REMEMBRANCE, ANGERS, ALBANIA 100 YEARS!

18 NOVEMBER 2012 REMEMBRANCE, ANGERS, ALBANIA 100 YEARS! Time has just flown by since my last entry. I just cannot believe the days are counting down so fast! Yet, when a leave-taking, "Farewell" moment is included there has been a relaxed time and all is well. With Remembrance Day on Sunday last, when I declined the invitation to the French Military Cemetery and meeting with our French Ambassador to Albania, Christine Moro, the day was most enjoyable. A Thanksgiving/Farewell meal, shared with Laurie, who was leaving early to celebrate in New York, helped the weekend to disappear! Lalini and Mirjam have been on email and I was surprised and delighted to see their Mission Course, with some content, on Facebook once or twice. In fact, this reminded me that I had brought photographs from my visit to Angers too. So, spare moments since were spent getting a few of these together. With help, a very nice Powerpoint has now emerged. I think it will be of limited interest, mainly because the idea of a disc only emerged very recently. So, the photos are just random, rather than a record of our wonderful week of memories of Angers, Noirmoutier and Tours, from September. There are big celebrations here in Korce at the end of the month, when Albania will celebrate 100 years of independence. Many schools were open yesterday so that the last three days of November will be free, just for celebration. Yesterday, Dad's anniversary......and this year, as I included Nora, both were closely linked for this special month. Have a special week - every blessing.

Remembrance Day, Enjoying "Thanksgiving"Lunch.

BEREAVEMENT, TRAVEL,GJERGI'S BIRTHDAY!

7 NOVEMBER 2012. BEREAVEMENT, TRAVEL, GJERGI'S BIRTHDAY! Following completion of my last entry, less than two hours later, a telephone call from Dublin brought me the sad news that my sister Nora had died. RIP. Even with the delay prior to funeral that is customary in England, I took several days to get travel organised. Eventually, I left a very crowded airport in Tirana, that was busy welcoming Hilary Clinton, on November 1, and traveled to Munich. Later, I went to Manchester and eventually arrived in Leeds. It was just great meeting with family and so many relatives that night. The funeral Mass was a great tribute to Nora, both by her Parish and her family. Onra gave a wonderful eulogy. Later, after her buriel, during a meal to "Celebrate Nora's Life", her eldest grandchild, Sarah, was deputed by the others to tell Nora's story through the eyes of her grandchildren. This well prepared account was really beautiful and so meaningful. I feel sure it was a great consolation, not only to me, but to all who were grieving. Next morning - Saturday last, I left by taxi, with Clare and Cheeser, at 6.15a.m. for Manchester airport, as we all had early flights. I was travelling to Istanbul, my first visit to Turkey, and then to Tirana. I was so glad to see Amira at the airport. I stayed overnight and returned here on Sunday, arriving before 8.00p.m. Altogether, very tiring but most worthwhile and so great to have had time with Nora's husband, Donal, and her family. Life got back to normal very quickly here on Monday. Gjergi - a neighbour had his Birthday. This is a big event here in Albania. So, he came with his family and two other neighbours for a little celebration that had been "in the air" for some time. All went well and thank God all is well here since too. Blessings and good cheer for our continuing November.

UPDATE FROM OCTOBER 13 2012. KORCE.

26 OCTOBER 2012 UPDATE OF EVENTS FROM OCTOBER 13 2012. Got word on October 13 from our International Office in New York, of the appointment of a new statutory official in relation to Trafficking issues. I made contact at once but so far have not been able to elicit a meaningful response, that would enable us to co-operate in order to improve the setup for those we have contact with locally. October 15-17, I had three visits in two days to our local Mary Potter clinic, the local hospital and thirdly to the Polyclinic. All of these took place because of a sudden, stiff, knee which was duly diagnosed as arthritis. Thank God, my knee has gradually returned to normal, while I am on the lookout for any similar symptoms and hoping that they will not re-appear! We were invited to join the Maltese Society in a trip to Tirana on the 19 October, National Holiday in Albania. This was to attend a Mass scheduled for the opening of the Year of Faith. I decided to pass on the 5.30a.m. departure, even though we had been without Mass on Sunday. They arrived in good time for Mass, but to an over-crowded Cathedral and so had to stand for the THREE HOUR MASS in Italian-Albanian. The fact that I had taken a wise decision was confirmed for me when Sister Lalini arrived home after 10.00p.m. Life is very much back to normal now! Had a visit from a Peace Corps. Volunteer on Wednesday morning. Laurie's visit was a reminder for me of all the help that contact with the various volunteers has been for me, not least with Mike, whose friendship had the added bonus of his medical qualifications and expertise in my hours of need. Thank you, Mike! Today is quite significant for me as Sister Lalini has just left for Tirana. She is en route, with Sister Mirjam, to a Mission Course in Angers. Their going is also a very pleasant reminder to me of the very well-planned Irish Angers Pilgrimage of Friends that I was fortunate enough to be part of last month. Over the coming weeks, I hope to put together a Powerpoint - of very limited interest - of the highlights of that week. Now, as the next few weeks open up, my thoughts will turn increasingly to Belfast. In fact, this very day, a Soroptmist letter in front of me tells of a Rally being held at the WATERFRONT at 1.00p.m. to Raise Awareness of Human Trafficking locally. This is being attended by 1,200 members of the Soroptmist group as there is a Global Conference being held in Belfast this week. Our plan was, that our group of Friends would attend this Rally and afterwards, come together for a lunch. This was to facilitate them saying "Goodbye" to Sister Anne O'Byrne. who is due to leave Belfast in the coming week. Have a great weekend. Every blessing and joy be yours!

