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NY State President

Meg Redling

Hello, Ladies,

Time has gone so fast since July

Convention. It is hard to believe

the Holiday season is here

already. I hope everyone had a

very nice Thanksgiving. I hope

everyone has a very Merry and

Blessed Christmas season.

I have attended several

functions and our State is alive,and very active. The LAOH

Presidents dinner in Boston

started things off and our

National President received a

wonderful welcome from the

National LAOH and the AOH

Boards as well as her home

state of Massachusetts and her

sister State of New York.

Before the dinner, the interimNational Board meeting was

held. I am very happy to

announce that there were 2

National Life membership

awards given.

Both Ladies are from Suffolk

County and they are Nancy

Keating and Sharon Hudock.

Congratulations to both and we

are very proud of them. In

addition, I attended the

Division 5 Suffolk County dinner

where our National Vice-

President presented the pin to

Sharon Hudock. It was a

wonderful night.

I also attended the AOH

Presidents dinner and a large

crowd attended. AOH

President Seamus Boyle was

also received very warmly by

both the AOH and LAOH.

I attended Schenectadys

Installation of officers.

Congratulations to all the

incoming officers whosefearless leader will be

Jacqueline Gilroy Clute. With

NYS Vice-President Denise

Sobus installing the officers, it

was a nice relaxing evening.

The next adventure which

included a juggling of schedules

had my destination this pastweekend in Elmira, NY. The

LADIES Division celebrated their

50th anniversary. Over 150

people attended and I was so

welcomed. They could not

believe I was there. Well,

miracles do happen after all.

Maggie Busch, the President,

told me they had added

approximately 30 newmembers this year alone. Their

membership now stands at

249. Young and vibrant, this

Divisions charitable fundraising

is very successful. Maggie

credits it to the fact that

everyone does it together and

it has brought them closer

together. Good Point!

Congratulations Ladies and best

wishes for another 50.

As I previously noted, I

attended the AOH Presidents

dinner in Bevose, Pa. I

understand talks are still

ongoing. However, I also

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New York StateNew York StateNew York StateNew York StateLadies AncientLadies AncientLadies AncientLadies Ancient order of Hibernians, Incorder of Hibernians, Incorder of Hibernians, Incorder of Hibernians, Inc

December 1December 1December 1December 1, 2009, 2009, 2009, 2009

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understand that there will be

many things to vote on at the

National Convention to take

place in Cincinnati, Ohio,

July7th, to July 11th. 2010.

Ladies, this is an extremely

important Convention. We

must have every delegate slot

filled by a fanny. Our two

candidates, Margaret Hennessy

and Mary Hogan, need us as

well. Margaret is going in as

NATIONAL PRESIDENT. This is

another supreme honor for

New York in as many years.

Everything is on the website. I

hear separate fundraisers

specifically for the Convention

are being held. Double up inthe rooms so the cost can be

cut. We need every single

delegate for this Convention.

Please make your reservations

now. If anyone needs a

roommate we will get them

one. Thank you for your efforts

in advance for the National

Convention. It is only with your

dedicated help that New Yorkwill again succeed in its efforts

for one of its members to win

election to the highest office in

the Ladies Ancient Order of

Hibernians

Merry Christmas and all Best

Wishes for 2010.

NY State Vice President

Denise Sobus

Hello Sisters,

I hope you all had a wonder

Thanksgiving; the weather

certainly cooperated for all.

Recently I had the honor of

installing the Schenectady

Ladies. Jackie Clute is the new

President; I wish her the best of

luck. I want to thank the

Schenectady Ladies for their

hospitality and also I want to

thank the Albany/Schenectady

degree team who escorted the

ladies in for installation. They

did a wonderful job. The

Albany/Schenectady degree

team will be having degrees on

April 17th, at the Albany Hall, in

Albany, NY. Registration is at

9:30am, degrees at 10:00am. If

you would like any information,

please call myself or Ceil

Leonard at 518-482-9309. On

the junior front, Peggy Osborne

from Schenectady requested a

Junior packet and cards. I wish

her luck in starting a newdivision. I hope you all have a

blessed and Holy Christmas.

NY State Secretary

Carol A. McTigue

I hope everybody had a Happy

Thanksgiving and was able to

spend some time with family

and friends.

Congratulations to Sharon

Houdock, Nancy Keating and

Una McLoughlin, our newest

LAOH National Lifetime

Members from New York State.

Ladies, have you bought your

New York Calendars and sent

your checks to John Hennessy

yet? This fundraiser is very

important and yourparticipation in this endeavor is

needed. I understand that the

ladies of Nassau County were

the first to sell all their

calendars and get their check to

John. Good going ladies!

Please consider going to our

National Convention in

Cincinnati, Ohio this July. We

have two wonderful candidates

running for the National Board,

Margaret Hennessy and Mary

Hogan, who really need our

support. These ladies have

worked very hard for us and we

need to be there for them.

Although it is a wonderful time

of the year, it does keep us very

busy. I want to take this

opportunity to wish everyone a

Blessed Christmas and a Happy

Healthy New Year. Please

remember our Servicemen and

Women in your prayers as well

as those who are in need.

NY State Treasurer

Karen Keane

Well Treasurers, I hope that

you are all resting up in

preparation for the annual

reports. I know that I am taking

extra vitamins and have the

past treasurers on my speed

dial. Remember here are the

deadlines for filing the reports:

All Divisions must have their

reports to the County

Treasurer by January 15th

.

All single Division Counties

MUST have their reports to the

State Treasurer by January

15th

.

All County Boards must havetheir reports to the State

Treasurer by February 15th

Please remember that the

following items are to be

submitted with the hard copies

Copies of all monthly bank

statements

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Membership list entered onto

an excel spreadsheet (I can e-

mail you a blank for you to

enter all names, addresses,

telephone numbers, officers

position, e-mail address, and

degree date).

List of contributions made and

received including name,

address and 501(c) (3) number.

Remember that a CHARITY is

only another 501(c) (3). Money

given to a Division of the AOH

or to a local family, etc. ARE

NOT A CHARITIABLE

DONATION, it is a gift. Moneygiven for a journal ad IS NOT A

CHARITIABLE DONATION, it is

an operating expense.

