The photos were taken on 10th Dec 06 during the Sunday Service 'Mass' and the Blessing of the place to have the Church built.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
NTANDIRE CONTEMPLATE A NEW CHURCH
The photos were taken on 10th Dec 06 during the Sunday Service 'Mass' and the Blessing of the place to have the Church built.
BELESSING PLOT FOR NEW CHURCH
photos that were taken on 10th Dec 06 during the Sunday Service 'Mass' and the Blessing of the place to have the Church build.
Monday, October 30, 2006
THEATRE NIGHT
On Friday 8th September we all trouped off to see Eltham Little Theatre's production of “And Then There Were None” a play based upon Agatha Christies' 38th Novel, written in 1939 and always popular.
Thanks to Mike and Pat Croft for organising this very successful event, we enjoyed an almost full house with $1400 raised.
Thanks to Mike and Pat Croft for organising this very successful event, we enjoyed an almost full house with $1400 raised.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Saturday, July 15, 2006
OPEN AIR MASS AT ST KIZITO
An enjoyable and colourful day with all the communities for a an open-air mass at St Kizito, celebrating the Feast Day for St Kizito, taken by Fr Patrick.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
MARY 'S PRAYER
For the month of May at all of our masses, we are using a prayer composed by Sr. Mary Doonan MMM. We will also feature this prayer and recent photographs sent by Sr. Mary in the combined St Kizito celebration and our Ladies Help of Christians on the weekend of the 27th May 2006.
Mary commented I always marvel how Mary like most women knew what it meant to be daughter, wife, mother and friend...surely someone with experience any woman or family can call on. I guess from very early on in life Mary has always been a "role model" or someone who both challenged and encouraged me in life.
Below is her beautifully composed prayer.
O God you called Mary to be the Mother of Jesus. Mary, our Mother also knew what it was to live as daughter wife and friend on this earth. Grant us the grace of opening our lives to all that you call us to be. Give us the mind and heart of Mary that we too may bear Christ to the world
Mary commented I always marvel how Mary like most women knew what it meant to be daughter, wife, mother and friend...surely someone with experience any woman or family can call on. I guess from very early on in life Mary has always been a "role model" or someone who both challenged and encouraged me in life.
Below is her beautifully composed prayer.
O God you called Mary to be the Mother of Jesus. Mary, our Mother also knew what it was to live as daughter wife and friend on this earth. Grant us the grace of opening our lives to all that you call us to be. Give us the mind and heart of Mary that we too may bear Christ to the world
Friday, April 28, 2006
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Saturday, April 01, 2006
LETTER FROM SR. MARY DOONAN
Dear Lindsay & Friends in Australia
Greetings from Lilongwe, and best wishes for a very happy Easter.
You and all our friends are remembered very specially in our prayers during the Easter Season and Tridium. The Easter Tridium Ceremonies here are always very beautiful and very prayerful with elements from the local culture incorporated into them.
There is also a large attendance and great participation by all. Each year we pray that the rains will stay away and allow the people to walk too and fro without getting soaked.
Over the past ten days we have had torrential rains all over the country. Due to the heavy rains some people in Mangochi, (South of Malawi), and along the Lakeshore lost their maize which was just about ready for harvesting and many homes were also washed away. For the North the rains came too late as many have already lost their maize crop. Here in the Central Region, thank God, we are more fortunate as we have a good maize crop so far that has survived all weather.
We continue our ministry with the different Women’s Groups and some teenage girls. All of the women received some garden seeds at the end of last year and have not harvested lovely tomatoes, onions and rape. They are delighted as food is very scarce just now and very expensive as the MK continues to devalue. I honestly do not know how families are surviving.
Since early January we have been conducting basic health education classes with the women as they sit and sew and these are proving very popular and hopefully helpful. Many new young women have joined the class since January – bringing with them as many babies and small children. The women have just embarked on their annual sweater knitting for our orphans for the Cold Season. I provide the wool and pay the women for knitting the sweaters. Whilst we provide the orphans with sweaters we also help poor women have a little money for Easter, and the women get to learn new knitting and crochet patterns.
The Girls Group have just finished knitting hats and are now knitting their own sweaters for school and are already very proud of their achievement. With this Group we also teach English and some Human Development. It is our attempt to try to prevent teenage pregnancy and HIV\AIDS.
