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NY State President
Meg Redling
Hello, Ladies,
Time has gone so fast since July
Convention. It is hard to believe
the Holiday season is here
already. I hope everyone had a
very nice Thanksgiving. I hope
everyone has a very Merry and
Blessed Christmas season.
I have attended several
functions and our State is alive,and very active. The LAOH
Presidents dinner in Boston
started things off and our
National President received a
wonderful welcome from the
National LAOH and the AOH
Boards as well as her home
state of Massachusetts and her
sister State of New York.
Before the dinner, the interimNational Board meeting was
held. I am very happy to
announce that there were 2
National Life membership
awards given.
Both Ladies are from Suffolk
County and they are Nancy
Keating and Sharon Hudock.
Congratulations to both and we
are very proud of them. In
addition, I attended the
Division 5 Suffolk County dinner
where our National Vice-
President presented the pin to
Sharon Hudock. It was a
wonderful night.
I also attended the AOH
Presidents dinner and a large
crowd attended. AOH
President Seamus Boyle was
also received very warmly by
both the AOH and LAOH.
I attended Schenectadys
Installation of officers.
Congratulations to all the
incoming officers whosefearless leader will be
Jacqueline Gilroy Clute. With
NYS Vice-President Denise
Sobus installing the officers, it
was a nice relaxing evening.
The next adventure which
included a juggling of schedules
had my destination this pastweekend in Elmira, NY. The
LADIES Division celebrated their
50th anniversary. Over 150
people attended and I was so
welcomed. They could not
believe I was there. Well,
miracles do happen after all.
Maggie Busch, the President,
told me they had added
approximately 30 newmembers this year alone. Their
membership now stands at
249. Young and vibrant, this
Divisions charitable fundraising
is very successful. Maggie
credits it to the fact that
everyone does it together and
it has brought them closer
together. Good Point!
Congratulations Ladies and best
wishes for another 50.
As I previously noted, I
attended the AOH Presidents
dinner in Bevose, Pa. I
understand talks are still
ongoing. However, I also
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New York StateNew York StateNew York StateNew York StateLadies AncientLadies AncientLadies AncientLadies Ancient order of Hibernians, Incorder of Hibernians, Incorder of Hibernians, Incorder of Hibernians, Inc
December 1December 1December 1December 1, 2009, 2009, 2009, 2009
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understand that there will be
many things to vote on at the
National Convention to take
place in Cincinnati, Ohio,
July7th, to July 11th. 2010.
Ladies, this is an extremely
important Convention. We
must have every delegate slot
filled by a fanny. Our two
candidates, Margaret Hennessy
and Mary Hogan, need us as
well. Margaret is going in as
NATIONAL PRESIDENT. This is
another supreme honor for
New York in as many years.
Everything is on the website. I
hear separate fundraisers
specifically for the Convention
are being held. Double up inthe rooms so the cost can be
cut. We need every single
delegate for this Convention.
Please make your reservations
now. If anyone needs a
roommate we will get them
one. Thank you for your efforts
in advance for the National
Convention. It is only with your
dedicated help that New Yorkwill again succeed in its efforts
for one of its members to win
election to the highest office in
the Ladies Ancient Order of
Hibernians
Merry Christmas and all Best
Wishes for 2010.
NY State Vice President
Denise Sobus
Hello Sisters,
I hope you all had a wonder
Thanksgiving; the weather
certainly cooperated for all.
Recently I had the honor of
installing the Schenectady
Ladies. Jackie Clute is the new
President; I wish her the best of
luck. I want to thank the
Schenectady Ladies for their
hospitality and also I want to
thank the Albany/Schenectady
degree team who escorted the
ladies in for installation. They
did a wonderful job. The
Albany/Schenectady degree
team will be having degrees on
April 17th, at the Albany Hall, in
Albany, NY. Registration is at
9:30am, degrees at 10:00am. If
you would like any information,
please call myself or Ceil
Leonard at 518-482-9309. On
the junior front, Peggy Osborne
from Schenectady requested a
Junior packet and cards. I wish
her luck in starting a newdivision. I hope you all have a
blessed and Holy Christmas.
NY State Secretary
Carol A. McTigue
I hope everybody had a Happy
Thanksgiving and was able to
spend some time with family
and friends.
Congratulations to Sharon
Houdock, Nancy Keating and
Una McLoughlin, our newest
LAOH National Lifetime
Members from New York State.
Ladies, have you bought your
New York Calendars and sent
your checks to John Hennessy
yet? This fundraiser is very
important and yourparticipation in this endeavor is
needed. I understand that the
ladies of Nassau County were
the first to sell all their
calendars and get their check to
John. Good going ladies!
Please consider going to our
National Convention in
Cincinnati, Ohio this July. We
have two wonderful candidates
running for the National Board,
Margaret Hennessy and Mary
Hogan, who really need our
support. These ladies have
worked very hard for us and we
need to be there for them.
Although it is a wonderful time
of the year, it does keep us very
busy. I want to take this
opportunity to wish everyone a
Blessed Christmas and a Happy
Healthy New Year. Please
remember our Servicemen and
Women in your prayers as well
as those who are in need.
NY State Treasurer
Karen Keane
Well Treasurers, I hope that
you are all resting up in
preparation for the annual
reports. I know that I am taking
extra vitamins and have the
past treasurers on my speed
dial. Remember here are the
deadlines for filing the reports:
All Divisions must have their
reports to the County
Treasurer by January 15th
.
All single Division Counties
MUST have their reports to the
State Treasurer by January
15th
.
All County Boards must havetheir reports to the State
Treasurer by February 15th
Please remember that the
following items are to be
submitted with the hard copies
Copies of all monthly bank
statements
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Membership list entered onto
an excel spreadsheet (I can e-
mail you a blank for you to
enter all names, addresses,
telephone numbers, officers
position, e-mail address, and
degree date).
List of contributions made and
received including name,
address and 501(c) (3) number.