Any CHARITIABLE DONATION

must have the name and

address listed on the separate

sheet.

If you have any questions,

please contact me at theaddress, e-mail, or telephone

number listed below. I will

make every attempt to respond

promptly; although I am on

vacation from December 21

January 2nd

and from January

15th

to January 18th

.

Thank You for all your work in

the filing of these reports.

Karen Keane

108 Kennewyck Circle

Slingerlands, NY 12159

(518) 456-8783

kakeane@nycap.rr.com

NY State Historian

Eileen Fee

Dear Sisters,

The weather certainly

cooperated this year for us all

for the holiday. What a changefrom last year. Thank-you

Ladies for getting the Irish

Essay Contest entries out to

public and private schools,

home school, and any other

areas that were contacted to

promote our contest. What a

wonderful way for the younger

generation to learn about their

heritage.

Ladies: Please remember tofill out your Irish History

Forms (Green) Division,

( Blue) County.

Divisions to the CountyHistorian by Jan. 15th 2010

Single Divisions to the StateHistorian by Jan.15th 2010

County Reports to the StateHistorian by February 15th

2010

In the last correspondence we

received from our National

President Mary Ryan, she listed

many items acceptable for

archiving at Boston College...

Some of the things mentionedwere any meeting records,

agendas ,minutes ,and

handouts., posters, flyers,

annual reports, Irish History

Writings, scholarships,

community service,

publications, newsletters,

special programs,

Bibliographical information of

Officers and membership

directories. Please do not send

duplicates or confidential

records on people,

expenditures, financial records

or publications received from

other organizations., The

contacts for anything to be

archived are Dr, Robert K,

ONeill PhD Librarian, and

Dr, David Hom Head of

Manuscripts & Archives. The

address is The John J. Burns

Library, Boston College, 140

Commonwealth Avenue,

Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3801

Thank You to all our Sisters in

Elmira. for hosting a wonderful

bowling tournament. All had a

wonderful time. Even though a

few of us kept getting lost. Not

going to mention any names.

Maybe SANTA had better

bring someone a GPS. WHAT

DO YOU THINK? Wishing

everyone a VERY MERRYCHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW

YEAR.

NY State

Mission/Charities

Francine Connerton

Dear Sisters,

I hope everyone had a safe and

happy Thanksgiving. We have

so much to be thankful for as a

sisterhood. The NYS ladies

generosity to our Charities:

Columban Fathers, Columban

Sisters and the Danielle House

are unprecedented. We

certainly emulate our Motto.

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Thank you sisters and keep up

the good work of our order!

Many of the divisions/counties

have sent donations in over the

last few months, so they can

get credit on their yearend

report. If your division/county

still has not contributed to the

Charities, you still have time.

Make your checks payable to

LAOH NYS. The deadline to get

your checks to me in time to be

deposited and cleared is

December 15th so please hurry

to get credit for the 2009 year.

It was brought to my attention

that I need to make clarificationto my October report

concerning the requested $2

per member. The $2 per

member is for the Missions.

Once again, all those who have

contributed thus far thank you

for your generosity.

The applications and

instructions for the 2010Charitable Projects and Appeals

for Aid are now available on the

National website at:

www.ladiesaoh.com. I

encourage you, if you have a

worth charity or appeal, go out

to the website and start your

application process. The NYS

deadline for the applications is

March 31st. You can mail your

application to me at theaddresses below.

Finally, if you have elected new

division/county Missions and

Charities Officers this term,

please send me their contact

information so I can update my

records and get them the

information they need in a

timely manner. My address is

Francine Connerton

141 Hillside Terr. Endwell NY

13760. Phone 607 621-7798

and email is

connerton@stny.rr.com

May you all have a Blessed

Christmas and a Prosperous

New Year!

Past President

Carol Ann Carley

The NYS Board meeting was

successful and informative.

President Meg Redling and the

women of Elmira did anexcellent job in conducting and

preparing for this meeting.

Thank you to the Elmira LAOH

and the AOH you made

everyone feel welcome.

Bowling was fun and I am

proud to tell you that Troys Pat

OGrady and Joan Madden

were winners. The NYS Board

officers (elected andappointed) are working very

hard to promote our noble

Order and their reports reflect

this.

I was disappointed, however,

in the general meeting

attendance. At one time, prior

to the computer, information

coming from the State Board

was sparse and limited. At the

urging of various counties/divisions and with the foresight

of the State Board President,

Dorothy Foy open general State

Board meetings were instituted

and have evolved into todays

general meetings. These open

meetings were achieved

because of the interest of the

State Presidents that followed

Dorothy and the interest of

various Counties/Divisions in

the Ladies Ancient Order of

Hibernian, Incs activity. Now,

with the use of email, National,

State, and LAOH Divisions web

pages, as well as our St. Brigids

New York Connection

newsletter the information we

need is at our fingertips.

The cost of the meetings,

printing, travel, hotels and the

costly expense of mailing

officers reports to the Counties,

unable to be represented at the

meeting has become cost

prohibitive. County/Divisions

and our New York State Boardfind it difficult to raise the

funds needed to maintain their

required charities, duties and

events. I think we should omit

the general fall State Board

meetings. The weekly events

planned by County/Divisions

limits their officers and

members ability to attend

these meetings. If informationneeds to be disseminated we

have our New York State web

page and our St. Brigids New

York Connection as well as our

phone numbers on our Annual

Reports. The May meetings

continue to be well attended

and are timely as far as our

State and National Conventions

follow.

I am not suggesting that theduties of the State Board

Officers be altered in any way;

just reduce the general

meetings from 4 to 2. Our

officers will still do their work

and reach out to the

membership. I know they will

continue to be there for us and

we will be there for them.

http://www.ladiesaoh.com/http://www.ladiesaoh.com/mailto:connerton@stny.rr.commailto:connerton@stny.rr.commailto:connerton@stny.rr.comhttp://www.ladiesaoh.com/

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I wish each of my Hibernian

Sisters and their families, a

Merry Christmas and a Happy

New Year. Please continue to

pray for our troops and their

families.

