Return from Hungary

My dear Friends

Coming home is always hard and I am only beginning to readjust. But in less than 10 days time I go on another trip. This time to Paris and the South of France. Alexia has invited me to visit her home in Villescresnes, on the outskirts of the city, and I do so with joy. I will also travel to the South, to a village in Provence called St-Etienne-du-Gres, which means St Stephen of the Sandstone. I stayed there with the Sisters of Pomeyrol nearly 9 years ago and this is where The Little Sisters of Joy started. I have always wanted to return...

I will make a retreat there, spending the few days praying and living very quietly, reflecting on all that happened in Hungary. And it will be very special, as it will be Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement in the Jewish calendar, following on from Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It is the custom to fast, and I remember being very struck by the beauty and holiness on that day in my childhood, the Synagogue full, the music deeply moving, the men dressed in white.

The Jewish New Year (13 &14 Sep) is one of the main liturgical events in my life, even now, perhaps more so than ever. A time of new beginnings, soul-searching, apples and honey and penitential prayers. A time of renewal and reconciliation.

Please think of me as you come to the end of your summer-which I hope has been filled with many good things.

Happy New Year!
Sister Gila