received this sad news via e-mail today. john was at greenbelt last year.
Our friend John O’Donohue has died. John was on holiday in France.
Poet, priest and philosopher, John was a one-off, the warmest, funniest, wisest person you could hope to meet.
His most recent book, ‘Benedictus’, was published just before Christmas. It’s a book of blessings and this is an extract from one.
————
‘May there be some beautiful surprise
Waiting for you inside death
Something you never knew or felt,
Which with one simple touch
Absolves you of all loneliness and loss,
As you quicken within the embrace
For which your soul was eternally made.‘May your heart be speechless
At the sight of the truth
Of all your belief had hoped,
Your heart breathless
In the light and lightness
Where each and every thing
Is at last its true self
Within that serene belonging
That dwells beside us
On the other side
Of what we see.’
[update: tribute to john by gareth higgins on the greenbelt site]
It’s truly sad news. He was a one-off; one of my few living heroes, and one of my very few living heroes of the faith. They are few and far between; what a great loss to us all. I had the privilege of interviewing him last August and he was nursing a hangover at breakfast, having downed a bottle of single malt with fellow Greenbelt speakers such as John Smith the night before. The bottle ‘didn’t die’, he explained, ‘without spiritual necessity’.
john introduced me to the concept of thin spaces, and his words take me to one every time i read them.
this is such sad news.
I’m gutted. I was only talking to a friend about him the other day. Listening to john speak was pure art, beautiful,heavenly. I recall hearing him speak at gb for the first time which was breathtaking. At the end someone asked a question enquiring why he never mentioned jesus. His response was amazing – I have never heard anyone speak the way he did about jesus and will always rememeber that moment.
I was deeply saddened to hear of John’s death. John visited us here at Hawkstone Hall, to give two wonderful weekends. Sometimes you get lucky and see a live commentary on the text “the word became flesh”. In John the word was enfleshed in every breath and sentence. May the eternal Word now embrace him.
Hello,
I have read Anam Cara and my native language is French. This text is so beautiful that I wanted to translate it in French. I wrote John one year ago via his web site, but I never received an answer. Could you help me to identify who now can give me the rights for translation.
Regards Michelle
sorry – i have no idea. now might not be the best time. i’d leave it a while and then contact the publisher.
There’s a wonderful tribute to him by Gareth Higgins on the Greenbelt website. http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/index.php?p=966
thanks – i’ll add a link to that in the post
I have a question for James Hawes from Jan 6. What was John’s response when you asked why he never mentioned Jesus?
Just last spring John O’Donahue came to Victoria B.C. and gave us a wonderful talk. We were in a Catholic Church and John spoke from the altar. He was humorous, he was serious, he was loving. He spoke without notes, fluently, emotionally and his audience responded to all he had to tell us. I am so grateful to have met him and talked to him as he signed my copy of “Beauty”. His priestly ministry did not end with his laicization from Rome. In fact it may have become more valuable. God be with him forever.
To Michelle re translation of Anam Cara into French – if you can’t get progress with publisher you should contact John’s agent at linda@johnodonohue.com
I knew John since his priesthood days. I attended dozens of his masses and homilies. He also celebrated mass in our new home, a celebration that started at c. 8.00pm and ended at c. 3.00am. All that attended still speak of that memorable evening, one that included John hearing confessions, giving us his inspiring words, his hilarious sayings and stories, his infectious laughter, his participation in our extended traditional music and singsong session and his ability to stay the distance with copious amounts of ‘fire water’. Insisting ‘unlike ye lot I’ve duties in the morning’ I recall driving him home in his VW Jetta!
A truly wonderful, gifted person of extraordinary intellect and ability he was also the most down-to-earth man with all us ‘ordinary’ simple souls.
While John has left this world I’m certain he’ll be amongst us for many years to come.
One of the great teachers who come along once in a lifetime. It leaves us so bereaved and alone. I believe his work was done and that he has gone onto wonderous things.
I have had the privlege of hearing John speak at the Religious Ed Congress in California several times and meeting him at book signings. The last time in 2006 I was able to spend an extra bit with him. What an honor and a memory I will always treasure. He was so brilliant and yet so earthy. In a room with hundreds he could make you feel that you were the only one and that you mattered deeply to him. His very presence was a blessing to all with his wonderful sence of humor, his brilliant mind and a spirituality that touched my soul. God rest ye O’Donohue and may your eternity be filled with joy, laughter and beauty! I will miss you.
