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Cairns on the Second Mountain of Life

Many people believe in Jesus but not many people follow Jesus. Even when we do follow him, we often complain about how tough it is. Yet Jesus never promised to make this journey easy, but he did promise it would be joyful. Why do we find it so hard to embrace the joy of our discipleship? Have we missed something?

The short answer is yes, but often we do not know what markers we have missed. If we were hiking on a mountain, we would say we have gone “off the trail.” How do we get back on the trail? What should we be looking for?

When hiking there are markers called “cairns” and they keep us on the right trail. These cairns were made by others who have traveled before us. Missing the cairns means that we are on the wrong trail. Following the cairns assures us we are on the right trail.

The Second Mountain of Life is a metaphor used to describe the second half of life. Using this metaphor, Fr. Brendan will share how these cairns could be used to keep us on the right trail of this second mountain of life. He will share with us how to stay on the path of life through the cairns of humility, love, gratitude, and joy.

Come join us for our parish retreat “Cairns on the Second Mountain of Life” and learn the markers of the path of discipleship.
 
Plan to join us in person, but if you cannot attend in person, this will also be livestreamed.

Free Will Donations will be accepted.

Who is Fr. Brendan?

Fr. Brendan McGuire is pastor of St. Simon Parish in Los Altos. He was ordained a priest in 2000 and has an STB and Master’s degree in theology from St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park, CA. He also has an undergraduate degree in Electronic Engineering and Master’s degree in Computer Science and Math from Trinity College, Dublin.  He attended the Executive Program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He is a native of Ireland and the youngest of twelve children.
Fr. Brendan was Vicar General of Special Projects for 12+ years while also serving as pastor of Holy Spirit Parish and School for 16+ years. In those years he was involved in many diocesan wide projects. He was one of the founders of the Drexel Schools System which brought together a group of Catholic elementary schools into a network to operate collaboratively using blended learning and sharing best practices. Also Fr. Brendan a co-founded of St Joseph Financial Services (SJFS) which is a finance and accounting resource designed specifically for non-profit governance. SJFS leverages expertise in technology, process optimization and accounting to build an outsourced finance and accounting solution. Driven by a for-profit mind-set, SJFS brings deep understanding of non-profit governance and best-in-class technical solutions, delivering real-time information to decision makers.
He is a regular speaker for parish retreats and diocesan clergy gatherings on many subjects: Cairns on the Second Mountain of Life, Eucharist: Circle of Life, From Here to Eternity: How to Live and Die Well, Forgiveness, How To Pray, Stewardship, Mobilizing the Parish for Mission, and Parish Leadership. Fr. Brendan is also author of four books on Sunday homilies with most recent published last year called Weaving the Divine Thread. He believes that the parish is the center of Church life and by reaching out to those most in need we become who we are called to be as Church—communities of true belonging.