On Tuesday the 31st of January, some Sisters from the Mother House, Kermaria, with their animator Anne, came to the bowling alley in Pontivy, with their animator Anne and then on to afternoon tea at the community of the Daughters of Jesus.
I was there to greet them as the five mini buses arrived from Kermaria. There were smiles on their faces, even if some, who had never been to a bowling alley, were a bit concerned.
Bowling is a game of skittles of American origin comprising 10 large skittles arranged in a triangle at the end of a long 25-meter lane, and which must be knocked down with two balls of varying diameter.
A shared pleasure
Imagine what a sport this is for women aged 80 and over! But after putting on the special shoes, they were on the track. First, they had to find a ball, which was not too heavy. Then Anne explained the rules of the game, and each one was shown how to hold and throw the ball. The Sisters quickly understood and showed their talent. You could see the pleasure on their faces.
Armandine, Marie Rose, Thérèse, Marie Jo and Blandine were delighted to see all the pins – or almost all of them – fall! Thérèse kept looking at the points to make sure she was in the lead, but it was Blandine who won.
Their impressions
I collected some of their impressions of the experience:
“It’s a good way to relax”.
“I’m glad we’re in a group”.
“Bowling is very interesting”.
“The atmosphere was good.”
“I am happy to come to the community of Pontivy”.
“I am happy to meet up again the Sisters with whom I lived”.
Afternoon tea at the community
At about 4 p.m., the minibus arrived in the courtyard of the community. The table was nicely prepared with a good fruit tart and white wine awaiting us.
The Sisters showed their joy at coming to visit us. Some had never been here before while others said they were happy to see again the Sisters with whom they had lived. It was a good meeting, where we shared more than just the tart!
It was then time to return to Kermaria! Each one thanked us for this moment of fraternity and joy. We in return said “Kenavo“, which means “See you again!” in Breton.
Agnès Miquel, fj,
Pontivy, France
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