Dromantine - Chapter Venue, Ana Albanian Candidate, .Planning for Blind Project

PLANNING FOR BARTIMAEUS PROJECT!!

25 May 2014 PLANNING FOR BARTIMAEUS PROJECT. Early on Sunday morning, Ana Kolezi, came to our house. Ana, my Albanian teacher when in community here, has agreed to help with this ongoing project. I informed her that Mirjam has agreed to help with the project request to visit Lac, National Shrine of Saint Anthony, which is run by the Franciscans in North Albania. Mirjam will, hopefully, drive our little group from Tirana to Lac. This is great news for us. Mirjam helped in this way last year and we are happy she will plan her work so as to be free to do so again on Tuesday next. On Sunday after Mass, I met Antonio, whom I often address as Bartimaeus, and arranged to meet him with his main helpers on Monday, which we did. With Anna, we discussed in detail the setting of our project under the protection of Saint Anthony. All the plans were made and agreed for Tuesday. We then planned our second and main activity - to take some blind persons, with a personal helper for each, to a famous place of beauty. DRILON estate and MJELMA RESTAURANT, SITUATED ON THE LAKESIDE. Here, the unique local fish - KORAN -is enjoyed by many visitors. We also have a third event in mind but we are uncertain about whether our donation for the project will stretch to it. We are hopeful but will decide after Lac. These days Ana and I will make contact with transport, catering and constantly with Antonio to finalize plans. So, I will keep you informed with how things are going. Till then, enjoy some sunshine!

KORCA - SISTER LALINI AND ANA

24 May 2014 KORCA - SISTER LALINI AND ANA A pleasant journey on a lovely sunny afternoon led me to KORCA around 3.00p.m. I was delighted to greet Sister Lalini and happy too, to be introduced to ANA. Ana is our candidate for Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd Sisters. Very significantly, Ana, an Albanian Catholic from Shkodra, north Albania, went to Rome to visit her sister who has entered the Congregation of the Infant Jesus. These Sisters had no accommodation for Ana, so they requested room at the nearby convent of Our Lady of Charity in St. John Eudes Street!! Later, Ana, having seen the Sisters and their ministry, requested to enter with the OLC Sisters. Since they have no Albanian Sisters, they suggested that Ana should contact Good Shepherd. Ana came to meet Sister Mirjam Beike in Tirana and later, on July 26 2013, she came to Tirana to meet Sister Daniela Kubiak. Daniela was completing her mandate as Province Leader, German Province. Earlier this year, Mirjam was in contact with Korca. Sister Lalini, member of the European Vocation Committee, was pleased to welcome Ana. Ana has now been some months sharing our life in Korca, where she sees and is involved with our ministry with young people, women,the Rroma community and especially the street children. While busy too, learning English and getting to know our neighbours, Ana says she is happy to be part of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd Sisters. I felt this beginning of my visit to Korca was most significant as our re-unification will formally take place, and legally too, next month, on the 27 June, Feast of the Sacred Heart. We will celebrate throughout our NEW Good Shepherd world. In Ireland we plan to experience our new world focus at the beautiful setting of EMMAUS CONFERENCE CENTRE, SWORDS, COUNTY DUBLIN. Here in Albania, no doubt there will be celebration too! Regret I will not be here that long but, watch this space!!

JOURNEY AND DAYS AT TIRANA

21-24 May 2014 TIRANA ACTIVITIES. How delighted I was to see Mirjam at RINAS NENE TERESA AIRPORT at 11.00p.m. on Wednesday 21 May. We travelled back to the city and a delightful welcome in our GOOD SHEPHERD home. I was really tired as I had left our convent almost 24 hours earlier to travel to BELFAST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. On Thursday, we were joined by an AMERICAN SISTER, Adrienne, member of a German Franciscan Congregation based in the very south of Albania. When Sister came to Albania, our Bishop, Hil Kabashi, said to her - "If you ever want to talk in English, then contact KORCA and speak to Sister Clare." We had a good contact and even visited one another's settings. These visits were highlights for us and so Sister decided to come to Tirana for a few days. We had a delightful time, thanks to Sister Mirjam Beike's hospitality and the availability of Mass at Franciscan and Jesuit Churches. Our third day, Saturday, we attended the Pro-life Mass at the Cathedral and breakfasted later at the Restaurant opened to help re-integrate trafficked women. Mirjam told me her photo was the one on the opening brochure as none of the women she worked with could be shown! I was delighted to experience this cafe and then I left for kORCA.

CHAPTER CHAT 29.04.14

28 May 2014 kORCA, ALBANIA AWAKENING TO A NEW BLOG CHAPTER Towards the end of our great DROMANTINE CHAPTER of our Irish Province, I managed to sit down for a precious moment with Sister Armelle. Sister was appointed by Sister Brigid Lawlor to attend our Chapter. I told Sister I planned to travel to Albania in May, mainly to complete a small project with Blind Persons in Korce. I sometimes refer to this ongoing ministry as BARTIMEAUS MINISTRY -because this work began as a result of a very insistent blind person in our Church. He requested, with the insistence of BARTIMAEUS, that I help his blind friends a little. Sister Armelle expressed interest in the work and saidit was good to bring this support to KORCA from time to time. I was happy to hear this.