NY Press and PublicityJackie Clute

Hello sisters

We have been moderately

successful at increasing the

recipients of our St Brigids

New York Connection. We

have added nearly 100 email

addresses to the database.

Please sisters, if you know of amember that is not receiving

the newsletter ask them to

email me their name and

county with a request to add

them to the database and I will

take care of it. I would also like

to request that any county that

has recently appointed or

changed PR chairs to please

send me an email with yournew chairladys name and

contact information.

I hope everyone enjoyed the

article on the Samhain- it is my

intention to include something

special in our newsletters that

tells a story or myth or gives

the members a bit of a history

or Irish lesson.

I have received many

comments from sisters across

New York that they look

forward to St. Brigids New

York Connection so please

keep up the good work and

send me your articles and

events to be included in the

newsletter.

In closing-If you need my help

just e-mail me or pick up the

phone and call

My e-mail is:

banbha1@nycap.rr.com and

my phone # is 518-395-9964.

NY StateFreedom for All Ireland

Pat Rattigan

Dear Sisters,

Just a reminder its coming to

that time again for the

Christmas appeal. As you

know, all monies collected from

this are brought over to Irelandat the time of the Bloody

Sunday Tour. Checks should be

made payable to AOH

Christmas Appeal and sent to

Kathleen Savage, LAOH Natl

FFAI Chair, 200 Locust Street

#104, Lynn, Ma 01904. Please

make sure that you send me a

copy of your check, so that I

can keep accurate records for

New York State. Email me at

Holleygirl47@hotmail.com or

mail it to me at 59 Linden

Street, Lindenhurst 11757. If

you have already sent me the

check I will forward on to

Kathleen.

Just a brief reminder to all

County and Division Presidents,

please send FFAI contacts in

your Counties so that I canhave better communication

with them.

Wishing all of you a very

Blessed Christmas and a Happy

New Year with the best of Luck

and Health. Please continue to

pray for the peace process in

Northern Ireland that is still

fragile, because there are those

who are still trying to

undermine the good that has

been done so far.

NY State Scrapbook

Cecilia Leonard

Dear Sisters:

The National Convention is

sneaking up on us it is time to

start thinking about our NY

State Scrapbook. Many

divisions are installing officers,

having Christmas parties and

planning for their Saint Patricks

Day celebration so I would like

to remind everyone to takepictures, keep news articles,

posters, tickets and any other

memorabilia from your events

and send it to me at:

Ceil Leonard

1 Nina Drive, Albany NY 12205

Please feel free to call me with

any questions at 518-482-9309.

See you soon I hope

NY State Fund Raiser

Aggie OLeary

HELLO SISTERS!

Well everyone is back to

school, work, retirement, or all

three. Now we are bracing for

Thanksgiving and Christmas,

busy, busy, busy. The last thingyou need is to hear from me

about FUND RAISING. So lets

get it out of the way. Have you

sent your signed calendar

receipts back to John

Hennessey? Have you chosen

someone to be your fundraiser

coordinator? Have you placed

your PINK shirt order with me

mailto:banbha1@nycap.rr.commailto:banbha1@nycap.rr.commailto:Holleygirl47@hotmail.commailto:Holleygirl47@hotmail.commailto:Holleygirl47@hotmail.commailto:banbha1@nycap.rr.com

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yet? Lets Rock & Roll, and

take care of that stuff. OK, done

with that. (Do not make me

come after you! Do not make

me name names!)

Thank you to those Counties

and Divisions who have sent

receipts back, and, to thosethat have sold all their

Calendars. Thank you to

Kathleen Richardson of

Onondaga County and Colette

Kavanaugh of Suffolk County,

for volunteering to be

fundraiser coordinator for their

respective counties.

My dear Sisters, have a Safe,Happy, Healthy and Merry,

Thanksgiving, Christmas and

New Year. Hug those you love,

be grateful for what you have

and do not forget to say Thank

You to those that have touched

your Life.

ragtop@optonline.net

Web Master

Liz Colgan

Dear Sisters,

DEEP PEACE of the shining stars

to you;

DEEP PEACE of the quiet earth

to you;

DEEP PEACE of the Prince of

Peace to you.

Nollaig Shona Duit!

Happy Christmas!

Athblian Shona Duit!

Happy New Year!

Special Item

Father Michael Sinnott

There has been a great deal of

concern over the kidnapping of

Father Michael Sinnott, a

Columban missionary. The

following letter was receivedfrom:Father Timothy Hirten[mailto:airchaplaintimhirten@gma

il.com]

Dear AOH and LAOH Brothers

and Sisters,

Many thanks for thinking of me

here in Baghdad, Iraq on the

Prayers and Concerns for Fr

Michael Sinnott.I read it on the CNN and Irish

Catholic new web pages a few

days ago. So sad and what a

dedicated Priest, working as a

Missionary.

He is in my prayers and I will

include his intention at the

evening Mass tonight at the US

embassy Baghdad Mass at 8:00

PM.

Again, appreciate all yourthoughts and prayers for him, a

brother Priest.

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr Tim

Our prayers have been

answered father Michael

Sinnott was released on

November 11, 2009. I am

including the press release for

you to read

A 79-year-old Irish priest

kidnapped in the Philippines

byan armed gang has been

released.

Father Michael Sinnott

abducted from his gated

compound in Pagadian City on

the island of Mindanao on

October 11.

He has now been released into

the care of the Missionaries of

St Columban and is being taken

for a medical. There had beenstrong concerns about his

health as he had undergone a

heart bypass four years ago.

Fr Michael, from Barntown,

was snatched around 7.30pm

local time as he was walking in

his private garden. An armed

gang grabbed him, bundled him

into the back of a pick-up truck

and fled to a nearby beachwhere they escaped by

speedboat. Authorities initially

identified the al Qaeda-linked

Abu Sayyaf and the separatist

Moro Islamic Liberation Front

(MILF) as suspects in the

kidnapping. Foreign affairs

minister Michael Martin said he

was delighted and relieved at

the news. Fr Michael, who

turns 80 in December, is from

County Wexford but has been

based in the Philippines since

1976. He has been running a

school for children with hearing

difficulties for the last four

years.

mailto:airchaplaintimhirten@gmail.com?mailto:airchaplaintimhirten@gmail.com?

