youth Day this summer.

Thinking back over all that God has done, my heart is full of gratitude and I look forward to the many miracles he is going to work in the future.

I thank you for all your prayers and I remember you in mine every day.

May God bless all of you in his deep love.
John

CHRIST IS RISEN ALLELUIA!!!!!

2008-07-22T04:43:00.001+01:00

Originally posted 25/03/2008 10:40:38

Hello again,

I hope you and your loved ones are having a truly blessed Easter season. Over the past two weeks I have been giving Parish missions in two places in Ireland. The first one was in Killiney, Co. Dublin, in the parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel. It was my first week back after the Easter Holidays and it was a real joy and grace to be able to give my testimony there, and see so many people coming out to support the mission.

The following night, was a night dedicated to God’s Mercy and 9 priests came to hear the confessions of more than 500 people. Many of the priests were touched and told me afterwards that it was a great experience to see so many people coming back to God and experiencing His loving touch in their lives. During these missions, it is always in the sacrament of Reconciliation where lives and hearts are touched in such a deep and profound way that we can experience the freedom that God wants us to have. He created us to be happy and have the fullness of life and by opening our hearts to God and his tender mercy for us, we can come to experience Jesus in such a way that our lives are never the same.

Later in the week, I gave a talk on the Gift of Mary. And of the five nights of the mission, this one holds a special place in my heart. Mary really comes with her peace, and she brings her love for each of her children. The more I give my heart to Mary, the more I know I am growing closer to Jesus. Recently a man told me that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are quite different in the way that they are written, when compared to the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John has a unique touch, and a beautiful insight into the heart and love of Jesus. This is because after Jesus was crucified and rose again, St. John took Mary into his home and she lived the rest of her life on earth with him. She would have shared with him many things about Jesus that only she would know as his mother for carried Him in her womb, raised Him, and watched Him die and be resurrected for our sins. So when we make time to know Mary in a deeper way in our hearts, our hearts are opened to that love and insight that Mary has of Jesus.

Last week I was in Kilbeg, Co. Meath, beginning another five- night mission in the parish there. On the Monday night, I was touched to see the church so full that even the front porches and galleries were stacked full of people who came along to the mission. Many students from the Primary and Secondary schools of the parish came and brought with them other family members, making it a special week for the renewal of family prayer. On the Thursday night each person received a prayer placard with different devotional prayers, as a little reminder of the importance of taking time out of our busy schedules to make room to speak to God and one another as families. There was a famous priest who went around Ireland preaching missions, and promoted the Rosary, who said, ‘A family that prays together, stays together.’ Maybe each of us can make that extra effort during this Easter season to spend time in prayer and thanksgiving to God for all that He has done in our lives and the lives of those whom we know.

I am very much looking forward to my trip to Australia with XT3 for World Youth Day. Also there is much excitement over the new website XT3.com which is a safe place to meet new people, and find out all that will be happening over in Sydney in July. I would ask your prayers for all of the people, young and not so young, who will be travelling to Australia to celebrate with Pope Benedict XVI, World Youth Day 2008, and that this time would be one of grace, blessing, and renewal for all. You are in my prayers daily, and I thank your for your prayers.

May God Bless you in His Deep Love,

God Bless

John

OUR LENTEN JOURNEY WITH JESUS

2008-07-22T04:40:00.001+01:00

Originally posted 12/02/2008 15:25:52

I hope you and your families are well and at peace. Over the past few weeks I have just finished parish missions in Banbridge, Co. Down, Ballygawley, Co. Tyrone. Each of theses weeks came with many graces and blessings, and was a privilege to be a part of them.

During the week in Banbridge, the curate of the parish shared the following with me. He said how he did not hold out much hope that people would come to confession during the reconciliation service, and was not looking forward to that part of the mission. But as the night began people began to flock to confession and many people who had been away for many years came to him and he and the other 8 visiting priests were hearing confessions for two hours non-stop. He said how touched he was to see people coming back to Jesus with such honest and sincere hearts. As the week went on I spoke in the local secondary school to the students there and shared my story with them. On the Wednesday I went and spoke in Hyde Bank Young Offenders Prison in Belfast. It was a privilege to speak to so many of the prisoners about the love and mercy of God. I spoke to them about how only Jesus can bring fulfilment and peace into our lives, and that His great love for us has bought for us the free gift of redemption.

