Hello Everyone!
Today begins our Belfast Diary. For the past 10 days we have been involved in an intensive pre-departure course at Walsh Jesuit to prepare us for the Irish Studies program here in Belfast, Northern Ireland. We have studied many topics in Irish history, literature, politics, and faith communities. Our study has enabled us to understand the origins of the conflict in Ireland, the complex historical events which ultimately led to the partition of Ireland, the sectarian division in the north, and the amazing transformation that is taking place. We hope that you will journey with us to this beautiful corner of the world from which we hope to learn how even the most protracted conflict can be transformed through a commitment to justice and peace.
I began my day very early today here in Belfast. I arrived in advance of the students to put things in order and continue need program set-up here on the ground. I wanted to catch the 6 AM bus to Dublin Airport to greet them and help them get them safely transported to Queen's University Belfast. I quickly got ready and made my way to Bus Terminal for the Dublin Bus. After a two and half hour journey I arrived at Dublin airport just in time to see the students, Ms. Duarte, and Mrs. Varnish emerge out of customs. All the students were wearing their maroon and gold Walsh Jesuit Irish Studies t-shirts so were easy to locate. They were in great spirits and excited to "get to Belfast." After the essential "toilet" breaks we made our way to the bus.
The weather in Dublin at the time of our arrival was a light rain. About an hour into our journey the clouds began to break and Ireland began to reveal her rolling green hills. The weather here has been typically Irish - a cool mix of rain and sun. After a few semi-conscious hours we were in the main bus terminal in Belfast. We ordered taxis and made our way to our "home away from home" the Queen's University Residence Halls. I asked the students to do something quite unorthodox in international travel; to eat lunch and take a long nap. Usually, when you arrive in Europe, you want to stay up as long as possible that first day to adjust to the new time zone. But, we intentionally arrived here today to attend the last night of the Solemn Novena of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Why a novena? The Solemn Novena of Our Lady of Perpetual Help at Clonard Monastery is an amazing experience that unites that Catholic Community of Belfast annually in prayer. It was originally brought in the 1950's to Clonard by a visiting American Chaplin. Crowds from the very beginning came in droves to the event and the novena has been prayed constantly ever since... it attracts well over 15,000 daily and thousands more follow online. The faithful flock daily to the 10 masses from all over the city. People's petitions and thanksgivings are publicly read aloud during the novena and are very touching. Tonight we are attending the last session on the last night. This session is very special because of what happens immediately after... Clonard is run by the Irish Redemptorists. Now many of us know that the Irish are known as a musical people. The priests who have led the novena all come together after the last session and have a "sing song." Each sings a song, often a traditional Irish folk song, and the people join along. It is awesome experience that we considered a "must" for the students. You can watch us online tonight the service is webcasted. Go to www.clonard.com and click "Live Webcam." We will be on at 6 PM Eastern Standard Time.
We are doing well. Soon we are leaving for dinner out at Deane's Deli then will make our way to West Belfast for the Novena... we will write more soon.
All the best!
Mr. Bizga
Here is the day through Gina O'Riordan's Eyes:
We finally made it! After one week of studying at Walsh Jesuit, two flight delays at Hopkins and JFK, and Mrs. Varnish losing her luggage (it was found eventually), we finally made it to
Then Raymond had to leave, so we went on a short tour of the surrounding area. We saw city hall with a statue of Queen Victoria and an Ulster Bank that looked like an old government building. Taxis took us to the hospital (because one could not get near in a car) where we then walked to Clonard Monastery. Clonard had been holding a Novena for the past nine days and today was the last night. We attended the last Mass then priests from around the country went up to sing songs from their birthplace. They were all talented! There was one who played the guitar, another who played the harmonica and another who sang a song for the Meath football team! It was 1 am before we got out of the packed Church. While walking back to the hospital to catch our taxis, we came across a few drunks who thought we were Spanish and kept saying “HOLA!” to us; we thought it was hilarious! Exhausted and jetlagged, we all went to bed as soon as we got back to the dorms. Our first day in
God bless!
Gina
1 comment:
My name is Raymond Lennon and I have been working with Mr Bizga for some years now in making the Irish Peace Process accessible to American Students. I am a friend of Fr Alex Reid at Clonard Monastery (the "cradle" of the Peace Process) for many years. I am a teacher by profession and a graduate of Queen's University, Belfast.
I want to say how pleased I am with the Walsh Students' already gained pre departure knowledge of the situation here.
Through their experiences in Belfast I know that there will be a deeper understanding of what has occurred in Northern Ireland and that,hopefully,their attitudes will be developed towards conflict transformation internationally and even domestically within the United States.
Several United States Consuls General (Senior Officials of the US State Department) based in Belfast have commented to me how important these visits are. They help people here tell their story and this is affirming for them but the visits also allow for students to discover universal principles of peace building.
I took part in an extremely moving encounter with the Students in a sharing of their impressions Saturday evening.It lasted all of two hours. This followed a short Ignatian Prayer session led by Ms Duarte. Every single one of the students contributed,without hesitation, in sharing their feelings after a two day immersion in Nationalist and Unionist perspectives by local people in Belfast and Derry.
Mrs Varnish pointed out that what the students were being told locally had to be carefully filtered because some information, in her view, was not historically accurate. I agree with this analysis totally as it shows how perceptions can be distorted often by over elaboration and the formation of "myths". This has been a huge problem in conflict zones.
I urge the students to critically listen to the various "truths" that they will hear. I urge them to see the totality of the Irish story and the complexity of the process of resolution of our conflict. There is no panacea here or anywhere else;there are no quick answers.
I want to add a footnote to Mr Bizga's writing regarding the Novena at Clonard. It was indeed an American US Chaplain who founded the Novena in 1943. He was a man who came to Ireland in the midst of World War 11 with the US troops. He started the weekly Novena which continues to this day every Thursday. The Solemn Novena really only got underway in the 80's in the midst of the darkest days of our "troubles" and served not only as an opportunity for prayer but also to allow people to gather in solidarity as Community when each and every day was punctuated with gunfire and slaughter.
There is a song about Fr Meighan, the words are so appropriate,and they remind us of the United States' involvement with us in Belfast, even back then in the 1940s. Here is a verse:
The Chaplain who came with the Yankees
Enkindled a spark that's divine,
He brought out the saints and the sinners
To Jesus at Mary's shrine.
And when he returns to his homeland
And war is a thing of the past
Fr. Meighan will e'er be remembered
By thousands of friends in Belfast.
More later........
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