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Albany County

At our November meeting, the

JFK Ladies Division 1 elected

their slate of officers for 2010.

Congratulations to Cecilia

Leonard, President, Pat

McSweeney, Vice President,Ginny Daley, Secretary, Kay

Mahoney, Treasurer; Kim

Clancy, Financial Secretary;

Rosemary OBrian, Irish

Historian, Catholic Action Chair,

Barbara Dolan; Missions and

Charities, Judy Dean; Sentinel,

Billie Connery and Mistress-at-

Arms Joan Muir.

Members will be installed at

the Installation Dinner on

Saturday, December 5th . We

will be joined in the installation

with our brother Hibernians.

Tickets are $25.00

The Childrens Christmas party

will be held at the CDIAA hall

on Sunday, December 6th at

1:00. There is no charge but

please bring a wrapped gift for

your child. Also, please bringcanned goods which will be

donated to charity.

The Ladies Annual Christmas

Party will be held December

9th. A brief meeting will be held

at 6:30 followed by a pot luck

celebration.

On Sunday, December 13th

the

Annual Devin Nolan and

Elizabeth Harkes Memorial GiftExchange will be held at the

CDIAA Hall to benefit Ronald

McDonald House.

The CDIAA Hall will be open on

New Years Eve. Entertainment

will be provided.

The Trinity Degree Team will

present degrees in Albany on

April 17th. More information

will follow. If anyone has not

made their degrees, it will be a

great opportunity to do so.

On behalf of all our sisters, we

wish you and your family a

blessed Christmas and joyous

New Year.

Broome County

The Ladies of Divisions 1 and 2

had a wonderful fall season and

look forward to the beautiful

Christmas season. We started

with the Halfway to St.

Patricks Day Hooley on

September 18th. Thanks to all

who volunteered, in addition to

proceeds going to D.A.R.E,

additional money received by

the divisions will be donated to

charities at the end of the year.

October2nd & 3rdwe had our

annual Fall Rummage Sale

sponsored by Divisions 1 and 2.

Along with the treasures our

members purchased, the

community came and

supported us as well. On

October 24th

the day started

with our participation at the

Broome County Ethnic Festival

at the Veterans Memorial

Arena. Each year area ethnic

groups come together and

display their heritage in song,

dance and history. The night

ended with the Celtic New

Year/Halloween Party

sponsored by Division 1.

Everyone had fun dancing and

trying to guess who was that

masked man??

November 8th

an Irish Breakfast

was held, thanks to all who

helped including those who

served, bussed tables, worked

the admission table, sold

County Board Christmas

ornaments and Christmas

concert tickets; and to the men

of the AOH who did the

cooking. It was nice to see

members and their families

along with the community stop

in for breakfast. November

21st

was our Sock Hop for

C.H.O.W. DJ Bill Grace (an AOH

member) entertained the

crowd while spinning the oldiesand had the crowd dancing the

night away. Admission and

food were donated to C.H.O.W.

We close the year with our

annual Christmas activities.

Roberson Museums Home for

the Holidays featuring the

International Forest and Display

will be held November 27

th

through January 3rd.

Decorating for Division 1 is

Bernadette and AmyBurke,

Mary Wade, Roberta Telfer and

Pauline DiNoto. The

AOH/LAOH Christmas Party on

Saturday, December 5th

from 6

to 10pm with entertainment at

6:30 by TheBallyclare Irish

Dancers including Division 2

members Susan Connors andNancy Hyatt. On Monday,

December 7th

Division 2

welcomes Andy Cooneys

Classic Irish Christmas concert

to Binghamton. Tickets are

$25.00 reserved and can be

obtained by calling Susan at

607-238-1222. Meet the

entertainers at the hall after

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the concert before they head to

Carnegie Hall to perform the

next night.

Upcoming events will be

Installation of Officers on

January 16th

at 1pm,St. Brigids

Mass in February and as we

kick off the St. Patricks Day

Season with Boscovs Irish Days

on Saturday, February 20th

, the

Hibernian Parade Committee

Dinner Dance on Saturday,

February 27th

, andthe

Binghamton St. Patricks Day

Parade on Saturday, March 6th.

We wish all of our Sister

Hibernians a Merry Christmasand a Happy New Year

Greene County

Merry Christmas and Happy

New Year

As the holidays approach and

we are filled with joy and

laughter. We want to wish

everyone a happy holiday

season. Many of our members

have gone to warmer climates

for the winter.

We are getting ready to put our

Christmas Memorial Tree up at

Our Lady of Knock Shrine in

East Durham This tree

represents our intentions (for

whatever we want) it cost adollar for each intention.

The money this year will be to

clear the way for the Mass

Rock at the Michael J. Quill

Irish Cultural & Sports Centre

so that Fr. Jeremiah Nunan can

celebrate Mass and all can have

access to it including the

handicap.

We are also getting ready to

have our Installation of Officers

on December 6th

at

Sacred Heart Hall and our

Christmas Party at Bernie Os

Restaurant.

On the agenda is the

celebration of the Feast Day of

St. Brigid at the 10:30 Mass at

Sacred Heart Church in Cairo on

January 31st

Following will be a brunch at

BernieOs Restaurant

Have a safe and Happy Holiday

season from all you sisters and

brothers from Greene County,New York

Kings County

From your sisters in Brooklyn:

May all our sister Hibernians

and their Families have a Happy

and Blessed Christmas and a

healthy and prosperous NewYear.

This year has been both happy

and sorrowful for us. We have

seen several of our sisters go

on to their heavenly rewards,

most recently Mary Smith from

Division 19, Gerretsen Beach.

Mary was both a Charter &

honorary member her division,

she was well liked andrespected, a classy lady who

loved being Irish. Our deepest

sympathies go out to her

family, she will be missed. We

also lost one of our Brother

Hibernians Al Donohue from

AOH Div 35; Al was a true

Catholic Gentleman and will be

missed.