Peace & Love to you, Kathleen
I’d still like to know what John said about Jesus.
I just walked out of a lecture tonight 5 minutes early and turned on the radio to John’s voice reading from one of his new poems. I had seen him speak at a local Church here in Portland, and was planning on going to Ireland this April and had not 10 minutes earlier looked at the page I had copied about the retreat. I had been thinking about going to the wild Canamarra and experiencing this ex-Priest, poet and philosopher who was one of my heros. I am still in shock. May he find in death the poetry that he has left us with in the living….
does anyone know the 2 line poem about a river that john wrote… i heard it on CBC – it was so powerful! can’t find it though… appreciate the help
Hello, My heart goes out to all who knew and loved this marvelous man.
I too heard last Sunday’s CBC re-broadcast of the interview that John O’Donohue gave to Mary Hynes on ‘Tapestry’. Sadly, for me, it was the first time I ever heard him speak, but I know I was fortunate, and forever effected by his words, and ways, that day. The interview was originally aired on July 3, 2005 on CBC Radio One, Tapestry, and you can hear it in the Archive of Past Radio Shows. Here is the poem that this lovely man read at the end of the interview:
‘I would love to live like a river flows carried by the surprise of it’s own unfolding’
To borrow some of his words, I would like to say that I know he is just on the other side, right beside me, tho’ I cannot see him with my eyes. With love, P.
How shocking and painful! I had no idea!I’ve been listening to his book cd on BEAUTY in my car for a week now…cherishing it and so grateful for its uplifting and expanding magic. He was like a spiritual father to me and so many others. Does anyone have details of his passing?
After reading several of his books, I was so looking forward to meeting him in March at the Religious Education Congress in Anaheim, CA… guess we’ll meet in heaven instead.
John was truly held together by a deep trust in a guiding, inner wisdom, and in his presence I felt at home before I even got to know him.
I met John before he became famous, when he was working on his Ph.D. in Tuebingen (Germany) in 1986. We met in the student cafeteria and I was intrigued by his Gaelic accent and the warmth in his voice… and by his wild, furious laughter.
He helped me through some hard times, I proofread his German manuscripts.
(I could correct his German, I am a German teacher… I could not follow his argument on Hegel…)
We had Irish whiskey together in his little kitchen in Rottenburg. We saw movies together. We heard the Dalai Lama speak together.
So many years later I discovered his books in a California bookstore. I have kept Anam Cara and Eternal Echoes close by ever since.
I was signed up to go to his retreat in Oregon last October. I could not go due to a serious illness. He send me such a warm e-mail. There won’t be another retreat in Oregon in 2008. But John is not gone. We will meet again. He is just on the other side.
I feel so privileged and grateful that he was my friend.
Christine
John was truly held together by a deep trust in a guiding, inner wisdom, and in his presence I felt at home before I even got to know him.
I met John before he became famous, when he was working on his Ph.D. in Tuebingen (Germany) in 1986. We met in the student cafeteria and I was intrigued by his Gaelic accent and the warmth in his voice… and by his wild, furious laughter.
He helped me through some hard times, I proofread his German manuscripts.
(I could correct his German, I am a German teacher… I could not follow his argument on Hegel…)
We had Irish whiskey together in his little kitchen in Rottenburg. We saw movies together. We heard the Dalai Lama speak together.
So many years later I discovered his books in a California bookstore. I have kept Anam Cara and Eternal Echoes close by ever since.
I was signed up to go to his retreat in Oregon last October. I could not go due to a serious illness. He send me such a warm e-mail. There won’t be another retreat in Oregon in 2008. But John is not gone. We will meet again. He is just on the other side.
I feel so privileged and grateful that he was my friend.
Christine
How sad i was to hear of the passing of this wonderful soul. His words sparkle on the page and the heart and will live on in the spirit of this world bestowing gifts on all who experience them. I aM SAD i DID NOT GET TO MEET HIM PERSONALLY. SUCH A LARGE HEART AND SPIRIT … A GIFT TO HUMANITY
I am so sorry for your loss.A sweet soul with poetry and versesthat deeply touch the human soul.I never met John but I know his friend Dan Siegal and I amvery moved by his writings and teh expresions of his soul.
