The 2023-2024 year has been a busy and eventful one for the Girls Friendly Society (GFS) in our Diocese. Our branches continue to thrive in Birr, Borrisokane, Cloughjordan, Nenagh, and Roscrea, with meetings held either after school, in the evenings, or on Saturday mornings. The frequency of meetings varies between weekly or fortnightly, depending on what suits the leaders and members of each branch.
In December, we hosted a well-attended Christmas Craft Day, where the girls spent an enjoyable afternoon creating festive decorations to bring home. We are grateful to the Borrisokane Branch for graciously hosting the event and providing a lovely tea afterward.
April saw a successful Diocesan Open Day held in St Mary’s Church, Nenagh. We were honoured to welcome Bishop Burrows, GFS Central President Mrs. Alison Jackson, and local clergy to celebrate the day with us. The girls received pottery prizes for the craft competition and medals for Bible study. Following the service, they enjoyed purchasing items from stalls at the National School. We are immensely thankful to the parents who support us by attending services and ensuring the girls can participate in events. Our Diocesan competition winners who advanced to the All-Ireland Competitions performed exceptionally well, with Cloughjordan branch doing us proud by taking home numerous prizes.
This year, we bid a fond farewell to our outgoing All-Ireland President, Mrs. Alison Jackson from Armagh Diocese. Her leadership over the past six years, especially through the challenges of Covid, has been a source of inspiration for all of us. We now welcome Mrs. Myra Moody from Dublin & Glendalough Diocese, who was appointed as the new All-Ireland President in May. We wish her every blessing as she takes on this significant role, especially as she leads us towards the celebration of 150 years of GFS in Ireland in 2027.
In June, we held our weekend Diocesan camp at Faith Mission in Durrow, Co. Laois. Over 50 girls and leaders from all branches attended, and it was wonderful to return to our usual camp activities. We were also pleased to receive a visit from local Rector Patrick Harvey on Friday evening. Saturday morning was spent at Castlecomer Discovery Park, followed by some afternoon shopping, a favourite activity among the girls. That evening, we made Mandala Stones and held a Talent Show. On Sunday, we attended the worship service at Abbeyleix, which was tailored to young people. Special thanks go to our new chefs, Alison Harding from Borrisokane and Pamela Austin from Cloughjordan, for their excellent work. A mention must also go to our previous cooks, Betty Delahunt, Jean Blackwell, Helen Whyte, and Linda Gill, whose long-standing dedication and culinary talents will always be remembered.
Looking ahead, we are excited to be forging connections with the GFS branch in Kilmoremoy, at the Tuam end of our Diocese. Our annual camp in 2025 will move west to Clonbur, allowing the Kilmoremoy branch to join us. We are eager to meet their girls and leaders and hope this will be the start of a lasting relationship within our joint Diocese. Some of our leaders attended All-Ireland Training in September, led by our new All-Ireland President, Mrs. Myra Moody. The day included brainstorming, candle-making, and discussions on leadership roles, as well as inspiring 5-minute craft demonstrations for branch meetings. The training was well-attended, with 48 leaders from across the South of Ireland, while a second session was held in Fivemiletown the following weekend for Northern leaders.
As we begin the 2024/2025 year, we are planning a Leader Training Evening to refresh our first aid skills. In early October, Birr branch will host a Beetle Drive for the girls and their friends. Our annual Diocesan Christmas Craft Day will take place in Corbally, Roscrea on November 23rd, a much-anticipated event where the girls create several festive crafts to take home. This year, our Bible Study will focus on the stories of Jesus healing blind Bartimaeus and the Paralysed Man. In addition, the senior girls will also explore the theme of Amazing Grace. We are eager to delve into these meaningful lessons together.
Lastly, there was considerable interest reported from rectors at All-Ireland Synod 2024 in establishing new GFS branches. For anyone interested in setting up a branch or joining GFS, please contact Diane FitzGerald, Diocesan President, at [email protected]. Further information can also be found on the GFS website: www.girlsfriendlysociety.ie.