This year has also been difficult

for several of our members

who lost their mothers. Our

sympathies and prayers go to

the families ofRita Scott,

Roseann Eckelman, and Mary

Cunningham may the rest in

peace. Holidays are difficult

after a recent loss of a loved

one but we may take comfort

in the fact that our loved ones

are with our Savior, Jesus this

year at his birthday party. Until

we meet again may God hold

them in the palm of His hand.

A dozen of our Ladies took their

Degree in November. Oursisters from Richmond County

hosted the Degree. Thank you

Ladies! A job well done; you

were most gracious hosts. The

Suffolk County Celtic Degree

Team did a great job as usual-

Thank You. Afterwards sister

Hibernians from Connecticut,

Brooklyn and Staten Island

enjoyed lunch together at Mt.Manresa Retreat House on

Staten Island.

Division 22, Bayridge hosted a

shower for two of their

members that had a fire in their

house. Gifts and funds were

raised so the Ladies (mother &

daughter) would have some of

lifes little comforts again. A

good time was had by all andtwo grateful sisters were most

thankful.

Several of our Ladies will be

honored in the upcoming St.

Patrick season. Bridie Mitchell

from Division 6, Greenpoint will

represent the LAOH/AOH Kings

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County as the Aide-To-The-

Grand Marshal of the NYC St.

Patricks Day Parade on March

17, 2010. Mary Hogan from

Div 6, Greenpoint (Natl

Treasurer) will represent LAOH

Kings County as the Aide-To-

The-Grand Marshal of the

Brooklyn Irish American Parade

on Sunday, March 21, 2010 in

Park Slope Brooklyn. Joan

Xuereb from Div 22, Bayridge

will represent the LAOH Kings

County as a Deputy for the

Bayridge St. Patricks Parade on

Sunday March 28, 2010.

Congratulations to all...

Sisters from Div 9, Park Slopeattended the annual Brooklyn

Irish American Parade

Memorial Mass in November.

Afterwards refreshments and a

little live Irish music were

provided for all at Holy Name

Parish Hall.

Our County held their first

Celtic New Year celebration inOctober. Members from all our

divisions were present;

refreshments, raffles, and

music provided a good time for

all. Plans are underway for our

Annual St. Brigid Celebration in

2010, details will follow.

Again may we wish everyone a

Happy and Blessed Christmas.

Remember to Keep Christ inChristmas!!!

Nassau County

AMERICAN CITIZENS FOR SOLDIERS IN

SERVICE

Once again we will be taking

part in a wonderful endeavor

that involves sending Christmastrees, lights, Menorahs,

ornaments and greeting cards

to our troops in Iraq,

Afghanistan and Kuwait. This

year is our sixth year of sending

a bit of home to our troops,

along with DHL, Dees Nursery

in Oceanside, and a host of

local organizations police and

fire departments, schools,veterans organizations,

together with individuals and

families. By participating, we

are making sure that our troops

in harms way experience a

little bit of home so far away.

ST.BRIGIDS DAY CELEBRATION

Division 8 in Glen Cove, will be

hosting our 2010 Feast of St.Brigid Celebration on Saturday,

January 30th, beginning with

Mass at 4:30 p.m, at St.

Patricks Church, with dinner to

follow in the Parish Halls

Cafeteria. More details to

follow.

AROUND THE COUNTY

On November 7th, the LovelyLadies of Nassau County held a

celebration honoring our 2009

Woman of the Year ReginaBegley our County VicePresident, atLambrousRestaurant in Island Park.

Regina Begley-

2009 Woman of the Year

County & Division Presidents:

Seated (l-r) County President,

Mary Jo Walsh, Regina Begley,

Sr. Jean Gregor, Chaplin.

Back row (l-r) Anna Intermesoli

(Division 2), Sioban Rack

(Division 8), Kathy Hayes

(Division 14), Maureen Murphy

Ade (Division 8) and Mary

Raftery (Division 3).

All of our Divisions are in the

process of electing and

installing their new officers,

planning for the collection ofand distribution of food to our

local food pantries, as well as

collecting donations for our

Parish outreach programs.

We are participating in the

American Citizens for Soldiers

in Service, for our troops

overseas. We are all working

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towards celebrating the

wonderful Christmas season by

seeking out ways to help those

in our areas, who are less

fortunate than ourselves

remembering always the true

meaning of Christmas.

Nollaig Shona dhbh!

Niagara County

The Summit Life Outreach

Center is the proud recipient of

$500 donation from the Ladies

Ancient Order of Hibernians of

Niagara County. President,

Paulette Glasgow is seen here

giving the check to Corinne

Cich, Center Director and Liz

Bignell, President of the Center.

Summit Life Outreach Center is

a group of individuals who seek

to support women in our

community facing unplanned

pregnancies.

Orange County

LAOH of Orange County had

their first newsletter in many

years go to press in October. It

was a great piece of

communicationfor all the members of Orange

County and it really tied us

together as Hibernians.

December 3 at 7:30 will be our

Christmas Dinner for the

county with our charity for the

night being Hudson Valley Food

Pantry.

The dinner will be held atLemoncello's on the Main

Street in Goshen, NY.

Our divisions in the county are

continually growing, and we are

kept busy with our charities,

religious activities and social

events.

Division 2, Our Lady of Knock,

was busy in November with

focusing on pantry donations

for St. Thomas of Canterbuy in

Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY they

also gave their 50/50 from their

October meeting to St Thomas'

pantry. Good job! As

Christmas is approaching, they

will work through Catholic

Charities to adopt a family in

need for the holiday.

FROM ALL OF US IN ORANGE

COUNTY,

WE WISH YOU

ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS

Schenectady County

On Veterans Day, The

Schenectady AOH and LAOH

held their annual Veterans Day

Dinner. This is the sixth year we

have offered free meals to allVeterans in the area. We do

this as a way of honoring those

that have served their country

and as a way to reach out to

our community. Local radio

personalities, neighborhood

association and St. Pauls Parish

Council made sure the

community was aware of the

dinner. The local girl scouts did

a flag raising ceremony at the

start of the event and then

helped us serve over 150

dinners to the Vets and

community members. A local

businessperson set up a toys

for tots station that

overflowed by the end of the

event. A wonderful time was

had by all.