Remember that a CHARITY is
only another 501(c) (3). Money
given to a Division of the AOH
or to a local family, etc. ARE
NOT A CHARITIABLE
DONATION, it is a gift. Moneygiven for a journal ad IS NOT A
CHARITIABLE DONATION, it is
an operating expense.
Any CHARITIABLE DONATION
must have the name and
address listed on the separate
sheet.
If you have any questions,
please contact me at theaddress, e-mail, or telephone
number listed below. I will
make every attempt to respond
promptly; although I am on
vacation from December 21
January 2nd
and from January
15th
to January 18th
.
Thank You for all your work in
the filing of these reports.
Karen Keane
108 Kennewyck Circle
Slingerlands, NY 12159
(518) 456-8783
NY State Historian
Eileen Fee
Dear Sisters,
The weather certainly
cooperated this year for us all
for the holiday. What a changefrom last year. Thank-you
Ladies for getting the Irish
Essay Contest entries out to
public and private schools,
home school, and any other
areas that were contacted to
promote our contest. What a
wonderful way for the younger
generation to learn about their
heritage.
Ladies: Please remember tofill out your Irish History
Forms (Green) Division,
( Blue) County.
Divisions to the CountyHistorian by Jan. 15th 2010
Single Divisions to the StateHistorian by Jan.15th 2010
County Reports to the StateHistorian by February 15th
2010
In the last correspondence we
received from our National
President Mary Ryan, she listed
many items acceptable for
archiving at Boston College...
Some of the things mentionedwere any meeting records,
agendas ,minutes ,and
handouts., posters, flyers,
annual reports, Irish History
Writings, scholarships,
community service,
publications, newsletters,
special programs,
Bibliographical information of
Officers and membership
directories. Please do not send
duplicates or confidential
records on people,
expenditures, financial records
or publications received from
other organizations., The
contacts for anything to be
archived are Dr, Robert K,
ONeill PhD Librarian, and
Dr, David Hom Head of
Manuscripts & Archives. The
address is The John J. Burns
Library, Boston College, 140
Commonwealth Avenue,
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3801
Thank You to all our Sisters in
Elmira. for hosting a wonderful
bowling tournament. All had a
wonderful time. Even though a
few of us kept getting lost. Not
going to mention any names.
Maybe SANTA had better
bring someone a GPS. WHAT
DO YOU THINK? Wishing
everyone a VERY MERRYCHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW
YEAR.
NY State
Mission/Charities
Francine Connerton
Dear Sisters,
I hope everyone had a safe and
happy Thanksgiving. We have
so much to be thankful for as a
sisterhood. The NYS ladies
generosity to our Charities:
Columban Fathers, Columban
Sisters and the Danielle House
are unprecedented. We
certainly emulate our Motto.
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Thank you sisters and keep up
the good work of our order!
Many of the divisions/counties
have sent donations in over the
last few months, so they can
get credit on their yearend
report. If your division/county
still has not contributed to the
Charities, you still have time.
Make your checks payable to
LAOH NYS. The deadline to get
your checks to me in time to be
deposited and cleared is
December 15th so please hurry
to get credit for the 2009 year.
It was brought to my attention
that I need to make clarificationto my October report
concerning the requested $2
per member. The $2 per
member is for the Missions.
Once again, all those who have
contributed thus far thank you
for your generosity.
The applications and
instructions for the 2010Charitable Projects and Appeals
for Aid are now available on the
National website at:
www.ladiesaoh.com. I
encourage you, if you have a
worth charity or appeal, go out
to the website and start your
application process. The NYS
deadline for the applications is
March 31st. You can mail your
application to me at theaddresses below.
Finally, if you have elected new
division/county Missions and
Charities Officers this term,
please send me their contact
information so I can update my
records and get them the
information they need in a
timely manner. My address is
Francine Connerton
141 Hillside Terr. Endwell NY
13760. Phone 607 621-7798
and email is
May you all have a Blessed
Christmas and a Prosperous
New Year!
Past President
Carol Ann Carley
The NYS Board meeting was
successful and informative.
President Meg Redling and the
women of Elmira did anexcellent job in conducting and
preparing for this meeting.
Thank you to the Elmira LAOH
and the AOH you made
everyone feel welcome.
Bowling was fun and I am
proud to tell you that Troys Pat
OGrady and Joan Madden
were winners. The NYS Board
officers (elected andappointed) are working very
hard to promote our noble
Order and their reports reflect
this.
I was disappointed, however,
in the general meeting
attendance. At one time, prior
to the computer, information
coming from the State Board
was sparse and limited. At the
urging of various counties/divisions and with the foresight
of the State Board President,
Dorothy Foy open general State
Board meetings were instituted
and have evolved into todays
general meetings. These open
meetings were achieved
because of the interest of the
State Presidents that followed
Dorothy and the interest of
various Counties/Divisions in
the Ladies Ancient Order of
Hibernian, Incs activity. Now,
with the use of email, National,
State, and LAOH Divisions web
pages, as well as our St. Brigids
New York Connection
newsletter the information we
need is at our fingertips.
The cost of the meetings,
printing, travel, hotels and the
costly expense of mailing
officers reports to the Counties,
unable to be represented at the
meeting has become cost
prohibitive. County/Divisions
and our New York State Boardfind it difficult to raise the
funds needed to maintain their
required charities, duties and
events. I think we should omit
the general fall State Board
meetings. The weekly events
planned by County/Divisions
limits their officers and
members ability to attend
these meetings. If informationneeds to be disseminated we
have our New York State web
page and our St. Brigids New
York Connection as well as our
phone numbers on our Annual
Reports. The May meetings
continue to be well attended
and are timely as far as our
State and National Conventions
follow.
I am not suggesting that theduties of the State Board
Officers be altered in any way;
just reduce the general
meetings from 4 to 2. Our
officers will still do their work
and reach out to the
membership. I know they will
continue to be there for us and
we will be there for them.
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I wish each of my Hibernian
Sisters and their families, a
Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year. Please continue to
pray for our troops and their
families.
NY Press and PublicityJackie Clute
Hello sisters
We have been moderately
successful at increasing the
recipients of our St Brigids
New York Connection. We
have added nearly 100 email
addresses to the database.
