HAPPINESS FOR AND WITH MY KILKENNY FRIENDS...........

Yesterday, I received the happy news that my nearly thirty year friends Geraldine and Kevin Butler, have decided they will be coming to California in late April and early May, to attend my Silver Jubilee of Priesthood celebration.  Kev and Ger, go back with me and our mutual circle of Kilkenny friends, to 1982, when I was a first year seminarian at St. Kieran's College.  Ger had been hired that summer as a College office secretary, so we became friends in short order.  At that time, she and Kev were dating, and he would pick her up after work, so that the lads got to know him too.  Through these three decades, across the miles, and in Ireland, they have remained close and loyal friends, joined with the others in our band of, "usual suspects".  Two months ago they celebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversary, and the parents of Neil and Katie, who are now both attending a third level college and university, my invitation to Ger and Kev, to come to California for a holiday visit twenty one years ago, is at last going to come to fulfillment.  Also today, voting for the Better Together Irish Charity Hero competition closed.  Eamon Cleere, one of the brothers of, "usual suspect" Patricia Cleere Shortall, is one of the nominees.  Eamon has volunteered countless hours over the past two and a half decades to the O'Neill Centre For the Disabled, especially children, in Kilkenny city.  Kudos to Eamon for all his selfless work on behalf of the disabled, and best of luck to him in being chosen as the Irish Charity Hero the Year.  As the lyrics of that old American standard sing, "Friendship is the perfect Blendship".  That is certainly true of these fine Friends, who have made me, and become for me, Family...........Fr.  Troy