Memories from Lourdes

Last May, 15 fourth year students joined their religious education teachers Ms. Beirne and Ms. Columb and principal Mr. Conboy, as they travelled with the Kilmore Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes as volunteers. Rachel Farrelly said it was an experience she would never forget. "Words cannot describe how beautiful Lourdes is. You really have to see it to believe it. It's weird, but I felt it made me feel like a better person." She said that she never experienced anything in her life like the trip to the baths. "You take off your clothes and a sheet is wrapped around you and you stand in front of the Virgin Mary statue and tell her your petitions. When you are ready, you are assisted into the bath, which is absolutely freezing, and walk towards the statute of Our Lady and kiss it. Then you sit in the water and are laid back with the help of the assistants for a few seconds. When you come out of the water you are completely dry, you don't have to use a towel," recalled Rachel. She said that being a helper was tough work but very rewarding and she had fun along the way too. "For many years I have been thinking I'd like to go to college and study nursing or something in the area of caring for people. Going to Lourdes really gave me a better knowledge of what it would be like caring for sick people," said Rachel. She hopes to return to Lourdes again as a helper and would recommend the experience to anybody. Clara McGrath said she was sad to leave Lourdes and a week wasn't long enough. "It was brilliant getting to know all the elderly people and helping them get around to all the events. Some of us even brought them up town to help them buy gifts and holy water to bring back to their families and friends," she said. "We would get up at six o'clock most mornings or earlier and go to a staff mass in the hospital before going to help in the dining room to set up for breakfast, or the kitchen to clean dishes, and get food ready. Each day we brought the invalids to different services and then back to the hospital where everyone could sit outside in the sun and have tea and biscuits," recounted Clara. Clare Finnegan said her visit to Lourdes was a very rewarding experience that left her with treasured memories... "the flight, the hospital, the grand churches, the awe-inspiring candle light procession, the heat, the atmosphere, the crowds, the culture, the devotion and the feeling of satisfaction when it was all over". Siobhan McCarry said that the beauty of the churches left her speechless. "One church could hold up to 40,000 people and it had me in awe for days. A personal highlight for me was singing in the choir for the multi-national mass. I felt so proud to be part of it all," she described. "The people you meet are the friendliest you will ever meet, and so grateful for all the work you are doing for them. Honestly though, it didn't feel like work in any way. The early mornings were tough I'll admit but you weren't dreading the day ahead, you were going to see and help the new friends you had made," concluded Siobhan. Welcome back Welcome back to all our students and staff, in particular to our new first years. Of course it's very hard to be back during this Indian summer we are experiencing but that's life. Well done to all of last year's Leaving Certificate students and we wish them the very best of luck with their further studies and careers. No recession here It may be all doom and gloom on the job front elsewhere but I would like to welcome some new staff to this department - the always reliable Sinead Mc Manus, Lucy Anne Mc Dermott and Aoife Lockhart (fourth year) have come on board to help with the newspaper notes and photos this year. Thank you girls! The Stork Has Arrived Congratulations to Mr. Keane and his wife Trisha who are proud parents of a new baby boy, Patrick Keane. Glory for our Girls By the time you read this, we hope to be celebrating a win by St. Josephs's Ladies Football Team in the Intermediate County Final against Ballingleara in Ballinamore. The team and panel comprises many of our present and past students including Vanessa Gallogly, Deirdre Moran, Jessica Bohan, Lisa McDermott, Lucy Anne McDermott, Catherine Beirne, Elaine McGovern, Phillipa Maguire, Clare Owens, Marina Gray, Lorraine Moran, Danielle Smith, Louise Farrelly, Mary McBrien, Caitriona Brennan, Fionnuala Bohan, Alannah Bohan, Rachel Bohan and Sharon Kerrigan. Management Ray McBrien and Darren McGovern are also ex pupils of this school. Good luck to you all. Congrats to the footballers: Given that almost every single member of the Carrigallen Senior Team was a student in our school, we were delighted to seem them reach the county final. Although they were beaten by Glencar/Manorhamilton, we are very proud of your achievement. Green School's Initiative Work continues in the Green Schools' project with the election of David Mimna as the new chairman to the Green Schools' committee. Other committee members elected were Kelly Berry (secretary), Laura Brady (collections), Mary McCaffrey and Maedbh Donohoe (public relations). New initiatives for this year include battery and mobile phone recycling receptacles in the school. Our application for the Green Flag is due in December and every effort to achieve this is being made. We ask our new students to be mindful of our recycling and litter policies in the school. Any old mobile phones? Calling all students, parents and staff. Get looking down behind the sofa and into the back of drawers. The hunt is on to collect three hundred used mobile phones for a recycling project. These phones can be exchanged for a new interactive whiteboard for the school. Five hundred old mobiles will get us a projector, speakers and height adjustable frame with the whiteboard. This is an initiative from the Jack and Jill Foundation. A perfect record Congratulations to second years Deirdre and Noeleen Rawle and fifth year Ciara Tighe who had perfect attendance records last year. Ciara has only missed one day of school so far since she started four years ago. Well done girls.