Please sisters, if you know of amember that is not receiving
the newsletter ask them to
email me their name and
county with a request to add
them to the database and I will
take care of it. I would also like
to request that any county that
has recently appointed or
changed PR chairs to please
send me an email with yournew chairladys name and
contact information.
I hope everyone enjoyed the
article on the Samhain- it is my
intention to include something
special in our newsletters that
tells a story or myth or gives
the members a bit of a history
or Irish lesson.
I have received many
comments from sisters across
New York that they look
forward to St. Brigids New
York Connection so please
keep up the good work and
send me your articles and
events to be included in the
newsletter.
In closing-If you need my help
just e-mail me or pick up the
phone and call
My e-mail is:
my phone # is 518-395-9964.
NY StateFreedom for All Ireland
Pat Rattigan
Dear Sisters,
Just a reminder its coming to
that time again for the
Christmas appeal. As you
know, all monies collected from
this are brought over to Irelandat the time of the Bloody
Sunday Tour. Checks should be
made payable to AOH
Christmas Appeal and sent to
Kathleen Savage, LAOH Natl
FFAI Chair, 200 Locust Street
#104, Lynn, Ma 01904. Please
make sure that you send me a
copy of your check, so that I
can keep accurate records for
New York State. Email me at
mail it to me at 59 Linden
Street, Lindenhurst 11757. If
you have already sent me the
check I will forward on to
Kathleen.
Just a brief reminder to all
County and Division Presidents,
please send FFAI contacts in
your Counties so that I canhave better communication
with them.
Wishing all of you a very
Blessed Christmas and a Happy
New Year with the best of Luck
and Health. Please continue to
pray for the peace process in
Northern Ireland that is still
fragile, because there are those
who are still trying to
undermine the good that has
been done so far.
NY State Scrapbook
Cecilia Leonard
Dear Sisters:
The National Convention is
sneaking up on us it is time to
start thinking about our NY
State Scrapbook. Many
divisions are installing officers,
having Christmas parties and
planning for their Saint Patricks
Day celebration so I would like
to remind everyone to takepictures, keep news articles,
posters, tickets and any other
memorabilia from your events
and send it to me at:
Ceil Leonard
1 Nina Drive, Albany NY 12205
Please feel free to call me with
any questions at 518-482-9309.
See you soon I hope
NY State Fund Raiser
Aggie OLeary
HELLO SISTERS!
Well everyone is back to
school, work, retirement, or all
three. Now we are bracing for
Thanksgiving and Christmas,
busy, busy, busy. The last thingyou need is to hear from me
about FUND RAISING. So lets
get it out of the way. Have you
sent your signed calendar
receipts back to John
Hennessey? Have you chosen
someone to be your fundraiser
coordinator? Have you placed
your PINK shirt order with me
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yet? Lets Rock & Roll, and
take care of that stuff. OK, done
with that. (Do not make me
come after you! Do not make
me name names!)
Thank you to those Counties
and Divisions who have sent
receipts back, and, to thosethat have sold all their
Calendars. Thank you to
Kathleen Richardson of
Onondaga County and Colette
Kavanaugh of Suffolk County,
for volunteering to be
fundraiser coordinator for their
respective counties.
My dear Sisters, have a Safe,Happy, Healthy and Merry,
Thanksgiving, Christmas and
New Year. Hug those you love,
be grateful for what you have
and do not forget to say Thank
You to those that have touched
your Life.
Web Master
Liz Colgan
Dear Sisters,
DEEP PEACE of the shining stars
to you;
DEEP PEACE of the quiet earth
to you;
DEEP PEACE of the Prince of
Peace to you.
Nollaig Shona Duit!
Happy Christmas!
Athblian Shona Duit!
Happy New Year!
Special Item
Father Michael Sinnott
There has been a great deal of
concern over the kidnapping of
Father Michael Sinnott, a
Columban missionary. The
following letter was receivedfrom:Father Timothy Hirten[mailto:airchaplaintimhirten@gma
il.com]
Dear AOH and LAOH Brothers
and Sisters,
Many thanks for thinking of me
here in Baghdad, Iraq on the
Prayers and Concerns for Fr
Michael Sinnott.I read it on the CNN and Irish
Catholic new web pages a few
days ago. So sad and what a
dedicated Priest, working as a
Missionary.
He is in my prayers and I will
include his intention at the
evening Mass tonight at the US
embassy Baghdad Mass at 8:00
PM.
Again, appreciate all yourthoughts and prayers for him, a
brother Priest.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr Tim
Our prayers have been
answered father Michael
Sinnott was released on
November 11, 2009. I am
including the press release for
you to read
A 79-year-old Irish priest
kidnapped in the Philippines
byan armed gang has been
released.
Father Michael Sinnott
abducted from his gated
compound in Pagadian City on
the island of Mindanao on
October 11.
He has now been released into
the care of the Missionaries of
St Columban and is being taken
for a medical. There had beenstrong concerns about his
health as he had undergone a
heart bypass four years ago.
Fr Michael, from Barntown,
was snatched around 7.30pm
local time as he was walking in
his private garden. An armed
gang grabbed him, bundled him
into the back of a pick-up truck
and fled to a nearby beachwhere they escaped by
speedboat. Authorities initially
identified the al Qaeda-linked
Abu Sayyaf and the separatist
Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) as suspects in the
kidnapping. Foreign affairs
minister Michael Martin said he
was delighted and relieved at
the news. Fr Michael, who
turns 80 in December, is from
County Wexford but has been
based in the Philippines since
1976. He has been running a
school for children with hearing
difficulties for the last four
years.
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Albany County
At our November meeting, the
JFK Ladies Division 1 elected
their slate of officers for 2010.
Congratulations to Cecilia
Leonard, President, Pat
McSweeney, Vice President,Ginny Daley, Secretary, Kay
Mahoney, Treasurer; Kim
Clancy, Financial Secretary;
Rosemary OBrian, Irish
Historian, Catholic Action Chair,
Barbara Dolan; Missions and
Charities, Judy Dean; Sentinel,
Billie Connery and Mistress-at-
Arms Joan Muir.