Girl Scouts flag raising

ceremony

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Member Mary Sieder and girl

scouts getting ready to serve

dinners

Our next event is Breakfast

with Santa in December. The

LAOH along with member Joe

Restifo will be cooking a

scrumptious breakfast for

everyone to share. A local

association will be bringingdisadvantaged inner city

children to our hall for

breakfast and some Santa

time.

We will be taking pictures of

the children with Mr. Claus to

give to the families. We are all

looking forward to this event

and the opportunity to interact

with our community and make

a Merry Christmas for the

children

In closing the Schenectady

ladies would like to leave you

with this blessing

An Irish Christmas Blessing

The light of the Christmas star

to you

The warmth of home and

hearth to youThe cheer and good will of

friends to you

The hope of a childlike heart to

you

The joy of a thousand angels to

you

The love of the Son and God's

peace to you.

Suffolk County

From Staten Island, Nassau

County, to Suffolk County,

members of the AOH and LAOH

met together on a cruise ship

out of New York, with the

featured entertainer being

Andy Cooney from Div 15 in

Massapequa Park. It was a

great cruise; the weather was

warm and sunny, as was the

entertainment and friendships

that were made. Andy Cooney

will be performing at Carnegie

Hall for the 2nd year this

Christmas. We are sure it will

be another great success for

Andy.

Pictured below: L/ R --Marge

Byrnes, Andy Cooney, Bob & Pat

Brennan, Eileen & Brendan

Moore, Maureen & Ed McCloskey,

Noreen & Jack Ryan.

Our Lady of the Island Mass

was celebrated On Sun.

Oct.11th . The Mass was

attended by The Suffolk County

LAOH Board Officers, as well as

many Division members. The

Mass was offered by Rev. RoyTvrdik ,SMM. The Hibernian

Singers Choir warmed the

hearts of the parishioners as

did the warm sun provided by

the Lord warmed their bodies.

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Our Lady of the Island Mass

Suffolk County LAOH

Officers and members

Div # 3 Kings Park

Sr. Phyliss ODowd celebrated

Fifty Golden Years of service to

God and the Church. A Mass

was celebrated in her Parish of

St. Joseph, in Kings Park where

Sr. Phyliss grew up and worked

for many years. She has been a

member of the Hibernians for

many years and Served as a

spiritual Advisor for the Suffolk

County LAOH Board. A

luncheon was served at Travis

Hall by Div #3 members as well

as the members of the Parish.

Sr. Phyliss glowed all afternoon.

I am sure the Lord was saying

Job well done Sister, job well

done. Pictured are Sr. Phyliss

and Div 3 Junior girls.

Div.# 8 Selden

The Siol na hEireann Pipe band

celebrated their 20th Anniv., at

the Island Hills Country Club in

Sayville. The band has grown in

numbers over the years. And

the guests were treated to aperformance by their

competition band. You know

that a lot of time has been

given to their practice sessions.

They are great. The division is

proud of the group.

A dance was held at Div. 8 Hall

to honor their Hibernians of the

Year. Honored was Edward

Donnellan, Past Pres. of themens Div., and Bea Mitchell,

Mary Hulsenberg were honored

by the Ladies Division. This was

a special group of honorees as

was told by the fine showing of

members, family and friends

who came to show their

support.

Pictured: Bea Mitchell,

Ed Donellen and

Mary Hulsenberg

Div. # 9

Once again, the division had

their yearly silent Christmas

Auction. The ladies work very

hard on this auction. There was

so many prizes, it was likeSanta had a hole in his sack and

it all landed at the Auction.

Due to the small amount of

members, this division will be

joining Division 8 as of the New

Year. Division 9 members have

worked very hard over the

years to try to keep it going and

should be congratulated for

doing the job they have done.

Division 8 welcomes our

Division 9 members to our

ranks. We know we will work

well together as we have done

in the past on the Long Island

Feis.

Pictured: Mike McCormack and

Peggy Schermer

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IRISH CHRISTMAS

TRADITIONSIreland, like most countries, has

a number of Christmas

traditions that are all of its

own. Many of these customs

have their root in the timewhen the Gaelic culture and

religion of the country were

being supressed and it is

perhaps because of that they

have survived into modern

times.

THE CANDLE IN THE WINDOW

The placing of a lighted candle

in the window of a house on

Christmas eve is still practised

today. It has a number of

purposes but primarily it was

an symbol of welcome to Mary

and Joseph as they travelled

looking for shelter.

The candle also indicated a safe

place for priests to perform

mass as, during Penal Timesthis was not allowed.

A further element of the

tradition is that the candle

should be lit by the youngest

member of the household and

only be extinguished by a girl

bearing the name 'Mary'.

THE LADEN TABLE

After evening meal on

Christmas eve the kitchen table

was again set and on it were

placed a loaf of bread filled

with caraway seeds and raisins,

a pitcher of milk and a large lit

candle. The door to the house

was left unlatched so that Mary

and Joseph, or any wandering

traveller, could avail of the

welcome.

THE WREN BOY PROCESSION

During Penal Times there was

once a plot in a vilage against

the local soldiers. They were

surrounded and were about to

be ambushed when a group of

wrens pecked on their drums

and awakened the soldiers. The

plot failed and the wren

became known as 'The Devil's

bird'.

On St. Stephens day a

procession takes place where apole with a holly bush is carried

from house to house and

families dress up in old clothes

and with blackened faces. In

olden times an actual wren

would be killed and placed on

top of the pole.

This custom has to a large

degree disappeared but thetradition of visiting from house

to house on St. Stephens Day

has survived and is very much

part of Christmas.

DECORATIONS:

The placing of a ring of Holly on

doors originated in Ireland as

Holly was one of the main

plants that flourished atChristmas time and which gave

the poor ample means with

which to decorate their

dwellings.

All decorations are traditionally

taken down on Little Christmas

(January 6th.) and it is

considered to be bad luck to

take them down beforehand.

TRADITIONAL GAELIC

SALUTATION

The Gaelic greeting for 'Merry

Christmas' is:

'Nollaig Shona Duit'

......which is pronounced as

'null-ig hun-a dit'.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

(C) Copyright

http://www.ireland-

information.com

On this first Sunday of adventMay the coming light that is our

Lord

fill you and yours with joy and

peace.