Kindness
Stephen KalinichUnder the bridge
there is a tiny rainbow
that no one sees
in each experience is the answer
to everything
live it live it now
and let it go
with tears if need be an anguish but let it go
let if fly over the fields
to the far corners of the earth
the desire to make an impact for good in the world
is what we need more of
underneath the bridge there is a tiny rainbow
hidden to the naked eye
It is the beauty in all things revealed
The beauty of a soul
The journey of a life
inspired by gentle rain drops upon the skin
the wind running through you across your face
the freshness
of being alive
and allowing life to be in you
Under the bridge there is a tiny rainbow.
Sjk
thanks
I just heard about John’s transition by Caroline Myss on Hay House Radio. John changed the course of my life and helped me realize a lifetime dream and passion about 10 years ago, just before I turned 40. I was listening to his cd’s on the way to work one morning and something he said touched me so profoundly that I called a friend as soon as I arrived at work that morning and said I would purchase a little black horse, Raven, that she had been offering me. I was crazy about horses, and was saying no to this opportunity of having my very first horse. I will be forever grateful. I also just read a forward last night in a new book by Angeles Arrien, The Second Half of Life. I will always hold John close to my heart.
I have just “met” John through the Caroline Myss video of part of his talk to the Entering the Castle workshop. I have never heard anyone like this and i can’t believe that he has died and that I am “too late”. I would also very much like to know what he said about Jesus.
There is a place of mystery held within body and soul that turns its soft eye to the awakened word and image, that came through the writing and presence of this man John O’Donohue. Who he was celebrated the mystery of humanity, of creation, and although I did not know him in person I felt the knowing and deeper awakenings in my soul, in my imagination, and in the celebration of my humanity.
…again I am listening to the poignant and wise words of John O’Donahue and am so very saddened he is no longer with us in the flesh. Having met someone whose words profoundly touched me, I will be eternally grateful to him for enabling me to view my life just that little bit differently.
Bern D
I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of such a close spiritual friend as I felt John was to me. I will never forget the day when I discovered Anam Cara for the first time. It felt as if pure love was enveloping my spirit from the pages of a book, as if the tree that the pages had belonged to had come alive again and kissed my spirit with its sap . I always felt one day I would meet the man behind the pages, and I feel so sad that on this earthly plane that will no longer be possible. However, his work I feel stemmed from the eternal so maybe that is where we will meet one day. Rest in Peace, you slipped into your new world so quietly sleep wellx
maria cronin
what was the cause of his untimely death? and was he with any particular religious order?
he died in his sleep.
I never had the privilege of meeting Jon O’Donohue, but I did come within one week of spending a week of workshop with him in Rhinebeck which is where I was introduced to his work.
He was a wonderful speaker ,and I have many of work on CD to listen to him whenever I want. However, I will truly miss new work by him and I am saddened by his death.
Sorry, I misspelled his first name,John O’Donohue.
I speak spanish. Mi familia es escocesa por parte de mi madre. John fue, es y será un ser Unico. Un Guìa un ser de afecto hacia esta especie humana. “decÃa,,, comenzamos un viaje sin saber desde donde y arribamos a un lugar desconocido sin saber donde llegamos”. El Anhelo. Fue un shock para mi, estuve muy enferma y no supe que ya no estaba. Todos creyeron que yo moriria. Entonces hoy quise que supiera que habìa sobrevivido y contarle mi experiencia… entrè en Internet … entonces supe que me he quedado mas sola.
I was listening to the radio on Sunday last and heard the most beautiful words of tribute to John O’Donohue. These words spoken about someone I had never heard of touched me so much that I felt compelled to find out more. I have spent just a few minutes gleaning information about John and know already that I have been introduced to an extraordinary special person. I look forward to getting to know him through his works and his friends. I would love to find out what he said about Jesus!