Members will be installed at
the Installation Dinner on
Saturday, December 5th . We
will be joined in the installation
with our brother Hibernians.
Tickets are $25.00
The Childrens Christmas party
will be held at the CDIAA hall
on Sunday, December 6th at
1:00. There is no charge but
please bring a wrapped gift for
your child. Also, please bringcanned goods which will be
donated to charity.
The Ladies Annual Christmas
Party will be held December
9th. A brief meeting will be held
at 6:30 followed by a pot luck
celebration.
On Sunday, December 13th
the
Annual Devin Nolan and
Elizabeth Harkes Memorial GiftExchange will be held at the
CDIAA Hall to benefit Ronald
McDonald House.
The CDIAA Hall will be open on
New Years Eve. Entertainment
will be provided.
The Trinity Degree Team will
present degrees in Albany on
April 17th. More information
will follow. If anyone has not
made their degrees, it will be a
great opportunity to do so.
On behalf of all our sisters, we
wish you and your family a
blessed Christmas and joyous
New Year.
Broome County
The Ladies of Divisions 1 and 2
had a wonderful fall season and
look forward to the beautiful
Christmas season. We started
with the Halfway to St.
Patricks Day Hooley on
September 18th. Thanks to all
who volunteered, in addition to
proceeds going to D.A.R.E,
additional money received by
the divisions will be donated to
charities at the end of the year.
October2nd & 3rdwe had our
annual Fall Rummage Sale
sponsored by Divisions 1 and 2.
Along with the treasures our
members purchased, the
community came and
supported us as well. On
October 24th
the day started
with our participation at the
Broome County Ethnic Festival
at the Veterans Memorial
Arena. Each year area ethnic
groups come together and
display their heritage in song,
dance and history. The night
ended with the Celtic New
Year/Halloween Party
sponsored by Division 1.
Everyone had fun dancing and
trying to guess who was that
masked man??
November 8th
an Irish Breakfast
was held, thanks to all who
helped including those who
served, bussed tables, worked
the admission table, sold
County Board Christmas
ornaments and Christmas
concert tickets; and to the men
of the AOH who did the
cooking. It was nice to see
members and their families
along with the community stop
in for breakfast. November
21st
was our Sock Hop for
C.H.O.W. DJ Bill Grace (an AOH
member) entertained the
crowd while spinning the oldiesand had the crowd dancing the
night away. Admission and
food were donated to C.H.O.W.
We close the year with our
annual Christmas activities.
Roberson Museums Home for
the Holidays featuring the
International Forest and Display
will be held November 27
th
through January 3rd.
Decorating for Division 1 is
Bernadette and AmyBurke,
Mary Wade, Roberta Telfer and
Pauline DiNoto. The
AOH/LAOH Christmas Party on
Saturday, December 5th
from 6
to 10pm with entertainment at
6:30 by TheBallyclare Irish
Dancers including Division 2
members Susan Connors andNancy Hyatt. On Monday,
December 7th
Division 2
welcomes Andy Cooneys
Classic Irish Christmas concert
to Binghamton. Tickets are
$25.00 reserved and can be
obtained by calling Susan at
607-238-1222. Meet the
entertainers at the hall after
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the concert before they head to
Carnegie Hall to perform the
next night.
Upcoming events will be
Installation of Officers on
January 16th
at 1pm,St. Brigids
Mass in February and as we
kick off the St. Patricks Day
Season with Boscovs Irish Days
on Saturday, February 20th
, the
Hibernian Parade Committee
Dinner Dance on Saturday,
February 27th
, andthe
Binghamton St. Patricks Day
Parade on Saturday, March 6th.
We wish all of our Sister
Hibernians a Merry Christmasand a Happy New Year
Greene County
Merry Christmas and Happy
New Year
As the holidays approach and
we are filled with joy and
laughter. We want to wish
everyone a happy holiday
season. Many of our members
have gone to warmer climates
for the winter.
We are getting ready to put our
Christmas Memorial Tree up at
Our Lady of Knock Shrine in
East Durham This tree
represents our intentions (for
whatever we want) it cost adollar for each intention.
The money this year will be to
clear the way for the Mass
Rock at the Michael J. Quill
Irish Cultural & Sports Centre
so that Fr. Jeremiah Nunan can
celebrate Mass and all can have
access to it including the
handicap.
We are also getting ready to
have our Installation of Officers
on December 6th
at
Sacred Heart Hall and our
Christmas Party at Bernie Os
Restaurant.
On the agenda is the
celebration of the Feast Day of
St. Brigid at the 10:30 Mass at
Sacred Heart Church in Cairo on
January 31st
Following will be a brunch at
BernieOs Restaurant
Have a safe and Happy Holiday
season from all you sisters and
brothers from Greene County,New York
Kings County
From your sisters in Brooklyn:
May all our sister Hibernians
and their Families have a Happy
and Blessed Christmas and a
healthy and prosperous NewYear.
This year has been both happy
and sorrowful for us. We have
seen several of our sisters go
on to their heavenly rewards,
most recently Mary Smith from
Division 19, Gerretsen Beach.
Mary was both a Charter &
honorary member her division,
she was well liked andrespected, a classy lady who
loved being Irish. Our deepest
sympathies go out to her
family, she will be missed. We
also lost one of our Brother
Hibernians Al Donohue from
AOH Div 35; Al was a true
Catholic Gentleman and will be
missed.
This year has also been difficult
for several of our members
who lost their mothers. Our
sympathies and prayers go to
the families ofRita Scott,
Roseann Eckelman, and Mary
Cunningham may the rest in
peace. Holidays are difficult
after a recent loss of a loved
one but we may take comfort
in the fact that our loved ones
are with our Savior, Jesus this
year at his birthday party. Until
we meet again may God hold
them in the palm of His hand.