During the coming

Christmas season

May you be blessed

With the spirit of the season,

which is peace,

The gladness of the season,

which is hope,

And the heart of the season,

which is love.

http://www.ireland-information.com/http://www.ireland-information.com/

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An Ciarr Carl Nollag - The Kerry Christmas Carol

'Oiche Nollag in Eireann'

The poem is an evocation of an old Irish custom in which each household would leave a lighted candle intheir window on Christmas night. There was a pious belief that Joseph and Mary and the Child stillwandered the roads of the world, looking for a place to rest from the persecution of Herod. That theyshould show a preference for the roads of rural Ireland was accepted as a given.

le Caoimhghn Brolchin

1. Scuab an t-urlr agus glan an teallach,'s coimead na grsaigh beo,Ar eagla go dtiocfhaidh siad anocht,Agus an domhan 'na chodladh go suan!

Traditional

Brush the floor and clean the hearth,And set the fire to keep,For they might visit us tonightWhen all the world's asleep!

2. N mch an coinneal ard bn,Ach fg lsta go geal .Go mbeidh siad cinnte ar aongo bhfuil filte is fiche roimh cchSa teach ar an Oiche Nollag naofa seo!

Don't blow the tall white candle outBut leave it burning bright,So that they'll know they're welcome hereThis holy Christmas night!

3. Lig amach ar an mbord, arn is feoil,Agus braonn bainne don leanbh.Agus beidh beannacht ar an dtine

Agus ar an t a bhruith an t-arnAgus ar an lamh a dhin an t-obair dian.

Leave out the bread and meat for them,And sweet milk for the Child,And they will bless the fire, that baked

And, too, the hands that toiled.

4. Beidh Naomh Isaef tirseach,Tar is an turas fada.Agus aghaidh Mhuire fann, bnghnitheachAgus beidh nal codlata aca.Sar a n-imthgheann siad ars.

For Joseph will be travel-tired,And Mary pale and wan,And they can sleep a little whileBefore they journey on.

5. Beidh tirse na mbthar fada orthaAgus seans aca a scth a ligint,'s iomai an mle fada uaigneach

At roimh an dtriur acaUaidh seo go dt Beithil.

They will be weary of the roads,And rest will comfort them,For it must be many a lonely mile

From here to Bethlehem.

6. is fada an bthar 't le taisteal aca,Agus idir garbh is mnAgus Cnoch Chalvaire mar ceann scrbe aca,Agus chroise adhmad indan.

O long the road they have to go,The bad mile with the good,Till the journey ends on CalvaryBeneath a cross of wood.

7. N cur ar an ndoras ach an laiste anocht!Agus coimead na grosaigh be -Agus gu go mbeidh siad fn ar ndon anochtAgus an domhan 'na chodladh go suan.

Leave the door upon the latch,And set the fire to keep,And pray they'll rest with us tonightWhen all the world's asleep.

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Yuletide

Christmas

"Solstice" is derived from two

Latin words: "sol" meaning sun,

and "sistere," to cause to stand

still. The lowest elevationoccurs on or about December

21st and is the winter solstice --

the first day of winter, when

the night time hours are

maximum. The winter solstice

is often called Yule. It is a time

for introspection, and planning

for the future. Yule may mean

'Yoke of the Year', derived from

the Anglo-Saxon Geola, thoughsome suggest a derivation from

the NorseJul, meaning 'wheel'.

Mid December was also Dies

Juvenalis, Coming of Age for

Young Men.

The winter solstice has long

been celebrated as the birth of

the sun, of light, of life itself. In

Maeshowe, (Orkneys, Scotland)

there is a chambered cairn built

on a leveled area with a

surrounding bank and ditch. It

has been carbon dated at

2750BC. Inside the cairn is a

stone structure with a long

entry tunnel. The structure is

aligned so that sunlight can

shine along the entry passage

into the interior of the

megalith, and illuminate the

back of the structure. Thishappens at sunrise at the

winter solstice. One of the most

impressive prehistoric

monuments in Europe is at

Newgrange, in Brugh-na-Boyne,

County Meath, in eastern

Ireland. It covers an area of one

acre, and has an entrance

passage that is almost 60 feet

(18 m) long. Above the

entrance way is a stone box

that allows the light from the

sun to penetrate to the back of

the cairn at sunrise on the

winter solstice. It has been

dated at about 3,300 BCE and is

one of the oldest structures in

the world.

Ultimately, of course, the

holiday is rooted deeply in the

cycle of the year. It is the

Winter Solstice that is being

celebrated, seed-time of the

year, the longest night andshortest day. It is the birth time

of the new Sun King, the Son of

God -- by whatever name you

choose to call him. On this

darkest of nights, the Goddess

becomes the Great Mother and

once again gives birth. And it

makes perfect poetic sense that

on the longest night of the

winter, 'the dark night of oursouls', there springs the new

spark of hope, the Sacred Fire,

the Light of the World, the Coel

Coeth.

Druids formed the

professional class in ancient

Celtic society. They performed

the functions of modern day

priests, teachers, poets and

judges. Druids led all public

rituals, which were normallyheld within fenced groves of

sacred trees. The winter

solstice was the time of the

death of the old sun and the

birth of the dark-half of the

year. It was called "Alban

Arthuan".

Christmas

Emperor Aurelian (270-

275CE) blended a number of

Pagan solstice celebrations of

the nativity of such gods as

Apollo, Attis, Baal, Dionysus,

Helios, Hercules, Horus, Mithra,Osiris, Perseus, and Theseus

into a single festival called Sol

Invictus, the "Birthday of the

Unconquered Sun" on

December 25th. At the time,

Mithraism and Christianity

were fierce competitors.

Aurelian even declared

Mithraism the official religion

of the Roman Empire in 274

CE. Christianity won out bybecoming the new official

religion in the 4th century CE.

The metaphor of the birth of

the sun worked well for

Christians celebrating the birth

of the Son of God, who brings

light to the world. Christ's birth

was first celebrated on January

6th, and then moved in 336CE

to December 25th. This changewas not popular with everyone.

