|
PLEASE NOTE!
No letters will be published unless full contact details (Phone Number / Address), have been submitted with same, not necessarily for publication.
NAGARMAIL SEPTEMBER 2026
Greetings one and all. Just this morning at the UN General Assembly in New York, Nepal's 36 year old Prime Minister Balendra Shah addressed a hall full of world leaders.
His message was that after the devastating floods in Bhotekoshi / Trisuli rivers in Nepal on August 26th, that now more than ever, a cross country alliance including China and India focusing on the Himalayan - Kush mountainous area be formed - a body that will monitor the areas for danger and have a system in place where an early warning system is triggered that allows people to get out of harm's way, and to higher ground to prevent a repeat of this tragedy that has claimed 7000 lives (either accounted for or still missing).
His speech also included a section stating that to fight the wars of the world, weapons and ammo and guns frequently cross borders to fight wars without red tape, whereas the Nepali farmers can't get fertiliser on time and the shortage of cooking gas in Nepal leaves families already on the brink pushed further into an abyss.
I arrived in Nepal on 9th September just gone, for an 8 day stay. I arrived at a guest house late that Wednesday evening and had a hot shower. I didn't have another hot shower until 9 days later back in Dublin. The reason - a shortage of gas used for cooking / hot water. I got by, after all I lived in Nepal for 18 years and went through my fair share of hardships.
This Nagarmail is not about the floods or the shortage of daily essentials. My mission in Nepal was to visit Nagarhope Basic School, which I did. I met with the teachers, the committee, some locals I hadn't seen in a year. I met new students in our school, which now has 122 children attending. I met ex-pupils of Nagarhope school, gone on to different lives or different schools. I spent my time sharing tea and meals with those that I had grown up with since we first built a small stone house in a village in Sathikurya all those years ago. I took classes and covered for teachers out sick or on holiday. I brought three classes to visit a local temple and fish farm.
From early 2026 until June this year, the school constructed another 5 classrooms, the 2nd floor of a building we had constructed back in 2023. There are a fair few photos attached to this mail highlighting the work. As part of the new government's push to improve the education sector, I learnt that we are receiving a grant of 8-9000 euro from the provincial government to finish off the works on both this building and the completion of a boundary wall. The classrooms will need to be painted fully, iron grills to go on the windows and electricity and lighting is to be completed. And up at the top an entrance gate is to be constructed leaving enough room for our school bus to park and turn.
Once the final works are completed, we will set about improving the kitchen and canteen facilities which were built as temporary classrooms after the 2015 earthquakes. Amazing the they have stood for 11years. It is a structure of wood and corrugated tin. And with the influx of kids over the years, it is time that the dining area get a whole new look. Watch this space!
On my final day in Sathikurya, all the students and teachers were asked to send a message to the people of Ireland and beyond. To those who have helped us over the last 20 years or so. They dutifully made a giant love heart to show their appreciation.
The trip was short and sweet. But it was important to touch base. To see the people who are running the school now. We on the Irish side do the odd fundraiser and send money every few months. It is comforting to know that Nagarhope Basic School is as I left it three years ago. Thanks again to all sponsors and donors.
The legacy lives on .....
Mise le Meas
Fachtna 'Doc' Clandillon
Let's Fight Back
'The serpent was the most subtle of all the wild beasts that Yahweh God had made.'
Genesis 3:1
The word 'subtle' as used in the above verse tells us all we need to know about the nature of Satan. He is cunning, devious, crafty, deceptive, clever, wily, artful, and ingenious. Perhaps his most ingenious trick of all is to have convinced people that he does not exist - that there is no such thing as evil, and no bad end awaits those who follow his 'subtle' leads.
Let us never forget that we have a Spiritual side. When we turn our back on God (who made us and gave us free will), a void is created. A void is not comfortable being a void! It wants to be filled with something. From the beginning of time a great spiritual battle has been going on between good and evil spirits. If we reject one, the other is only too glad to take up the space. Remember, the devil is indeed 'the most subtle'. He truly is like a snake in the grass. We won't see him or hear him until we are in his grip. He likes to keep us from knowing the truth. He whispers all sorts of suggestions - making them sound harmless. He stokes up pride and tells us we don't need God. At a push, he will settle for us believing something that is even slightly off the truth. Anything but the truth, will help his effort.
We have a choice: We can do nothing. Or we can fight back. Have we forgotten that we have the means to fight back? How? With prayer. It is a spiritual battle. We have the Heavenly Host of St. Michael the Archangel and all our Guardian Angels waiting to be called into action. We have free will. We choose the side we prefer.
It is most unfortunate that the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel is no longer said at the end of Mass as it used to be. But we can all say it daily ourselves. It's short and powerful. We can say it for ourselves and for our loved ones. We can say it for our young people as they head out at the weekends. Better still, we can encourage them to say it for themselves. We can get a Holy Water font so we can bless ourselves as we leave the house. Never underestimate the power of these simple measures. It's like putting on armour. Perhaps YOU were meant to be an easy target today - in the crosshairs of his scope? But prayers blurred his vision - prayers you said yourself or prayers someone said for you. We can protect ourselves from 'the most subtle of all the wild beasts' ..... or we can choose to do nothing and allow him to continue destroying what is good. Saying this prayer gives us a fighting chance in the spiritual battle that surrounds us.
'Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.'
Parishioner St. Mary's Parish Lucan
|