A dozen of our Ladies took their
Degree in November. Oursisters from Richmond County
hosted the Degree. Thank you
Ladies! A job well done; you
were most gracious hosts. The
Suffolk County Celtic Degree
Team did a great job as usual-
Thank You. Afterwards sister
Hibernians from Connecticut,
Brooklyn and Staten Island
enjoyed lunch together at Mt.Manresa Retreat House on
Staten Island.
Division 22, Bayridge hosted a
shower for two of their
members that had a fire in their
house. Gifts and funds were
raised so the Ladies (mother &
daughter) would have some of
lifes little comforts again. A
good time was had by all andtwo grateful sisters were most
thankful.
Several of our Ladies will be
honored in the upcoming St.
Patrick season. Bridie Mitchell
from Division 6, Greenpoint will
represent the LAOH/AOH Kings
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County as the Aide-To-The-
Grand Marshal of the NYC St.
Patricks Day Parade on March
17, 2010. Mary Hogan from
Div 6, Greenpoint (Natl
Treasurer) will represent LAOH
Kings County as the Aide-To-
The-Grand Marshal of the
Brooklyn Irish American Parade
on Sunday, March 21, 2010 in
Park Slope Brooklyn. Joan
Xuereb from Div 22, Bayridge
will represent the LAOH Kings
County as a Deputy for the
Bayridge St. Patricks Parade on
Sunday March 28, 2010.
Congratulations to all...
Sisters from Div 9, Park Slopeattended the annual Brooklyn
Irish American Parade
Memorial Mass in November.
Afterwards refreshments and a
little live Irish music were
provided for all at Holy Name
Parish Hall.
Our County held their first
Celtic New Year celebration inOctober. Members from all our
divisions were present;
refreshments, raffles, and
music provided a good time for
all. Plans are underway for our
Annual St. Brigid Celebration in
2010, details will follow.
Again may we wish everyone a
Happy and Blessed Christmas.
Remember to Keep Christ inChristmas!!!
Nassau County
AMERICAN CITIZENS FOR SOLDIERS IN
SERVICE
Once again we will be taking
part in a wonderful endeavor
that involves sending Christmastrees, lights, Menorahs,
ornaments and greeting cards
to our troops in Iraq,
Afghanistan and Kuwait. This
year is our sixth year of sending
a bit of home to our troops,
along with DHL, Dees Nursery
in Oceanside, and a host of
local organizations police and
fire departments, schools,veterans organizations,
together with individuals and
families. By participating, we
are making sure that our troops
in harms way experience a
little bit of home so far away.
ST.BRIGIDS DAY CELEBRATION
Division 8 in Glen Cove, will be
hosting our 2010 Feast of St.Brigid Celebration on Saturday,
January 30th, beginning with
Mass at 4:30 p.m, at St.
Patricks Church, with dinner to
follow in the Parish Halls
Cafeteria. More details to
follow.
AROUND THE COUNTY
On November 7th, the LovelyLadies of Nassau County held a
celebration honoring our 2009
Woman of the Year ReginaBegley our County VicePresident, atLambrousRestaurant in Island Park.
Regina Begley-
2009 Woman of the Year
County & Division Presidents:
Seated (l-r) County President,
Mary Jo Walsh, Regina Begley,
Sr. Jean Gregor, Chaplin.
Back row (l-r) Anna Intermesoli
(Division 2), Sioban Rack
(Division 8), Kathy Hayes
(Division 14), Maureen Murphy
Ade (Division 8) and Mary
Raftery (Division 3).
All of our Divisions are in the
process of electing and
installing their new officers,
planning for the collection ofand distribution of food to our
local food pantries, as well as
collecting donations for our
Parish outreach programs.
We are participating in the
American Citizens for Soldiers
in Service, for our troops
overseas. We are all working
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towards celebrating the
wonderful Christmas season by
seeking out ways to help those
in our areas, who are less
fortunate than ourselves
remembering always the true
meaning of Christmas.
Nollaig Shona dhbh!
Niagara County
The Summit Life Outreach
Center is the proud recipient of
$500 donation from the Ladies
Ancient Order of Hibernians of
Niagara County. President,
Paulette Glasgow is seen here
giving the check to Corinne
Cich, Center Director and Liz
Bignell, President of the Center.
Summit Life Outreach Center is
a group of individuals who seek
to support women in our
community facing unplanned
pregnancies.
Orange County
LAOH of Orange County had
their first newsletter in many
years go to press in October. It
was a great piece of
communicationfor all the members of Orange
County and it really tied us
together as Hibernians.
December 3 at 7:30 will be our
Christmas Dinner for the
county with our charity for the
night being Hudson Valley Food
Pantry.
The dinner will be held atLemoncello's on the Main
Street in Goshen, NY.
Our divisions in the county are
continually growing, and we are
kept busy with our charities,
religious activities and social
events.
Division 2, Our Lady of Knock,
was busy in November with
focusing on pantry donations
for St. Thomas of Canterbuy in
Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY they
also gave their 50/50 from their
October meeting to St Thomas'
pantry. Good job! As
Christmas is approaching, they
will work through Catholic
Charities to adopt a family in
need for the holiday.
FROM ALL OF US IN ORANGE
COUNTY,
WE WISH YOU
ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS
Schenectady County
On Veterans Day, The
Schenectady AOH and LAOH
held their annual Veterans Day
Dinner. This is the sixth year we
have offered free meals to allVeterans in the area. We do
this as a way of honoring those
that have served their country
and as a way to reach out to
our community. Local radio
personalities, neighborhood
association and St. Pauls Parish
Council made sure the
community was aware of the
dinner. The local girl scouts did
a flag raising ceremony at the
start of the event and then
helped us serve over 150
dinners to the Vets and
community members. A local
businessperson set up a toys
for tots station that
overflowed by the end of the
event. A wonderful time was
had by all.
Girl Scouts flag raising
ceremony
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Member Mary Sieder and girl
scouts getting ready to serve
dinners
Our next event is Breakfast
with Santa in December. The
LAOH along with member Joe
Restifo will be cooking a
scrumptious breakfast for
everyone to share. A local
association will be bringingdisadvantaged inner city
children to our hall for
breakfast and some Santa
time.
