Welcome to the Edmund Rice Heritage Centre Blog!

There are many new things recently happened in Edmund Rice Heritage Centre e.g. Friday Reflections, the launch of a new look website.   

For the person, working in organisation that employs a large number of people, is very hard to meet all the employees, sometimes the only time employees meet  up is over tea break/lunch time. At some stage staff members are forming into small groups which makes it hard for new staff employees.

Edmund Rice Heritage Centre is not a big organisation, employs a small number of people and has number of volunteers. In order to bring all the staff members and brothers together,  to have a chance  to tell about yourself and  to express your thoughts, also to learn something new Edmund Rice Heritage Centre launched Friday Reflections earlier this year.

Friday Reflections are held in the morning of every Friday over cup of tea or coffee. A number of different topics is presented and discussed.

Here we are giving you a chance to follow our Friday Reflections and to leave comments and suggestions.

Moira O'Shea's reflection 24th of June 2011

Today, Moira O'Shea volunteered to do a reflection on not well known woman Julian of Norwich.

It was very interesting and educating presentation which was ended with the continuous discussion of Julian of Norwich and  her work.

David's reflection, 24th of June 2011

David Winstone Kaye who was working for ISU held his reflection today, he came up with the idea of cards, that represent different images. Each image locked a message. Each person at the reflection had to choose a picture that he/she likes most and had to unlock the message and talk about it to everyone.

Tina noted that if you go through a sad time there is always a happy time

Yana mentioned that everyone has a key to success you just have to find the door with the right key hole

Two doors, everyone faces disappointment in life

Br Steve said that he choose this image because it makes no sense to him. David tried to unlock the message in the picture. It would be nice to have our life as VCR recorder, you can pause a moment of your life, our fast forward if you have an argument, also be able to return to happy memories such as a birthday party, wedding etc also stop everything and take a break

Peadar said that the stairs is the journey of life, and you have a choose to open the door

Br Phil mentioned that this picture associates him with the Unity and with the amount of work we need to do

Br Kevin noted that evryone married/unmarried all connected together

Beverly mentioned that this picture associated her with Unity, One and Love

Melissa noted that some people can't choose between the roads to failure and to the success

Ann noted that this picture associates her with freedom of movement, uplifting, symbol of piece

Global Village, 17th of June 2011

Br Kevin Mascarenhas is a director of Integration and Support Unit at Edmund Rice Heritage Centre.

Br Kevin has prepared two power point slides for our weekly Friday Reflection.

He started off with showing a power point presentation called “Global Village”.

The presentation told us that if you take all population in the world and get a ratio of all nationalities/ background/ education/religion and apply it to 100 people.

The presentation was very interesting, educational and at the same time shocking. It was sad to hear that only one person out of one hundred would hold a degree, six out of hundred would be wealthy etc.

The presentation was open to the comments and opinions:

Moira mentioned that there was a big gap between the ratios in relation to religion.

Br. Kevin commented on the amount of people starving and the amount of people who can’t read billion;

Ann Nolan mentioned the lack of Education; for some people in Ireland it is still a privilege to have a degree.

‘Health and Poverty are linked’ –Ann Nolan.

Br. Kevin finished today’s reflection with another power point presentation on the song You raise me up, which was sang by Brian Kennedy and Tracy Cambell-Nation and accompanied by relevant slides.

The slides show the beauty of nature, mountains, lakes, canyons etc and the poverty, hope, believe and love.

After the presentations we have enjoyed cups of tea/coffee with doughnuts and sweet bread with raisins.

Friday Reflection, 3rd of June 2011

Today, Pat Madigan who is CEO of Edmund Rice International Heritage  Centre volunteered to open up today's reflection. Firstly, Pat Madigan read a poem It will take people.

It will take people

Prophet people who dare to lay bare the fallacies that choke and bind us;

Parent people who look with love at the work of their creation and refuse to leave their children only a heritage of destruction;

Nurture people who grow plants and feed birds and love what is green, fresh and growing;

Healing people whose bands touch others into life and well-being;

Poet people who call us beyond where we are;

Fun people whose role through time has been to nurture, to empower others, to make grow, to make new again.

Soul people whose eyes are clear and open, inviting trust and the kind of bonding that draws us together;

Justice people who cry out against the oppressors of people and the destroyers of the earth;

Little people who don't know themselves as special but who are the salt of the earth.

It will take people; Spirit people fired with a holy madness who believe our world can be transformed into a place of joy and hope and love.

After the poem was read, Pat Madigan spoke of the importance of each person and each employee and volunteer in ERIHC.

Today's question was Who inspired you?

Melissa noted that her mother is important to her, because of her she is here. Br Phil Ryan mentioned his uncle, who had a very difficult life. Paedar also mentioned his aunt who had a tough life, never complained and always did good things to people around her.

At the end of the reflection Pat Madigan thanked all the women at the reflection as we are mothers or mothers to be.

Christian Aid Week 15-21 May 2011

One of the first reflections was presented by Ann Nolan, project coordinator in Information and Support Unit (ISU) on 20th of May 2011.

ISU supports Christian Aid annually by way of coffee morning in order to raise awareness and some small funds. Ann Nolan presented DVD of work of Christian Aid in developing countries and two slide shows of a number of visits to Africa countries: immersion programmes in Zambia which is part of the Edmund Rice Network and research programme in Tanzania and Zanzibar which the ISU coordinator participated in along with colleagues from University College Dublin.

Zambia

Zambia

Zambia

Zambia

Zambia

At the end of the presentation Ann Nolan distributed Christian Aid Brochures to the staff members. The reflection was ended with the discussion of the work of Christian Aid and cups of tea/coffee with doughnuts.

If you would like to make a donation to Christian Aid or find out more information about them please visit the following website www.christianaid.ie