'The harvest of righteousness shall be sown in peaced by those who make peace' (James)

FRIENDS OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF JOY

an ecumenical foundation of Prayer, Peace and Reconciliation.

Newsletter no 12

Autumn 2009

My dear Friends

I am writing to you from Ferns, County Wexford, in the Republic of Ireland, where I am on a retreat cum holiday. I have been visiting my dear friend Sister Christina, who used to live in Cambridge with her community, The Sisters of Adoration. Now, high up in the countryside, 45 minutes drive from Wexford, they continue to pray in a special way for others and for reconciliation in a troubled world.

Wexford has had a traumatic history, with the massacre of Catholics by Cromwell in the 17th century: the memories linger on, although there are now peacemaking groups dedicated to healing those memories of conflict in both Southern and Northern Ireland. But apparently Wexford has a beautiful opera house and I intend to make a visit in the coming week.

Speaking of reconciliation, on July 26th, The Little Sisters of Joy hosted a talk called 'Jewish Christian reconciliation in the post war period.' The talk was given by an Orthodox Jewish friend of mine, Jonathan Gorsky. Jonathan has a wealth of experience in Jewish-Christian relations, having worked for the Council of Christians and Jews for many years. He is now a lecturer at Heythrop College in the University of London and has helped to devise a unique undergraduate degree in the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The talk was both a brief overview of the conflictual relations between Jews and Christians over the centuries and a summary of the very real progress since the Second World War. Vatican II, the Council of the Catholic Church which reformed many things, published a document called Nostra Aetate (In our Age) in which the Church officially refuted the position that the Jews were collectively responsible for the Crucifixion. It also laid down guidelines for better relations between Catholics and Jews, emphasising that the Old Testament is the valid matrix of the New.

By the time you read this, three of the great Jewish Festivals will have been celebrated, Rosh Hashanah, the New year, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a time of great rejoicing, as well as a time of deep reflection on our lives as well as the state of our world. A special time to reflect on the eternal and not simply the temporal and a time when the individual and communal prayer and atonement of a whole people moves the the whole world on to a different plane where we are nearer our heavenly home.

Which is exactly what they are doing here in Ferns in Ireland. Snug in my little cosy hermitage in the grounds of the monastery, I also wander up to the beautiful chapel, where there is an opportunity for peace and prayer almost 24 hours a day.Or pop to one of the many local pubs for the best Guiness I have ever tasted and then take a walk in the countryside.

If you fancy doing the same, ring or fax Sister Christina at St Aidans Monastery on

00353539366634 staidansferns@eircom.net http://www.staidans-ferns.org/

May you be inscribed in the Book of Life

for a sweet and Happy New Year, Shalom

Sister Gila

Closure

My dear Friends

Yesterday the hospital discharged me. I look forward to a bright future. I am now going to publish the Newsletter I wrote last September, on my trip to Ireland. Enjoy!

Love and Shalom
Sister Gila

4 nights leave

My dear Friends

I am halfway through a leave of 4 nights, quite a relief. On Thursday I left the hospital about 10am and went home to meet a visitor who popped in just before lunch. Then I went to the local library to see if I could put the latest Newsletter (actually from September) on the Blog but the nice little guy who helps me wasn't there so it will have to wait.

Popped into town around 4pm and decided on the spur of the moment to go to the cinema, where something nice was showing at that very moment-a film about the poet Keats, his life and romances in Hampstead in London, which is where I was born! Anyhow it made for very nice, easy viewing, as I sipped a large coke in the cinema. It was showing in the Arts Picturehouse, where all the trendy films are shown,and there is a nice bar where you can just hang out and enjoy a coffee or a beer.

Back home I spent a quiet evening. In the morning I went to the Arundel House Hotel for some coffee and a read of a French novel I picked up. Then I proceeded to church and ended up being a sponsor for a little travelling girl's confirmation today. She is part of a large family of travellers, just back from Italy and in between times they visit St Laurence's, our local church, to be baptised or confirmed or take their first Holy Communion.

Mass at 12.30 then a sandwich and on to the Science library in town, where I can access my university library account. I actully wrtoe 500 words on the sequel to my autobiography. The title to this one is 'With open shirt and tinkling guitar' and is a quote from a WH Auden poem, which I will quote to you another day.

On to see my CPN in Starbucks, where we dicussed my progress over a scone and a large latte coffee. Quite enough for one day, so I traipsed home, tired, to bring in the Shabbat with some lovely white candles.

See you soon
Shabbat Shalom
Sister Gila

In t

More of the Haven

My dear Friends
I must be improving as I spent last Saturday night at home, and am in the middle of spending 2 more nights there now. I got to church on Sunday for a vibrant service to commemorate Remembrance Sunday, which in our church took the form of a Requiem Mass. Then on to lunch to Anoshka, my Polish and best friend in Cambridge-she did us proud with chicken soup, turkey escalope and all the trimings with a glass of red wine and a sorbet to finish.

Now as I write this in the university library, I am halfway through my latest leave. Last night Clare came round and we dined on homous, olives, fetta cheese, tomatoes and pitta bread and also a glass of wine, this time white! We talked of many things, how I am still needing some confidence but how other things are slowly coming back. I told how of my plans for next year, perhaps a bit ambitious at the moment, but how I am hoping to go to Provence to see a friend in the Spring and then maybe Toronto in the summer. She pointed out that I needn't worry about Provence as flights were easily booked at the last moment, so perhaps I should take it easy. but how I long to see Canada once more!

Tonight I am going to the Graduate Centre, a university building where they serve food amongst other things and my dear elderly friend James is escorting me. He has been very faithful and came to the hospital several times to see me.At times like these such friends are very precious. He has just published a book entitled.'Toward no Valuation' which, as the title suggests is both fascinating and challenging in the times we live. Let's hope for a great success!

So-onward and upward
Until the next time
Shalom from
Sister Gila

The Haven

My dear Friends

I am happy to tell you that I made an overnight stay at my flat last Monday. As soon as I opened the door I felt warm and cosy and set about making it a good evening. I cooked myself a thre course meal, soup, chicken kiev and some homemade fruit salad, which I really enjoyed. Unfortunately I forgot the wine!

All the while I had some gentle music playing, including some North American masterpieces including Samuel Barber's famous Adagio for strings, the haunting violin piece which was recorded, as far as I know, high up in the mountains. I even put on a little dance music.

All evening I had my companion-the lovely brown pussy cat who came to make his home with me some months ago and who is being looked after by my nice neighbour. He doesn't purr but he sat on my lap quite contentedly and roamed around the flat from time to time. Needless to say it was lovely to have him there.

Popped into Tim, my neighbour for a cup of tea and a chat and that was nice. Made a couple of calls and decided to have a bath and go to bed-my own for a change! After making myself comfy I had quite a good night's sleep if feeling a little strange in the morning, perhaps because I had not been there for a while. But polished off the fruit salad from the previous evening and caught the bus into town, to see my CPN (Community Psychiatric Nurse) whom I now meet in Starbucks.

More later
Love and Shalom
Sister Gila