We will be taking pictures of
the children with Mr. Claus to
give to the families. We are all
looking forward to this event
and the opportunity to interact
with our community and make
a Merry Christmas for the
children
In closing the Schenectady
ladies would like to leave you
with this blessing
An Irish Christmas Blessing
The light of the Christmas star
to you
The warmth of home and
hearth to youThe cheer and good will of
friends to you
The hope of a childlike heart to
you
The joy of a thousand angels to
you
The love of the Son and God's
peace to you.
Suffolk County
From Staten Island, Nassau
County, to Suffolk County,
members of the AOH and LAOH
met together on a cruise ship
out of New York, with the
featured entertainer being
Andy Cooney from Div 15 in
Massapequa Park. It was a
great cruise; the weather was
warm and sunny, as was the
entertainment and friendships
that were made. Andy Cooney
will be performing at Carnegie
Hall for the 2nd year this
Christmas. We are sure it will
be another great success for
Andy.
Pictured below: L/ R --Marge
Byrnes, Andy Cooney, Bob & Pat
Brennan, Eileen & Brendan
Moore, Maureen & Ed McCloskey,
Noreen & Jack Ryan.
Our Lady of the Island Mass
was celebrated On Sun.
Oct.11th . The Mass was
attended by The Suffolk County
LAOH Board Officers, as well as
many Division members. The
Mass was offered by Rev. RoyTvrdik ,SMM. The Hibernian
Singers Choir warmed the
hearts of the parishioners as
did the warm sun provided by
the Lord warmed their bodies.
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Our Lady of the Island Mass
Suffolk County LAOH
Officers and members
Div # 3 Kings Park
Sr. Phyliss ODowd celebrated
Fifty Golden Years of service to
God and the Church. A Mass
was celebrated in her Parish of
St. Joseph, in Kings Park where
Sr. Phyliss grew up and worked
for many years. She has been a
member of the Hibernians for
many years and Served as a
spiritual Advisor for the Suffolk
County LAOH Board. A
luncheon was served at Travis
Hall by Div #3 members as well
as the members of the Parish.
Sr. Phyliss glowed all afternoon.
I am sure the Lord was saying
Job well done Sister, job well
done. Pictured are Sr. Phyliss
and Div 3 Junior girls.
Div.# 8 Selden
The Siol na hEireann Pipe band
celebrated their 20th Anniv., at
the Island Hills Country Club in
Sayville. The band has grown in
numbers over the years. And
the guests were treated to aperformance by their
competition band. You know
that a lot of time has been
given to their practice sessions.
They are great. The division is
proud of the group.
A dance was held at Div. 8 Hall
to honor their Hibernians of the
Year. Honored was Edward
Donnellan, Past Pres. of themens Div., and Bea Mitchell,
Mary Hulsenberg were honored
by the Ladies Division. This was
a special group of honorees as
was told by the fine showing of
members, family and friends
who came to show their
support.
Pictured: Bea Mitchell,
Ed Donellen and
Mary Hulsenberg
Div. # 9
Once again, the division had
their yearly silent Christmas
Auction. The ladies work very
hard on this auction. There was
so many prizes, it was likeSanta had a hole in his sack and
it all landed at the Auction.
Due to the small amount of
members, this division will be
joining Division 8 as of the New
Year. Division 9 members have
worked very hard over the
years to try to keep it going and
should be congratulated for
doing the job they have done.
Division 8 welcomes our
Division 9 members to our
ranks. We know we will work
well together as we have done
in the past on the Long Island
Feis.
Pictured: Mike McCormack and
Peggy Schermer
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IRISH CHRISTMAS
TRADITIONSIreland, like most countries, has
a number of Christmas
traditions that are all of its
own. Many of these customs
have their root in the timewhen the Gaelic culture and
religion of the country were
being supressed and it is
perhaps because of that they
have survived into modern
times.
THE CANDLE IN THE WINDOW
The placing of a lighted candle
in the window of a house on
Christmas eve is still practised
today. It has a number of
purposes but primarily it was
an symbol of welcome to Mary
and Joseph as they travelled
looking for shelter.
The candle also indicated a safe
place for priests to perform
mass as, during Penal Timesthis was not allowed.
A further element of the
tradition is that the candle
should be lit by the youngest
member of the household and
only be extinguished by a girl
bearing the name 'Mary'.
THE LADEN TABLE
After evening meal on
Christmas eve the kitchen table
was again set and on it were
placed a loaf of bread filled
with caraway seeds and raisins,
a pitcher of milk and a large lit
candle. The door to the house
was left unlatched so that Mary
and Joseph, or any wandering
traveller, could avail of the
welcome.
THE WREN BOY PROCESSION
During Penal Times there was
once a plot in a vilage against
the local soldiers. They were
surrounded and were about to
be ambushed when a group of
wrens pecked on their drums
and awakened the soldiers. The
plot failed and the wren
became known as 'The Devil's
bird'.
On St. Stephens day a
procession takes place where apole with a holly bush is carried
from house to house and
families dress up in old clothes
and with blackened faces. In
olden times an actual wren
would be killed and placed on
top of the pole.
This custom has to a large
degree disappeared but thetradition of visiting from house
to house on St. Stephens Day
has survived and is very much
part of Christmas.
DECORATIONS:
The placing of a ring of Holly on
doors originated in Ireland as
Holly was one of the main
plants that flourished atChristmas time and which gave
the poor ample means with
which to decorate their
dwellings.
All decorations are traditionally
taken down on Little Christmas
(January 6th.) and it is
considered to be bad luck to
take them down beforehand.
TRADITIONAL GAELIC
SALUTATION
The Gaelic greeting for 'Merry
Christmas' is:
'Nollaig Shona Duit'
......which is pronounced as
'null-ig hun-a dit'.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
(C) Copyright
http://www.ireland-
information.com
On this first Sunday of adventMay the coming light that is our
Lord
fill you and yours with joy and
peace.
During the coming
Christmas season
May you be blessed
With the spirit of the season,
which is peace,
The gladness of the season,
which is hope,
And the heart of the season,
which is love.