As the week carried on the attendance at the 7am and 10am mass increased each day, as word spread about the mission. Many of the students from the primary and secondary schools came along and took part in the evening devotions, and it was great to see so many of them there. As the week came to an end, I travelled to Ballygawley, Co. Tyrone, to begin a mission the following week. It was a great week for a mission as we made our way further into the season of Lent, and right from the start the crowds at the 7 am and 10 am masses were incredible with more than 200 people attending each of them. Each of the mission evenings, the church was filled to capacity as people came out in great numbers to support the mission.

I thank God for His faithfulness and love that creates so many miracles during these missions and changes so many lives when they encounter Him in a new way.

I have just begun a new mission in Palmerstown, Co. Dublin last night and it will be carrying on throughout the week each evening at 7:30. Tomorrow I will be speaking to more than 200 students in the local secondary school, so I ask you to please keep that in your prayers, that the young people may see God’s hand in their lives and know that His love for them is real and always there.

I have found that this time of Lent has been a real blessing for me, as I try to rely more on God and His will for my life. We can always look to the example Jesus left us of how to follow God’s will for our lives, and practice living as He did. He lived completely for God, and He served with all of His heart and being. He came to show us how to love God and love neighbour. His great love for us is without end, and is always reaching out to help us whenever we fall, or feel down. As we continue to journey with Him through Lent and towards Easter, I pray that our hearts may become more like His, and give freely of ourselves the gift of love that we have received from Him.

I remember you all in my prayers daily, and I thank you for the prayers and emails you have shared with me. Please keep me in your prayers, especially for my health, as at the moment I feel quite tired.

May God Bless you and your families in His Deep Love, and may the Love of Our Lady watch over and guide you all.
God Bless
John

BEGINNING THE NEW YEAR WITH A UK TOUR

2008-07-22T04:35:00.001+01:00

Originally posted 23/01/2008 11:20:52

Over the last two weeks I have been on a tour of speaking in secondary schools, parishes, and prisons around the London area and in the north. I began the tour giving my testimony in a secondary school in London speaking to more than 250 students. Before I got up to give my talk, one of the students who was only 15 years old, got up to say a few words. He said how I gave my talk to his Confirmation group a few years before, and that it had changed his life. It took real courage for him to get up before his classmates and give that witness of God’s grace in his life. It is very easy to be ruled by the peer pressure that is around us everyday, and by standing up and speaking from his heart this young man brought real grace to his classmates and his school by witnessing for God and not worrying about what other people thought of him.

During the tour God created miracle after miracle not only in the talks and meeting with students and teachers but also in the time spent travelling between the schools. One of the afternoons I was in a small town just outside Manchester and went to get fish n chips for lunch. While the man behind the counter was serving up my dinner I struck up a conversation with him and during that conversation I felt inspired to give him a copy of my book. When I gave it to him he said thanks and said he looked forward to reading it. I left with my fish and chips and knew that it was a God instance. About a week later I received an email from him and he said how he read the book and it really spoke to him about the love of God for him. I was really touched by his honesty in the email and I was thanking God that He creates the miracles in the everyday ordinary meeting that we have with others. All we should try to do is do God’s will in our lives and we will see and live his miracles everyday.

On the Friday of the tour I visited a young offenders prison in Wigan, where I spoke to the young men about the hope that Jesus holds for them, and the love that He longs for them to know. After I gave my talk, the priest who organized for me to come in and speak to the prisoners began to cry. I could see that he was touched and he said he was so thankful to see the change in them as they heard me speak. I told him that he should realize the grace that he brings to them, and continue to try to love and guide them by his witness. He smiled and shared with me this story. A few years before there was a young man who was put in prison for attacking his own father, who was hospitalised after the attack. While the young man was serving his sentence, he went into the chapel, and when he entered it, he experienced the love of God, and his heart was changed. He went from someone who was incredibly angry and aggressive, to taking the step to contact his father and ask for forgiveness. Soon after his father came to visit him and the two were able to reconcile and begin a new relationship. After leaving prison he went to live with his father and took a course at University. A short while later, he came back to the prison to share what had happened to him to the other prisoners, trying to give hope to them, and let them know that God’s love is there for them. It was truly a blessed few weeks and these are just some of the graces that God showered down upon the two-week tour.