We are still operating our Mosquito Net Project which is proving very successful. The women have noticed that all of them with mosquito nets have experienced much less malaria in their families. Now they are busy telling and encouraging others join the scheme.
During the past weeks I have needed to help many with medical expenses to attend a nearby Mission Clinic as there seems to be little or no medicines in the Government Hospitals. The Government Hospitals & clinics try to provide a free medical service but are now totally overwhelmed with all the HIV\AIDS patients and so many, especially children, with resistant malaria, chest infections, and pneumonia. It is hard to see how any poor country like Malawi could cope with so many ill in the community.
After Easter, when folk have finished harvesting their maize we are hoping to conduct Memory Book Workshops with our women. During these workshops we will help them make their own family Album- we are encouraging all families do so now as there are so many deaths from HIV\AIDS we see so many die in accidents and other illnesses. It also gives and opportunity to provide support as we help them share about their own experience of bereavement. I know we have no one in the Group now who have not lost loved ones in the past year. Since Christmas three young women from the group have died leaving young families. We then hope to have some of these women work with us with orphaned children as we do the same. Our hope is that in the long term we can overcome a cultural taboo where few adults talk or listen to children following a bereavement.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we will you. Wishing you and your loved ones peace and joy in the Risen Christ.
Sr. Mary Doonan MMM
Greetings from Lilongwe, and best wishes for a very happy Easter.
You and all our friends are remembered very specially in our prayers during the Easter Season and Tridium. The Easter Tridium Ceremonies here are always very beautiful and very prayerful with elements from the local culture incorporated into them.
There is also a large attendance and great participation by all. Each year we pray that the rains will stay away and allow the people to walk too and fro without getting soaked.
Over the past ten days we have had torrential rains all over the country. Due to the heavy rains some people in Mangochi, (South of Malawi), and along the Lakeshore lost their maize which was just about ready for harvesting and many homes were also washed away. For the North the rains came too late as many have already lost their maize crop. Here in the Central Region, thank God, we are more fortunate as we have a good maize crop so far that has survived all weather.
We continue our ministry with the different Women’s Groups and some teenage girls. All of the women received some garden seeds at the end of last year and have not harvested lovely tomatoes, onions and rape. They are delighted as food is very scarce just now and very expensive as the MK continues to devalue. I honestly do not know how families are surviving.
Since early January we have been conducting basic health education classes with the women as they sit and sew and these are proving very popular and hopefully helpful. Many new young women have joined the class since January – bringing with them as many babies and small children. The women have just embarked on their annual sweater knitting for our orphans for the Cold Season. I provide the wool and pay the women for knitting the sweaters. Whilst we provide the orphans with sweaters we also help poor women have a little money for Easter, and the women get to learn new knitting and crochet patterns.
The Girls Group have just finished knitting hats and are now knitting their own sweaters for school and are already very proud of their achievement. With this Group we also teach English and some Human Development. It is our attempt to try to prevent teenage pregnancy and HIV\AIDS.
We are still operating our Mosquito Net Project which is proving very successful. The women have noticed that all of them with mosquito nets have experienced much less malaria in their families. Now they are busy telling and encouraging others join the scheme.
During the past weeks I have needed to help many with medical expenses to attend a nearby Mission Clinic as there seems to be little or no medicines in the Government Hospitals. The Government Hospitals & clinics try to provide a free medical service but are now totally overwhelmed with all the HIV\AIDS patients and so many, especially children, with resistant malaria, chest infections, and pneumonia. It is hard to see how any poor country like Malawi could cope with so many ill in the community.
After Easter, when folk have finished harvesting their maize we are hoping to conduct Memory Book Workshops with our women. During these workshops we will help them make their own family Album- we are encouraging all families do so now as there are so many deaths from HIV\AIDS we see so many die in accidents and other illnesses. It also gives and opportunity to provide support as we help them share about their own experience of bereavement. I know we have no one in the Group now who have not lost loved ones in the past year. Since Christmas three young women from the group have died leaving young families. We then hope to have some of these women work with us with orphaned children as we do the same. Our hope is that in the long term we can overcome a cultural taboo where few adults talk or listen to children following a bereavement.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we will you. Wishing you and your loved ones peace and joy in the Risen Christ.
Sr. Mary Doonan MMM
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)