Heartfelt greetings to one and all, participants and staff. Being from Dublin I affectionately refer to “Loreta”, certainly a very important year in my life. While most of the participants were preparing for a leadership role in formation, I was coming out of that role having been Director of Novices in a multi congregational novitiate in Argentina.  It was great to have time in Ireland, back from Paraguay, I had time for myself, for contact with nature and with a large and varied group of people in 95 - 96. We interacted in ten different groupings over the year. The social life was fabulous with social nights and trips in Wicklow, in Northern Ireland and Inishmore, Aran Island are unforgettable and complemented the serious personal work. I told one visiting lecturer, Tom Hamill, I was too f***ed up to attend. My placement in Trinity House, where under aged boys were confined, was a real grounding for me; to see a fourteen-year-old handcuffed! or to be locked in a small room painting with a lad who had killed his father! Yes, "Loreta" has worked wonders!

Thanks to you all for making this experience possible – gracias - go raibh maith agaibh!

Eddie McArdle (1995-1996)

Greetings to all,I am deeply sorry to hear that the doors of Loreto House will be closing permanently.I would like to share a few words about my experience as part of the training program during2017–2018, together with 26 participants from all over the world.I am truly grateful for the human, spiritual, psychological, and social formation I received,which has enabled me to live my ministry with greater confidence and freedom. Soon aftercompleting the program, I was appointed Provincial in Italy. As a Sri Lankan who had spent30 years in France, I had to begin anew in a completely different environment. However, mytrust in the Living God sustained me through the challenges and difficulties. The formation Ireceived helped me to become more open, more attentive to the signs of the times, andmore responsive to the needs of society.I believe many others who benefited from Loreto can also testify to the fruits it has borne intheir lives. I remain deeply grateful to all the professors who accompanied us on our journey,and for the place that offered us such rich and meaningful experiences.God bless you all. I look forward to seeing you at the Zoom celebration.Affectionately,

Sr. Maristella AROKIAM
Holy Family of Bordeaux (2017-2018)

Loreto House Experience

Attending an interview for the first time in my life, sitting before 5 other senior religious was indeed a scary moment even at the age of 34. I never had to do an interview for a teaching post as religious were automatically taken onto the staff as most schools were religious run. I had no idea what kind of questions were going to be asked. Among the many challenging questions posed to me were on theology, scripture, formation and doctrine. One that I was not expecting was in the area of relationships and sexuality. I was taken aback at the personal level at which the questions were asked. I guess I had never encountered conversation at this level before. Another area that surprised me was that the formation course I was about to begin was mainly about my own formation. It was only about 2 – 3 months to go when we really got into the practical application of the theory into the day to day running of a house of formation. As the year went by, this approach was making a lot of sense. As Brenè Brown would say ‘What you haven’t got, you cannot give’. We went to the Sisters of the Holy Rosary Retreat Centre in Killashandra for our 30-day Retreat. I truly enjoyed the experience in this beautiful rural wooded countryside. While we respected the great silence, we were very much united in spirit as we each made our personal spiritual journeys. (Continued in next slide ....)

Lots of memories are still strong inside of me about Loreto House. It was indeed ahouse where I was welcomed to just be ME and live with others as a family. A housethat helped bring about a better version of me.The memories of sitting together in a group to engage in a task are strong. It wasindeed a profound experience to encounter other personalities from across the globeand the giftedness each person brought to the group.The ‘HERE AND NOW’ meetings and the group process meetings are memorieswhich I cherish. I learned how to BE in the moment and let things unfold.The laughter, gentleness, care, concern, lessons of Anne Harte Barry, Deirdre, AnnConcannon and Paul have never left me.The memory of sitting before my mentor Ann Concannon is an experience that hasstrengthened me and given me a deeper understanding of mentoring today as I meetwith people.The outing days were very beautiful too. Loreto was like a home away from home. Ireally do appreciate these memories and will never forget MY LORETO HOUSE.

Gertrude Nkwocha RSC (2013-2014)

My Loreto House Testimony:I received the news of Loreto House’s closure with a mixture of sadness and profound gratitude. Since 1982, this program has been a beacon of formation, and I feel privileged to be among those shaped by its vision.Before joining, I heard from someone: "At Loreto, you are turned inside out and outside in". Rather than fear, this stirred a joyful curiosity to find the "hidden treasure" within.

Hanging on the corridor at Willow Park was a plaque that read, “The one who looks outside dreams, but the one who looks inside awakens.” C. Jung. I spent my year at Loreto looking inward to truly find myself.

The "Ithaka" poem we prayed on day one was impactful. It taught me to value a long road full of discovery and to trust a process woven intentionally through the entire program. Today, the spirit and creativity freed at Loreto continue to unfold through my ministry as a Formator and a Process-oriented Facilitator. This foundation inspired the "Fighting the Status Quo Initiative" for empowerment of people in diverse vulnerabilities and the development of a compassionate model of care and accompaniment for transformational leadership.

I am deeply thankful to the amazing team - Ann B, Anne C, Deirdre, Michael Browne, and Tom Mc Namara and to my wonderful companions. While the doors may close, the spirit of this journey lives on in the gaps we bridge and the lives we touch. May we all continue to bloom where God plants us.

Selina Mbuli (2011-2012)