After the tour I returned to Ireland and began a parish mission in Ballykelly, Co. Wexford. The first two nights of the mission the church was full with many of the young people from the local primary school attending and bringing their parents. Last night many people came to experience the love of God for them in the sacrament of confession. It is always my favourite night of the mission, and to see people coming back to the God who loves them after many years away, brings a joy and happiness to my heart. This week I will be going to Knock for a time of prayer and retreat, to pray for all of the upcoming work on the missions and in the schools. I will remember all of you and your intentions during my time there at Our Lady’s Shrine.

A special thank you to all of you who have emailed me to share with me your stories and prayers. May God continue to bless you and your families throughout this new-year.

May God Bless You in His Deep Love

John

WISHING YOU A NEW YEAR FILLED WITH CHRIST'S BLESSINGS

2008-07-22T04:27:00.002+01:00

Originally posted 19/01/2008 20:13:47

I pray that you and your families experience the deep peace and love of Jesus in this new- year.

Since finishing the Parish Mission in Willesden Green, London, I spent three weeks resting and being renewed by God before I continue with the work of parish missions and school retreats for the new year. I went to New York with my mother, where I was able to meet up with some of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, who are based in the Bronx there. Some of you may remember them from the time that I spent there which I wrote about in my first book From Gangland to Promised Land. It was a real blessing to see some of them, and share with them what I have been up to and see how they are getting on. Over the Christmas break I have had a chance to feel renewed by God and have had more time to spend with Him, as well as with friends and family. I have just begun two weeks of speaking in schools and prisons around England before I begin my first parish mission of 2008 in Ballykelly in Co. Wexford.

(A list of the schools and times I will be speaking at them can be found at the end of the blog.)

This week we as Catholics celebrate the feast of the Epiphany, where the three wise men came to seek out the Baby Jesus to worship Him and see the new- born King. Since just celebrating the birth of Jesus on Christmas this is a beautiful time where once again we can adore the Lord who came to us as a helpless baby in the arms of Mary, to bring peace, joy, and salvation to our world. I am always touched by the thought that God would make Himself so small and weak as to be a baby, so that He might reveal His love to each one of us. Christmas is also a great time for us to begin again with Jesus, by renewing our faith and trust in Him. Each year we get to celebrate His coming into the world at Christmas and we can in a special way make room for Jesus in our hearts and once again invite Him in with His unconditional love for us.

A special thank you to all of you who have kept me in your prayers. Know that I remember all of you in my prayers also

May God Bless You in His deep love
God Bless
John

Monday January 7th- Bishop Challoner, Hardlinge St, London E10 AB

Tuesday January 8th- Bishop Challoner, Harlinge St London E10 AB

Wednesday January 9th, Bishop Challoner, Harlinge St London E10 ABS

Friday January 11th
St. Joseph's Church, New Malden Surrey, KT33 QW.

Saturday January 12th- Catholic Charismatic Renewal, Good News Office, 28 Allen Hall London, Beaufort St, SW35 AA,

Monday January 14th- St. Bede’s, Redhills, Surrey, 64 Carlton Rd, RH1 2DD
9-10 am

Tuesday January 15th- St. Joseph’s College, Stoke on Trent, London Rd ST45 MT
11:00- 11:50 am

Tuesday January 15th- All Hallows C.S. Maccersfield, Brookland Ave, Chester, CK88 LB 1:15-2:15pm

Wednesday January 16th- Holy Cross R.C. Highschool, Chorley, Lancashire PR7 3NT 12-12:50pm

Thursday January 17th- Cardinal Langley School, Rochdale Rd, Middleton, Manchester, M24 2GL 9:30-11:50

Friday January 18th- Hinley Prison, Wigan, Gibson St, WM2 5TH 9-11am

This is a video of my testimony

2008-07-10T07:40:00.000+01:00