"I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD"

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!

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!

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"

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"

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"

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

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