The Royal Wedding

My dear Friends

Yesterday i watched the Royal Wedding on TV with Benigna, her daughter Fadijah and Benigna's carer Effie. I was deeply moved by it from start to finish, but especially by the service in Westminster Abbey. It was the Church of England at its very best. Rowan Williams was in attendance and solemnly explained the meaning of marriage to the young couple.

Kate looked resplendent in her gorgeous wedding gown and seemd relaxed throughout the whole ceremony.There was a moment of tension when it seemed that the ring might not fit!
The couple had chosen a marvellous reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans; the last verse says 'Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.' And they had composed a prayer about helping people in distress.

They are obviously people with a firm belief and a firm sense of committment. We all relished the moment on the balcony when they kissed, not once but twice!

The Queen looked rightly happy and has bestowed on William and Catherine the titles of 'Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.' I look forward to the day when they visit us here.

Shalom from
Sister Gila

The Passover story

My dear Friends

On Tuesday night I had a beautiful experience. I celebrated Seder night (the Passover story) with 2 Jewish women friends of mine, mother and daughter. There is something very special about an all-women Seder and indeed a special grace was working.

Jane, the daughter, had ordered some unusual matsot (unleavened bread) -they were huge and round and had come all the way from Israel. She had also made a beautiful cake for dessert.

We started by Irene (the mother) lighting the candles in a special holder carved by an elderly Jewish friend and she said the Festival blessing. Then we proceeded with the liturgy, centred round the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, and the parting of the Red Sea. With the cups of wine we celebrated going from slavery to freedom, darkness to light, bondage to redemption.

Interwoven with the proceedings were the ritual foods, the bitter herbs to commemorate the bitterness the Israelites experienced in Egypt, the charoseth to represent the bricks and mortar that the Israelites were forced to build cities with and the roasted egg and shankbone to represent the lamb which was roasted before their departure from Egypt.

Interspersed in all this was the Jewish music which I sang, drawing from my childhood memory in London and Glasgow when there would be fourteen people round the table, from different Jewish traditions.

The Exodus story and its story of redemption is an essential part of the history of salvation, mirroring Christ's death on the cross and his Resurrection which we celebrate this weekend.As we go through the shadow of the cross, may we come into the joy of new life.

Shalom from
Sister Gila

The silver birch tree

My dear Friends In January 2000 I had just founded The Little Sisters of Joy with my friend Maryvonne. What better thing to do than to plant a tree in honour of the new foundation? I asked permission from the lady I was living with, Benigna Lehmann and she said she would be delighted to have it in her garden. Her son-in law Latif, a composer and a fine man, had just died and his daughter, Benigna's grandaughter, told me that his favourite tree was the silver birch-there was a trio of them in the Botanical garden in Cambridge. So I invited a group of close friends and one afternoon we planted a silver birch in Benigna's garden and made a little ceremony. We recited psalm 96 in which the trees of the wood 'shout for joy' at the presence of the Lord. The tree has grown enormous but luckily the garden was big enough for it to grow freely. When I moved over to the north of the city I decided to plant a sliver birch to show the continuity of The Little Sisters of Joy. In seven years it has grown tall and strong.But alas one of its roots has grown into my neighbours garden and the other roots are growing fast, so I am thinking of having it pruned and the root in the other garden taken away. Please pray that my beautiful tree will continue to grow as it is a wonderful symbol of spirituality, beauty and simplicity. As I write, I am on my way to the Botanical gardens and i will for sure look at the trio of birches which have grown strong and tall. Did you know that the Indians regards the birch as something mystical and use the bark to line their boats? And there are wonderful forests of them in Canada, Finland and Russia. Long may they last! Shalom from Sister Gila