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An Ciarr Carl Nollag - The Kerry Christmas Carol
'Oiche Nollag in Eireann'
The poem is an evocation of an old Irish custom in which each household would leave a lighted candle intheir window on Christmas night. There was a pious belief that Joseph and Mary and the Child stillwandered the roads of the world, looking for a place to rest from the persecution of Herod. That theyshould show a preference for the roads of rural Ireland was accepted as a given.
le Caoimhghn Brolchin
1. Scuab an t-urlr agus glan an teallach,'s coimead na grsaigh beo,Ar eagla go dtiocfhaidh siad anocht,Agus an domhan 'na chodladh go suan!
Traditional
Brush the floor and clean the hearth,And set the fire to keep,For they might visit us tonightWhen all the world's asleep!
2. N mch an coinneal ard bn,Ach fg lsta go geal .Go mbeidh siad cinnte ar aongo bhfuil filte is fiche roimh cchSa teach ar an Oiche Nollag naofa seo!
Don't blow the tall white candle outBut leave it burning bright,So that they'll know they're welcome hereThis holy Christmas night!
3. Lig amach ar an mbord, arn is feoil,Agus braonn bainne don leanbh.Agus beidh beannacht ar an dtine
Agus ar an t a bhruith an t-arnAgus ar an lamh a dhin an t-obair dian.
Leave out the bread and meat for them,And sweet milk for the Child,And they will bless the fire, that baked
And, too, the hands that toiled.
4. Beidh Naomh Isaef tirseach,Tar is an turas fada.Agus aghaidh Mhuire fann, bnghnitheachAgus beidh nal codlata aca.Sar a n-imthgheann siad ars.
For Joseph will be travel-tired,And Mary pale and wan,And they can sleep a little whileBefore they journey on.
5. Beidh tirse na mbthar fada orthaAgus seans aca a scth a ligint,'s iomai an mle fada uaigneach
At roimh an dtriur acaUaidh seo go dt Beithil.
They will be weary of the roads,And rest will comfort them,For it must be many a lonely mile
From here to Bethlehem.
6. is fada an bthar 't le taisteal aca,Agus idir garbh is mnAgus Cnoch Chalvaire mar ceann scrbe aca,Agus chroise adhmad indan.
O long the road they have to go,The bad mile with the good,Till the journey ends on CalvaryBeneath a cross of wood.
7. N cur ar an ndoras ach an laiste anocht!Agus coimead na grosaigh be -Agus gu go mbeidh siad fn ar ndon anochtAgus an domhan 'na chodladh go suan.
Leave the door upon the latch,And set the fire to keep,And pray they'll rest with us tonightWhen all the world's asleep.
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Yuletide
Christmas
"Solstice" is derived from two
Latin words: "sol" meaning sun,
and "sistere," to cause to stand
still. The lowest elevationoccurs on or about December
21st and is the winter solstice --
the first day of winter, when
the night time hours are
maximum. The winter solstice
is often called Yule. It is a time
for introspection, and planning
for the future. Yule may mean
'Yoke of the Year', derived from
the Anglo-Saxon Geola, thoughsome suggest a derivation from
the NorseJul, meaning 'wheel'.
Mid December was also Dies
Juvenalis, Coming of Age for
Young Men.
The winter solstice has long
been celebrated as the birth of
the sun, of light, of life itself. In
Maeshowe, (Orkneys, Scotland)
there is a chambered cairn built
on a leveled area with a
surrounding bank and ditch. It
has been carbon dated at
2750BC. Inside the cairn is a
stone structure with a long
entry tunnel. The structure is
aligned so that sunlight can
shine along the entry passage
into the interior of the
megalith, and illuminate the
back of the structure. Thishappens at sunrise at the
winter solstice. One of the most
impressive prehistoric
monuments in Europe is at
Newgrange, in Brugh-na-Boyne,
County Meath, in eastern
Ireland. It covers an area of one
acre, and has an entrance
passage that is almost 60 feet
(18 m) long. Above the
entrance way is a stone box
that allows the light from the
sun to penetrate to the back of
the cairn at sunrise on the
winter solstice. It has been
dated at about 3,300 BCE and is
one of the oldest structures in
the world.
Ultimately, of course, the
holiday is rooted deeply in the
cycle of the year. It is the
Winter Solstice that is being
celebrated, seed-time of the
year, the longest night andshortest day. It is the birth time
of the new Sun King, the Son of
God -- by whatever name you
choose to call him. On this
darkest of nights, the Goddess
becomes the Great Mother and
once again gives birth. And it
makes perfect poetic sense that
on the longest night of the
winter, 'the dark night of oursouls', there springs the new
spark of hope, the Sacred Fire,
the Light of the World, the Coel
Coeth.
Druids formed the
professional class in ancient
Celtic society. They performed
the functions of modern day
priests, teachers, poets and
judges. Druids led all public
rituals, which were normallyheld within fenced groves of
sacred trees. The winter
solstice was the time of the
death of the old sun and the
birth of the dark-half of the
year. It was called "Alban
Arthuan".
Christmas
Emperor Aurelian (270-
275CE) blended a number of
Pagan solstice celebrations of
the nativity of such gods as
Apollo, Attis, Baal, Dionysus,
Helios, Hercules, Horus, Mithra,Osiris, Perseus, and Theseus
into a single festival called Sol
Invictus, the "Birthday of the
Unconquered Sun" on
December 25th. At the time,
Mithraism and Christianity
were fierce competitors.
Aurelian even declared
Mithraism the official religion
of the Roman Empire in 274
CE. Christianity won out bybecoming the new official
religion in the 4th century CE.
The metaphor of the birth of
the sun worked well for
Christians celebrating the birth
of the Son of God, who brings
light to the world. Christ's birth
was first celebrated on January
6th, and then moved in 336CE
to December 25th. This changewas not popular with everyone.
The Christians of Edessa
accused the church in Rome of
idolatry and "sun worship."
