A FERMANAGH clergyman has released a new book of lockdown reflections.

Deacon Martin Donnelly ministers in the Enniskillen-West Fermanagh Pastoral Area of County Fermanagh, and his new book – Lakeland Lockdown Reflections – reflects on the year that has passed; how it shaped his communication with God, and how it impacted his family life.

The book was written as a response to the Coronavirus pandemic, and illustrates how to find and communicate with God in a strange time of anxiety and uncertainty, says Deacon Donnelly.

He says the reader will encounter how God spoke to him through his Word and the beauty of creation, in the lakeland county of Fermanagh.

These reflections by Deacon Donnelly, and images of quiet places beautifully photographed by Fr. Brendan McManus SJ, illustrate how the beauty of the environment provides stimuli for silent prayer.

The words challenge the reader to reflect upon experiences of God in everyday life and to see God in the little things we often take for granted, adds Deacon Donnelly.

In addition to being a pleasurable read, it is also a useful resource for meditation and prayer. The images enable the reader to look at the ‘ordinary’ with new eyes.

What is unique about this book is that Deacon Donnelly brings his experience of being a deacon to bear in these reflections, written during lockdown.

Being a married deacon is a new ministry in the Irish church, and we get to see his formation, his prayer and his work expressed in these pages, representing in some ways a bridge between the clergy and lay people.

Deacon Donnelly has a foot in both camps, and readers will see his thoughts on the experience of married life, grandparenting and its demands, along with the commitment to prayer, liturgy and making the Scriptures talk to all our lives.

Lakeland Lockdown Reflections is published by Shanway Press, Belfast, and can be purchased via the publisher, or through the Parish office at St Michael’s, Enniskillen; telephone 028 (048 from ROI) 663 22075 (ext. 3), or by emailing parishcentre@st-michaels.net.