This week marked the completion of what has been a gradual return to normalcy after the holiday season. This past Sunday afternoon, the four of us sat in our living room for a two-hour Family Meeting, talking about things we’ve done, things we’ve learned, and things we’d still like to do ministerially during our remaining months in Ireland. We discussed new ideas, new tactics for implementing some ideas that have been on the docket for a while, and set some very realistic goals that will help us continue to grow both as a community and as individuals.
With the electricity restored at the parish on Monday morning after a weekend in the Dark Ages, the Teach Bhríde crew hit the ground running. Our week was chock-a-block, as they say here, filled with events like another Confirmation preparation session in the primary schools, several planning meetings for upcoming Confirmation retreats, liturgies, and the celebration of St. Brigid’s feast day, choir rehearsals, and even the first Confirmation choir practice at Kennedy Park. Every meeting and rehearsal went really well, with lots of ducks being lined up in pretty little rows for events in the weeks ahead.
Not only that, but somehow, in the midst of a busy parish and school schedule, we managed to have one of our most productive weeks as a community to date. Jessica and I solidified the repertoire for February’s diocesan workshop (SO much good music!), I sent out our very first personalized mailer to diocesan liturgical musicians (courtesy of our fledgling database compiled from surveys sent to the parishes back in November), and, perhaps most importantly, Jessica set the community laptop up to print on the copier in the parish office. Gone are the days of saving everything to a jump drive and interrupting one of our amazing parish secretaries so that we can print from a parish pc! A small but significant technological victory.
Next week will bring second helpings of this week’s busy-ness, as we are moving into the final prep week before the celebration of St. Brigid’s feast day. We’ll be learning to make Brigid Crosses, practicing our most beautiful trad tunes, and gathering flowers and various farming implements for the sacred space. Not only will the fire pit, water fountain, and butter churn from last year be used again, but Fr. Denis and Sr. Mary have scoured for and found a (hopefully) vacant beehive that will be part of the decorations. Look for pictures soon, as this will definitely be a celebration to remember!
