CHARLOTTE — Conor Gallagher knows a little bit about stress. As a husband, father of 12 children under the age of 16 and a business executive, he has a full life with serious demands on his time.
In his second book, “Still Amidst the Storm,” Gallagher addresses the stress, anxiety and the non-stop activity of our busy lives that can pull us away from God and rob us of our peace.
He knows from personal experience how each day can be swallowed up by obligations and how concern for the future can eat away at being present to God and others in the current moment.
Gallagher admits he has always been one to journal about his life and his growing family, with hopes of sharing his journals with his children as they grow so they can have written snapshots of their childhood years.
“This book arose out of looking back over those journals,” Gallagher said. “After a while, I began to see a trend in my journaling. The trend was my attempt to find some peace in a pretty anxious world. We live in an absurdly fast-paced world.”
He believes no one has time to do everything that they plan on doing. Everyone is bombarded with too many obligations, and there is just too much technology robbing us of our time.
“I’ve noticed we are just not comfortable sitting down and being still,” he observed. “But I find that is a major part of the solution – to do a lot less – to be home, to have conversations with your spouse and your kids.”
Gallagher says we need to make it a priority to “Be still, be calm, be silent. Let God do a little bit of work on you.”
His book is a reflection of that approach. He uses the Gospel of Mark 4:39, where Jesus stills the tumultuous waters during a storm, as the imagery for what God can accomplish in our lives if we give Him control and our attention.
Gallagher shares that a work of framed art on the wall in his father’s secretary’s office captures this moment in scripture. It has been on the wall for decades, as long as he can remember, giving him much pause for reflection over the years.
“I think that is the perfect imagery for the storm we have going on in our lives,” he explained.
Gallagher suggests three remedies for growing closer to God: living in the present, spending time in silence and learning how to be still.
“In my own life, I have seen people seek (worldly) solutions to their anxiety, their stress or their busyness, wasting so much energy seeking a solution. It breaks my heart to see people seeking a solution that just won’t work,” he said. “People think the trick is to seek worldly remedies, when what God is asking us to do is to be like the sea. He is telling us to be still.”
“Jesus tells us that the peace in our life comes with a true connection with God,” he said. “We find Him in the present moment, in prayer and in silence.”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior Reporter
Get the book
“Still Amidst the Storm” by Conor Gallagher, publisher of St. Benedict Press and TAN Books, is available online at www.tanbooks.com. Gallagher is also author of “If Aristotle’s Kid Had an iPod: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Parents.”
MCADENVILLE — Spruced Goose Station – a hybrid restaurant, gift shop and art studio – has opened in downtown McAdenville, just west of Charlotte.
Established by Holy Angels, Spruced Goose Station features an eclectic mix of local artwork and gifts as well as a restaurant that is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The business, one of four that Holy Angels operates in Gaston County and its first in McAdenville, will employ adults with intellectual developmental disabilities for a chance to develop real-life career skills.
“Founded in 1955, Holy Angels is dedicated to believing in the possibility that lies within everyone. The Holy Angels businesses such as Spruced Goose Station allow us to achieve our mission, helping each person reach their full potential. We also use this opportunity to share our story of loving, living and loving for the differently abled,” said Regina Moody, Holy Angels’ president and CEO.
Holy Angels is committed to providing educational and vocational opportunities to the individuals in its care with intellectual developmental disabilities and delicate medical conditions. As a non-profit organization, all proceeds from Spruced Goose Station will help fund Holy Angels’ programs and services.
The gift shop and art studio is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and features artwork, dog beds and accessories, jewelry, baby items, lotions, monogram decals, athletic wear and gift baskets made by the residents of Holy Angels and other North Carolina artisans.
The restaurant is open from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and offers breakfast, lunch and dinner along with ice cream, and it proudly serves Dilworth Coffee.
The new venture in McAdenville has received strong support from local business Pharr, a manufacturing and real estate company and the town’s largest employer.
“We wanted to bring to McAdenville a family friendly business, a gathering space serving ice cream and coffee. Holy Angels has a successful café in downtown Belmont and felt they would be a perfect match,” according to Bill Carstarphen, Pharr’s president and CEO.
Preston Wilson of Bower Traust Construction in Belmont brought his creativity to the project, with much of the wood throughout Spruced Goose repurposed from a mill in Spencer Mountain that was built more than 100 years ago.
Spruced Goose Station joins other recently opened businesses, including Belle Boutique, McAdenville Table and Market, William Henry Signature Salon and 115 Main Gifts and Provisions, as the latest tenant in the revitalization of downtown McAdenville.
Holy Angels also operates three businesses in Belmont: Cherubs Café, Cotton Candy Factory and Bliss Gallery.
Holy Angels was founded in 1955 by the Sisters of Mercy – beginning a much-needed specialized service for children from Gaston, Lincoln, Cleveland and Mecklenburg counties as well as children from throughout North Carolina. The private, nonprofit corporation in Belmont provides residential services and innovative programs for children and adults with intellectual developmental disabilities and delicate medical conditions.
The CARF-accredited programs include Holy Angels Morrow Center, the McAuley Residences (Fox Run ICF/IDD group homes (three six-bed), Belhaven ICF/IDD group home (15-bed), Moody Place ICF/IDD group home (15-bed), four community group homes, Great Adventures and Camp Hope.
To learn more about Holy Angels, make a donation or volunteer, call 704-825-4161 or go online to www.holyangelsnc.org.
— Mercy Sister Nancy Nance, Special to the Catholic News Herald. Mercy Sister Nancy Nance is vice president of community relations for Holy Angels.
Spruced Goose Station is located at 118 Wesleyan Dr. in downtown McAdenville. They are online at gotgoose.org.