The Christians of Edessa

accused the church in Rome of

idolatry and "sun worship."

Some Biblical scholars believe

that Christ was actually born in

the fall after the harvest or in

spring after the birth of the

new animals, both the most

likely times for taxation.

Shepherds don't 'tend their

flocks by night' in the high

pastures in the dead of winter.

If one wishes to use the New

Testament as historical

evidence, this reference may

point to sometime in the spring

as the time of Jesus' birth. This

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is because the lambing season

occurs in the spring and that is

the most likely time when

shepherds 'watched their flocks

by night' -- to make sure the

lambing went well. Knowing

this, the Eastern half of the

Church continued to reject

December 25, preferring a

'movable date' fixed by their

astrologers according to the

moon.

In 563CE, the Council of Braga

forbade fasting on Christmas

Day, and four years later the

Council of Tours proclaimed the

twelve days from December 25

to Epiphany as a sacred, festive

season. This last point isperhaps the hardest to impress

upon the modern reader, who

is lucky to get a single day off

work. Christmas, in the Middle

Ages, was not a single day, but

rather a period oftwelve days,

from December 25 to January

6. The Twelve Days of

Christmas, in fact.

Polydor Virgil, an early BritishChristian, said "Dancing,

masques, mummeries,

stageplays, and other such

Christmas disorders now in use

with Christians, were derived

from these Roman Saturnalian

and Bacchanalian festivals;

which should cause all pious

Christians eternally to

abominate them." In

Massachusetts, Puritansunsuccessfully tried to ban

Christmas entirely during the

17th century, because of its

heathenism. The English

Parliament abolished Christmas

in 1647 for a time. Some

contemporary Christian faith

groups still do not celebrate

Christmas.

Although Christmas Dec 25th

is a major holiday in Ireland, it

is not widely celebrated in

Scotland. Some historians have

suggested that the reason

Christmas is downplayed in

Scotland is because of the

influence of the Presbyterian

Church or Kirk, which viewed

Christmas as a "Papist", or

Catholic event. As a result,

Christmas in Scotland tends to

be a somber event, in direct

contrast to the next Celtic

festival, Hogmany, held on

January 1. January 6 is the day

of the feast of the Epiphany. It

is called "Little Christmas" in

Ireland, Nollaig Bheag in Gaelic.Little Christmas, the Day of the

Epiphany, is sacred as a

celebration of God's

manifestation to us in human

form.

Symbolism

Many symbols and practices

associated with Christmas areof Pagan origin: holly, ivy,

mistletoe, yule log, the giving of

gifts, decorated evergreen tree,

magical reindeer, and others.

In the Celtic language,

Mistletoe means "All Heal". The

ancient Celts believed

Mistletoe possessed miraculous

healing powers and held the

soul of the host tree during the

winter months. It was believedto have miraculous power of

healing diseases, making

poisons harmless, giving

fertility to humans and animals,

and as protection against evil

spirits.

Mistletoe was collected by the

Druid in a very special

ceremony held five days after

the New Moon following winter

solstice. The Druid priests

would cut mistletoe from a holy

oak tree with a golden sickle.

The branches had to be caught

before they touched the

ground. The priest then divided

the branches into many sprigs

and distributed them to the

people, who hung them over

doorways as protection against

thunder, lightning and other

evils. In fact, it was considered

so sacred that even enemies

who happened to meet

beneath a Mistletoe in theforest would lay down their

arms, exchange a friendly

greeting, and keep truce until

the following day. From this old

custom grew the practice of

suspending Mistletoe over a

doorway or in a room as a

token of good will and peace.

Mistletoe was one of the

casualties of early Christiancelebrations, and for centuries

it was forbidden to display the

plant on Christian altars.

Mistletoe found its way back

into acceptance as the

Victorians revived the ancient

ritual of kissing under the

Mistletoe as a sign of love,

romance and good luck.

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The folklore, and the magical

powers of this plant, has

blossomed over the centuries.

A sprig placed in a baby's cradle

would protect the child from

faeries, as an example.

Holly

Today, Holly conjures up

images of Christmas wreaths,

but actually had religious

significance long before its

adoption by Christianity. There

are around 400 natural types of

holly in the world, but the one

people are most familiar with is

Ilex aquifolium, or"English/Christmas Holly".It is aconiferous evergreen plant that

can be found in many parts of

the world. English holly grows

best in moist soil in direct

sunlight, but it can tolerate

partial shade as well. Holly was

important in Pagan/Druidic

religion and customs. It was

placed around dwellings during

winter, intended as a kindly andhospitable gesture so that the

fairies could come into their

homes and use the holly as

shelter against the cold. This

may actually have had some

basis in fact, as holly growing in

the wild is often used as shelter

by small animals, primarily

insects. Hollys evergreen

nature made it special. The

Druids believed that it

remained green to help keep

the earth beautiful when the

deciduous trees such as the

sacred oak shed their leaves.

In some rights, holly was used

for protection, decorating

doors and windows to ward off

evil spirits before they could

enter the house.

As the British Isles began to

convert to Christianity, the

early Christians continued the

tradition of decorating their

home with holly. The

significance of the berries

changed so that they now

symbolized the blood of Christ

and holly gradually solidified its

position as a Christmas

tradition.

The ceremonial Yule log was

the highlight of the early winterfestival. In accordance to

tradition, the log must either

have been harvested from the

householder's land, or given as

a gift. It must never have been

bought. Once dragged into the

house and placed in the

fireplace, it was decorated in

seasonal greenery, doused with

cider or ale, and dusted with

flour, perhaps even with a smalloutlined human figure before

set ablaze by a piece of last

year's log.

The log would burn throughout

the night, then smolder for 12

days before being ceremonially

put out. Ash is the traditional

wood of the Yule log. It is the

sacred world tree of the

Teutons, known asYggdrasil. An herb of the Sun,

Ash brings light into the hearth

at the Solstice.

For most of the modern

Christian world, the Christmas

season is a time of joy, of

family, of giving, of love, of

peace. A time to celebrate the

birth of love and forgiveness. Atime to celebrate the birth of

their Lord.

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