I wish to thanks all the people of St. Clare’s parish for their time and generosity in making it possible for this youth exchange to take place.
Special thanks go to those families who hosted our visitors while they were with us. May thanks also goes to all those who have made the exchange possible through the generosity of their time. I know that this experience has been of great benefit to all those who have been involved. The next stage of the youth exchange in to take place in a matter of days please keep our young people in your prayers and they make this journey of friendship in the name of the Gospel.
Fr. Darren
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As you all are aware our parish hosted ten young people from Hodovo in Bosnia Herzegovina, they were welcomed into the homes of some of our parishioners. We were lucky to be host to Emanuel, I think Emanuel took a particular shine to our dog Barley! ! Both Steve and I were lucky enough to take some leave from work and spend some days and evenings with the group as were other members of the parish. Even our Son James managed to be excused from school for some of the days.
The week that they were here was packed with many things to do, including a visit to both Liverpool Cathedrals. A tour around Lancaster Castle with a visit to the dungeons which was particularly interesting for the young people but there were a few worried faces when the tour guide suggested locking them in the dungeon! There was then a tour of Lancaster Cathedral and a visit to the site where Catholic’s were martyred. One evening we went bowling in Morecambe and a walk on the front enjoying typical English weather.
The was many games of rounder’s and St. Clare’s field, my rounder’s skills were certainly put to the test as the children and our own young people participated in a few games, thanks to Lucy Slater who reminded us of the rules and provided a much needed rounder’s bat. The boys were also extremely keen to play football and I think I can safely say the Croatian team won not one match but all three thanks to Steve being on their side. Hide and seek was another game the young people thoroughly enjoyed using their imagination to find hiding places around St Clare’s church even some of our older young people were keen to get involved.
We can absolutely say we have thoroughly enjoyed being involved with this visit and interacting with the young people from Hodovo. Seeing them develop friendships with of our young people was truly wonderful even though communication was a challenge but one which was easily overcome. I can now say my Croatian is still very limited but my sign language is improving, not forgetting the use of Google Translate ( other Translate Apps are available) plus one of the St. Clare’s mum’s provided us all with a “key phrase” sheet.
The week was exhausting but in a rewarding way. The fund raising over the past months was truly worth it to allow these young people to interact with some of own wonderful young people and get a taste of life in this country and the friendship that everyone extended to each other.
Cathy, Steve and James Greenwood
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We would like to thank all the parishioners, parents and friends of St Clare's Church and School for their enormous generosity and support during these last few months in raising much needed funds for The Youth Pilgrimage Fund.
Without your prayers and generosity, the young people from Hodovo would not have been able to visit us. It was an absolute privilege to be one of the host families and an honour to take care of Renata and Damjan who were a credit to their families back in Hodovo. The week was busy but of real benefit for those involved. We would urge anyone to help out wherever possible in the future with The Pilgrimage Fund. Our young boys and girls have benefited beyond measure thanks to you all and are doing the Parish of St Clare's a real service by being witnesses to their growing faith. We are all looking forward very much to our visit to Hodovo at the end of July.
Thank you again for being so kind and remembering us in your prayers. Lucy and John Slater
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Most of us have been privileged in one way or another to be involved with the group of children who recently visited our parish for a week from Hodovo. This would not have been possible without the generosity of both people’s donations and valuable time. The support that parishioners have shown towards the many fund-raising activities during the past few months has been phenomenal. The car wash was a positive example of a great team effort from everybody. Some of the parents have been a true inspiration to us all, they have dedicated numerous hours of their own personal time towards this amazing project. We were fortunate enough to have one of the visitors to stay with our family for a week which was a great experience for us all. Due to the language barrier, it makes you more attentive to listen more carefully to each other’s verbal communication but equally to observe each other’s body language to ensure we were communicating the right message. We were all trying to ensure we understood each other’s needs, thoughts and feelings. Our visitor entertained us, trying to teach us a few words of her home language including one to ten, which involved lots of laughter. As a result of the visit, many genuine new friendships have been formed and existing friendships have developed amongst us which has strengthened our community.
Their visit has touched the lives of many and reaffirmed some of our existing values and beliefs. We should never take things for granted and should thank God daily for our health and happiness. Perhaps stepping out of our comfort zone now and again is good for the soul. Putting in a little extra effort and going the extra mile really can be rewarding. It can make us feel more valued as human beings and give us a sense of achievement and belonging. Perhaps some of us are a bit guilty of occasionally not getting involved in things enough, leaving things to others and not contributing more. Our busy lives prevent us from doing so at times. However, this visit has left behind a shadow, made a lasting impression, changed some of us and made us realise what is actually important in our lives!
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