I just finished ANAM CARA. I missed seeing him in Oregon last year. I did not yet know of him but was intrigued and thought–next time he comes. When I heard if his death, I was so saddened. If he did die in his sleep, I wonder if he knes his heart was bad. I just saw CHERRY BLOSSOMS, a German film (that has a similar scene to his passing!) and I think he would of loved it. While reading his book, I thhit a section that I thought–gotta write him a letter about that–and then I remembered. He wrote so much of death in ANAM CARA–I wonder if he’s known his life would be short. What I can say is his understanding of thje invisible world and whaere our essence goes upon death is SPOT ON. Just yesterday, I had another visit from beyond: I am part I Scot-Irish and have always lived close to the veil–in no spetacular way–it is just an awareness. May God bless.
I, like so many others, was saddened by the death of John O’Donohue, writer,poet and philosopher. He has touched my life with his words and his works. He is so special and will be missed. Peace to you John
from
Walter Doherty, BC Canada.
Like an old friend’s handshake, John’s words have been palmprints to a deeper understanding of beauty, of my own anam cara…
All over the world he rung the bells of truth and beauty that so many of us heard. He is deeply missed.
Mary from Colorado
WHAT WAS HIS CAUSE OF DEATH? IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT IN THE NAME OF GOD, DID HE DIE OF?
Like so many who have spoken here, I am so saddened by John’s passing. I came across Anam Cara at a time of searching in my life recently and was so lookng forward to trying to attend a workshop or similar. I too would love to know what he said about Jesus. Thankyou, Johnny, for giving us this opportunity of sharing
I only learned about John on July 29, 2010 via PBS broadcast. For a couple decades now, I have been interested in Celtic Spirituality. Thanks be to God for John’s wisdom! Truly inspiring. I’ve read many things about him in the two days following my falling in love with him. Amongst those happened to be the two lines about the river. They are as follows:
“I would like to live like a river flows.
Carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.”
We live near Austin Texas, USA on the banks of the mighty Colorado ~~ and so I jotted those lines down as a reminder for daily living. The news of his passing is sad indeed; however he left a rich legacy for others. RIP John!
I was drawn to “Beauty” the Invisible Embrace after my “beautiful” aunt’s recent death. I didn’t know anything about John O’Donohue, but am deeply touched by this exceptional man’s gifts, so much so that I wanted to meet him and today saddened to tears that I am a few years too late to meet him in person, but grateful for the “eternal beauty” he has left humanity and which he is surely surrounded by. I am looking forward to reading his other works. Thank you, John O’Donohue for the comfort, hope and beauty I felt through reading your book.
There is a poem called “the eyes of jesus”‘in his book To Bless The Space Between Us”. Beautiful!
John was and still is an inspiration to me, he lived and still lives on and on .
It seems that people who knew him and admired his work are reluctant to speak of the cause of John’s death. Perhaps my motivations are not great but I am very curious to know the ascribed cause of death.
To all you who ask what was the cause of John’s death….it was his time of course.
And to those who are saddened, rejoice in the true Celtic tradition, for his life, and the gifts he gave – celebrate a life well lived..with love.
I am looking for the light turn of phrase John used to describe why his superior in the church did not approve of his approach – – and which led to John continuing his service outside of the church.
The word ‘chemical’ is in the phrase. Instead of saying his superior did not like him, he said there was a ‘chemical -?- ”
I would be grateful if someone could recall the phrase. Thanks.
I was given John’s book Benedictus by my wise, special and wonderful Parish Priest at a very sad time in my life. John has given me a wonderful reprieve from suffering. I too was born in 1956 and was educated by nuns. The way the Catholic faith was taught then was so detrimental to the sensitive minds of so many small children.
John has strengthened my courage to see God in a different light and to leave behind the psychological damage reaped by Catholicism
I am so sad not to have had the opportunity to attend one of his workshops but will hold him in my heart forever.
As the mother of three sons I grieve for his mother and pray that the knowledge her sons greatness, wisdom and kindness has been such a lifeline to so many people has brought her enormous comfort.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart John O’Donohue!! Heaven must surely be a better place for your laughter wit and light!
I too would love to know what he said about Jesus.
John O’Donohue had a wonderful gift of putting into words what we feel deep inside ourselves and cannot articulate. I have read his books and listened to him speaking many times.
But why is the cause his death so mysterious? Whatever it was would not negate his gift to humanity. It seems disingenuous to withhold such information.
James hawes’ comment could do with some elucidation.
Any ideas why John never mentioned Jesus?
I love John’s words but this omission troubles me.