Left to Right:Dinny O’Dwyer, Eamon Cornally, Jack Doyle, Kieran Byrne, Stephen Dwan, Ned Bourke, Siobhán Ryan, Eamon Ryan and Pat Whelan.
On Friday night last November 25th a group of volunteers and famiy members from Holycross Ballycahill parish along with other area’s gathered in Kevin Ryan’s in Holycross to celebrate another successful list of projects completed in Albania this year. Over the past number of years volunteers from the parish have been working with the Charity HEART TO HAND, an Irish based charity that has been working in eastern Europe where they have been building churches, repairing, decorating and painting orphanages, installing water pumps, roofing domestic homes, installing generators and other works. Since 2005 men and women from the parish have been involved in these projects, travelling at their own expense and also they help to raise funds for materials to be used on each occasion. Working mainly with the Sisters of Charity, (Mother Theresa Order) who give direction on the projects to be undertaken these trips are completed within six or seven days working from dawn to dusk (or beyond). The group wish to express their gratitude to many from the parish and beyond who have supported, financially and in other practical ways their work, and they say that what is achieved each year would not have been possible without the help of so many. They also want to remind parishoners that Albanian Building Fund Gift Cards are availabe in the Abbey gift shop and either Sacristy for anyone who wishes to be part of this work. Well done to all concerned.