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Blessing and
Inauguration of Mental Health Centre |
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| Wednesday, January 30, 2008 was a very significant and joyful day for the Mental Health apostolate of the Columban Sisters in Ayacucho. On that day we had the blessing and the inauguration of the new Mental Health Centre. |
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There was a great buzz of excitement and joy as the people came for the celebration. The Archdiocesan Health Commission were there in full (Anne is part of this group); all the staff and volunteers, parents of some of the children and others who are receiving treatment in the Centre, as well as friends of the Sisters and of Angela. Sisters Eufrasia, Mary Neylon and I came up from Lima. The new Centre looked its best adorned with flowers and coloured ribbons. I can only imagine the amount of work that had gone into moving all the furniture and equipment from the rented accommodation and getting it all in place for the blessing. Actually the new Centre is smaller than the old, but is still very suitable. At the moment there is a third floor room under construction where recovering patients will be able to do weaving and other handicrafts. Anne hopes this will be finished and occupied by the end of February. The Celebrant on Wednesday was Columban Father, Mossie Foley, who has been very supportive of the work in a variety of ways. He spoke very nicely seeing the work of the Centre as exemplifying the Beatitude: Blessed are the merciful for they shall have mercy shown them. Father Mossie invited Jesuit Father Francis Chamberlain (a member of the Archdiocesan Health Commission) to join him in the blessing, and so they went from room to room with Anne and the nurses or psychologists, or pharmacists who will occupy the different rooms cutting the ribbon before the priests entered to do the blessing. When all was blessed and open the Madrinas: (Sponsors/Godmothers!!): Sisters Sophia Kim , Mary Neylon, Eufrasia Garcia and Maura Gallahue with hammer in hand broke the small ceramic containers and out flew a shower of coloured confetti, and then the big moment where the madrinas threw sweets in all directions and everyone scurried to retrieve what they could. It was all great fun. This was followed by some speeches by people representing different groups; hot chocolate and ‘panetón’ was served and finally a dance for all brought the official ceremony to a close. Later a simple but delicious lunch was served to the staff, some visitors and Sisters.
To contact the
Mental Health Centre
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