A CLINIC TASK AND A NARRATIVE REPORT

12 FEBRUARY 2011 A CLINIC TASK AND A NARRATIVE REPORT.
On Monday last, Mirjam had a phone call from our Bishop. He suggested that I get involved with a fundraising need at the "Mary Potter" Clinic. I had already arranged with Sister Lalini that we would visit the Clinic yesterday. It was the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, day for the sick and their carers. Very quickly, their urgent need for help was clear. They had tried in vain, and urgently needed, a letter from our Bishop!! The application, for which they needed the letter, closed on the 8 February. However, they had managed to get an extension, from the USA organisation, for the letter. I returned here, wrote the entire letter, sent it to the Bishop, explaining how to complete it. I was delighted when he rang this morning saying he had sent it to me. Later, I had to request another copy, as there was an error in the date. Now, thank God, all is in order for Monday. I was really amused when the Clinic Director said yesterday -"It was much easier dealing with you, in what is a foreign language for me, than to succeed in my task, speaking Albanian to an Albanian!!

I have had a truly reflective day today! A word of request from a friend, led me to reflect on a particular aspect of my life in 1969-79. At the time, I was Diocesan Social Worker for Down and Connor - 88 parishes. The remainder of Northern Ireland was thrown in for good measure, in relation to Child Care and Adoption placements. I found it interesting, that the memories came so swiftly and were fresh. I enjoyed penning them, though not the memory of the early days of our political Troubles! At the time, for my first month in social work, I was faced with the re-housing of 50 families, that were made homeless by our civil disturbances. I knew my professional skills were brand new and mainly untried. We did not have time to work out a support structure, trying to cope with the crisis. Thank God, it all worked out well for the families. For sure, that month moved me well beyond my 'comfort zone'!!

Today, I only reviewed my role in our Adolescent Centre. My work there was delightful! It was an additional post I had, together with the fulltime Diocesan work! It was one of the few periods in my life, when I was in direct Good Shepherd ministry. Hopefully, the report I completed will prove useful at some point too.

Have a good Sunday. We hope to go to Bilisht for Mass tomorrow!