PREPARATION,, VISITORS AND KLITI KALAMATA.

13 OCTOBER 2012 PREPARATION, VISITORS AND KLITI KALAMATA. Our week began with an invitation to dinner from a neighbour spending time here each year while resident in USA. We had a very enjoyable evening. We then got busy, binding reports and on Wednesday our four visitors arrived. Sisters Armelle and daniela from Rome and Germany plus Mirjam and amira who had just arrived from Lebanon. We had a few busy days and all four visitors left here this morning, having had a satisfactory evaluation of our three years here. Today, we had a most interesting visit from kliti Kalamata, an architect friend who is a building specialist. Things are quiet in his own field just now, so he has taken six months time out and is just completing his Ph.D. This is a marathon undertaking as it covers history, architecture and facts about a well-known area near here - Voskjopje. Kliti got a prestigious award just recently from the Croatian Government and an EU group for his work on an old church. People are coming from Greece tomorrow to visit that church and he is also hosting a group from the Netherlands a few days later. I do hope you liked the photos I put on the blog during the week. I found it difficult to choose which photos and hope you were able to link them to the blog! Have a great week - every blessing too.

INCHYDONEY, KILLYHEVLIN, ANGERS, KNOCK AND CONG!!

UPDATE - KORCE TO BELFAST AND BACK!!

UPDATE - KORCE TO BELFAST AND BACK!! KORCE 7 October 2012 I had very mixed feelings about my decision to travel to Ireland, without laptop! My journey was much easier - even the 42 unnecessary miles by National Express Bus when between airports in London, courtesy of my German travel agent!! Arriving in Gatwick and connecting with a flight to Belfast in Heathrow is not any kind of good planning, I can assure you, and NOT to be recommended!! Blog access proved impossible in Ireland, hence this is, as you can see, my first post since 18 August! 19 SEPTEMBER 2012 BELFAST - LAPTOP ACCESS! Very late that evening I was given a laptop and, of course, thought I could break my blog silence. But no! Blog access was just not possible. Otherwise my plans went really well, thank God. After a few days in Belfast - until about August 23, I went to Dublin on a very special day. The Tall Ships were visiting in the distance and more importantly, Sister Brigid Lawlor was visiting. I thought of visiting to greet her, but decided otherwise. Left Dublin next day and had a wonderful few days in Inchydoney, West Cork. Had a great day at Aghada and Garryvoe, in East Cork, with family too. All delightful. Back in Belfast, fully refreshed, prepared for the a visit to Knock Shrine and the West of Ireland, with 96 year old Sister Brigid Keane! We were so glad to visit Knock and take time to rest there, then on towards Connemara to visit her family. A very special afternoon tea at Ashford Castle, Cong, was surely a wonderful highlight for us en route! We returned in good time for me to prepare for a much-longed for visit to Angers. We left on September 9. Sister Anna Landy organised a group of Good Shepherd Friends. There were 23 of us who met at Dublin Airport for departure. A full week had been planned. I had two of our group from Belfast and also I was delighted to hear my Novitiate companion, Sister Rose Doherty was joining our group too. Sister Noreen O'Shea met us, with a coach, at the airport in Nantes and we had a memorable week. With a great Spiritual Leader, Father Sean Maher, who is studying at the Irish College, Paris, we appreciated a Mass in English every day. We travelled to Noirmoutier Island, where Mother Foundress, Saint Mary Euphrasia, was born and we had a glorious day there. Later in the week, we travelled to Tours, where the young Rose Virginie went to boarding school and spent her years up to becoming a sister. So the week was full of meaningful storytelling and enjoyment, all, now, underpinned with a truly meaningful memories. Our final day was Heritage Day in angers. We were free all day and our house was open for visitors. The groups had a guided tour plus an organ recital in the church. Rose and I spent the day, visiting the Chateau in the morning with most of the group. Then we enjoyed our final meal with Father Sean who returned to Paris when had had said Evening Mass for us. Later, Sister Rose and I went out for a meal just to celebrate being in Angers together - will include a photo! We had a joyous evening - making a presentation to Sister Noreen for her great hospitality and input during the week. Sunday was marked with a most creative Service after Mass. This was led and organised by Noreen at the newly opened Labyrinth. This really summed up our great week of Journeying with Mother Foundress. Again we had the luxury of a bus to Nantes Airport. Dublin was kind to us and we got a connection to Belfast much more quickly than expected, even though quite late on September 16!! A week full of happy memories for sure, with much to share with community and after some days with our Belfast group of Friends. Two days later, I was on the train again, travelling to Dublin with a Sister going to Waterford. Little did I know that I would be there within the week. Sister Anne and I went down on Tuesday 25 and stayed overnight. My only reason for going was to visit Sister Marie Murphy's grave and pray. on our return journey, with Sister Marie Therese, we visited Rostrevor Benedictine Monastery. The Abbot's mother, known to us, had died and we called to pay our respects. We arrived back in Belfast in the early evening, well satisfied with our journey. The rest of the time was spent meeting some of the "ladies" from my earler ministry and catching up with community and friends. Arrived back in Korce late on October 4, fully refreshed even if tired from the travelling on that day. So, till next time - every blessing!