Some Biblical scholars believe
that Christ was actually born in
the fall after the harvest or in
spring after the birth of the
new animals, both the most
likely times for taxation.
Shepherds don't 'tend their
flocks by night' in the high
pastures in the dead of winter.
If one wishes to use the New
Testament as historical
evidence, this reference may
point to sometime in the spring
as the time of Jesus' birth. This
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is because the lambing season
occurs in the spring and that is
the most likely time when
shepherds 'watched their flocks
by night' -- to make sure the
lambing went well. Knowing
this, the Eastern half of the
Church continued to reject
December 25, preferring a
'movable date' fixed by their
astrologers according to the
moon.
In 563CE, the Council of Braga
forbade fasting on Christmas
Day, and four years later the
Council of Tours proclaimed the
twelve days from December 25
to Epiphany as a sacred, festive
season. This last point isperhaps the hardest to impress
upon the modern reader, who
is lucky to get a single day off
work. Christmas, in the Middle
Ages, was not a single day, but
rather a period oftwelve days,
from December 25 to January
6. The Twelve Days of
Christmas, in fact.
Polydor Virgil, an early BritishChristian, said "Dancing,
masques, mummeries,
stageplays, and other such
Christmas disorders now in use
with Christians, were derived
from these Roman Saturnalian
and Bacchanalian festivals;
which should cause all pious
Christians eternally to
abominate them." In
Massachusetts, Puritansunsuccessfully tried to ban
Christmas entirely during the
17th century, because of its
heathenism. The English
Parliament abolished Christmas
in 1647 for a time. Some
contemporary Christian faith
groups still do not celebrate
Christmas.
Although Christmas Dec 25th
is a major holiday in Ireland, it
is not widely celebrated in
Scotland. Some historians have
suggested that the reason
Christmas is downplayed in
Scotland is because of the
influence of the Presbyterian
Church or Kirk, which viewed
Christmas as a "Papist", or
Catholic event. As a result,
Christmas in Scotland tends to
be a somber event, in direct
contrast to the next Celtic
festival, Hogmany, held on
January 1. January 6 is the day
of the feast of the Epiphany. It
is called "Little Christmas" in
Ireland, Nollaig Bheag in Gaelic.Little Christmas, the Day of the
Epiphany, is sacred as a
celebration of God's
manifestation to us in human
form.
Symbolism
Many symbols and practices
associated with Christmas areof Pagan origin: holly, ivy,
mistletoe, yule log, the giving of
gifts, decorated evergreen tree,
magical reindeer, and others.
In the Celtic language,
Mistletoe means "All Heal". The
ancient Celts believed
Mistletoe possessed miraculous
healing powers and held the
soul of the host tree during the
winter months. It was believedto have miraculous power of
healing diseases, making
poisons harmless, giving
fertility to humans and animals,
and as protection against evil
spirits.
Mistletoe was collected by the
Druid in a very special
ceremony held five days after
the New Moon following winter
solstice. The Druid priests
would cut mistletoe from a holy
oak tree with a golden sickle.
The branches had to be caught
before they touched the
ground. The priest then divided
the branches into many sprigs
and distributed them to the
people, who hung them over
doorways as protection against
thunder, lightning and other
evils. In fact, it was considered
so sacred that even enemies
who happened to meet
beneath a Mistletoe in theforest would lay down their
arms, exchange a friendly
greeting, and keep truce until
the following day. From this old
custom grew the practice of
suspending Mistletoe over a
doorway or in a room as a
token of good will and peace.
Mistletoe was one of the
casualties of early Christiancelebrations, and for centuries
it was forbidden to display the
plant on Christian altars.
Mistletoe found its way back
into acceptance as the
Victorians revived the ancient
ritual of kissing under the
Mistletoe as a sign of love,
romance and good luck.
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The folklore, and the magical
powers of this plant, has
blossomed over the centuries.
A sprig placed in a baby's cradle
would protect the child from
faeries, as an example.
Holly
Today, Holly conjures up
images of Christmas wreaths,
but actually had religious
significance long before its
adoption by Christianity. There
are around 400 natural types of
holly in the world, but the one
people are most familiar with is
Ilex aquifolium, or"English/Christmas Holly".It is aconiferous evergreen plant that
can be found in many parts of
the world. English holly grows
best in moist soil in direct
sunlight, but it can tolerate
partial shade as well. Holly was
important in Pagan/Druidic
religion and customs. It was
placed around dwellings during
winter, intended as a kindly andhospitable gesture so that the
fairies could come into their
homes and use the holly as
shelter against the cold. This
may actually have had some
basis in fact, as holly growing in
the wild is often used as shelter
by small animals, primarily
insects. Hollys evergreen
nature made it special. The
Druids believed that it
remained green to help keep
the earth beautiful when the
deciduous trees such as the
sacred oak shed their leaves.
In some rights, holly was used
for protection, decorating
doors and windows to ward off
evil spirits before they could
enter the house.
As the British Isles began to
convert to Christianity, the
early Christians continued the
tradition of decorating their
home with holly. The
significance of the berries
changed so that they now
symbolized the blood of Christ
and holly gradually solidified its
position as a Christmas
tradition.
The ceremonial Yule log was
the highlight of the early winterfestival. In accordance to
tradition, the log must either
have been harvested from the
householder's land, or given as
a gift. It must never have been
bought. Once dragged into the
house and placed in the
fireplace, it was decorated in
seasonal greenery, doused with
cider or ale, and dusted with
flour, perhaps even with a smalloutlined human figure before
set ablaze by a piece of last
year's log.
The log would burn throughout
the night, then smolder for 12
days before being ceremonially
put out. Ash is the traditional
wood of the Yule log. It is the
sacred world tree of the
Teutons, known asYggdrasil. An herb of the Sun,
Ash brings light into the hearth
at the Solstice.
For most of the modern
Christian world, the Christmas
season is a time of joy, of
family, of giving, of love, of
peace. A time to celebrate the
birth of love and forgiveness. Atime to celebrate the birth of
their Lord.
http://celticatlanta.com/holida
ys/yule/index.htm