Christmas Blessings

The Nativity by Michael D O'Brien

Well the feast is on us again and I am pondering my Christmas homily. O'Briens image of the Nativity always moves me and my reflections of the feast have this year been shaped by the books '10 things they never told you about Jesus - A beginners guide to a larger Christ'. So I'll leave you with his words to ponder

An Alternative 'O little town of Bethlehem.' by the Rev. John Bell

O little town of Bethlehem, how rowdy you appear
as homecome emigrants are buoyed
by sentiment and beer.
The long haired tearaway returns
grandfatherly and grey,
and former glamourpusses’ pasts
emerge in all they say

Who knows if Ned the publican
whose rooms could take no more
would pleasantly or angrily
greet strangers at the door?
Who knows if he had cats and dogs
around his cattle shed,
or whether robins twittered on
or even Mrs Ned?

But if he let his stable out
to be a labour room
for some expectant teenage mum
and her embarrassed groom,
the breath and stink of tethered beasts
would set the midwives wild
If keen to minimise the risk
to Mary and her child.

And would poor shepherds, when disturbed
from midnight peace and calm,
presume a newborn baby boy
would want to hold a lamb?
And if the magi from the East
did ‘enter in all three’
were they distinctly Siamese
In bending just one knee?

And did the baby never cry,
and was the mother mild
when Herod sensed that he’d been duped
and let his men run wild?
And was the father pre-programmed
to take a passive part
when one old man foretold the child
would break his mother’s heart?

Christ was not born at Christmas time
invoked by practised choirs,
embrace by plastic mangers
and fulfilling our desires.
No kindergarten was his home,
no drummer boy his page,
no earth had frozen snow on snow
when God had come of age.

Instead, on the periphery,
eccentric through decree,
the power behind the universe
was born a refugee;
A refugee from heaven above
Is the world’s creator,
and chose an unknown peasant girl
as host and liberator.

May God bless you and those you love.

12 days of Christmas

Christmas is a season of the Christian Year that last for days beginning December 25 and lasting until January 6 -the Day of Epiphany - when the church celebrates the revelation of Christ as the light of the world and recalls the journey of the Magi. From 1558 until 1829 Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their faith openly. During this era someone wrote 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' as a kind of secret catechism that could be sung in public without risk of persecution.


The song has two levels of interpretation: "the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of the church."


Each element in the carol is a code word for a religious reality.

1.The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ.

2.The two turtle doves are the Old and New Testaments.

3.Three French hens stand for faith, hope and love.

4.The four calling birds are the four Gospels.

5.The five gold rings recall the torah (Law) the first
five books of the Old Testament.

6.The six geese a-laying stand for the six days of
creation.

7.Seven swans a-swimming represent the sevenfold gifts
of the Spirit.

8.The eight maids a-milking are the eight beatitudes

9.Nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits of the spirit
(Gal.5).

10.The ten lords a-leaping are the Ten Commandments.

11.Eleven pipers piping stand for the eleven faithful
disciples.

12.Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the 12 points of
belief in the Apostles Creed.

There you have it, the HIDDEN meaning of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and the secret behind the song.

Catholics also wore rings with 10 bumps on them so they could do their rosary and not be caught with the beads in public.

Wednesday, 23rd December

O Emmanuel, you are our king and judge, the one whom the peoples await and their Saviour. O come and save us, Lord, our God.

Tuesday, 22nd December

O King whom all the peoples desire, you are the cornerstone which makes all one. O come and save man whom you made from clay.

Monday, 21st December

O Rising Sun, you are the splendour of eternal light and the sun of justice. O come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

20th December 2009

O key of David and sceptre of Israel, what you open no one else can close again; what you close no one can open. O come and lead the captive from prison; free those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

19th December 2009

O stock of Jesse, you stand as a signal for the nations; kings fall silent before you whom the peoples acclaim. O come to deliver us, and do not delay.


Jesse: father of King David from whose stock Jesus was descended

O Antiphons 2

Friday, 18th December

O Adonai and leader of Israel, you appeared to Moses in a burning bush and you gave him the Law on Sinai. O come and save us with your mighty power.


Adonai: a hebrew name for God meaning 'Lord'

The final days of Advent

Thursday, 17th December

O Wisdom, you come forth from the mouth of the Most High. You fill the universe and hold all things together in a strong yet gentle manner. O come to teach us the way of truth.

Advent.

Remembrance Sunday

Today I will celebrate a Requiem Mass for the fallen and victims of war. I always find myself troubled at this time of the year with many questions and few answers. This is a song I always listen to at this time

The Old Man's Tale -Ian Campbell (tune traditional, 'Nicky Tams')


At the turning of the century I was a boy of five
Me father went to fight the Boers and never came back alive.
Me mother was left to bring us up, no charity she'd seek,
So she washed and scrubbed and scrapped along on seven and six a week.


When I was twelve I left the school and went to find a job
I took the royal shilling and went off to do my bit,
I lived on mud and tears and blood, three years or thereabouts
Then I copped some gas in Flanders and got invalided out.


Well when the war was over and we'd settled with the Hun,
We got back into civvies and we thought the fighting done,
We'd won the right to live in peace but we didn't have such luck,
For we found we had to fight for the right to go to work

In '26 the General Strike found me out in the streets,
Although I;d a wife and kids by then and their needs I had to meet,
For a brave new world was coming and I taught them wrong from right,
But Hitler was the boy who came and taught them how to fight.

My daughter was a landgirl, she got married to a Yank
And they gave my son a gong for stopping one of Rommel's tanks.
He was wounded just before the end and he convalesced in Rome
He married an Italian nurse and never bothered to come home.

My daughter writes me once a month, a cheerful little note
About their colur telly and the other things they've got.
She's got a son, a likely lad; he's nearly twenty-one
And she tells me now they've called him up to fight in Vietnam.

We're living on the pension now, it doesn't go too far
Not much to show for a life that seems like one long bloody war.
When you think of all the wasted lives it makes you want to cry
I'm not sure how to change things, but by Christ we'll have to try.

Let us pray for peace.

A prayer for priests

I received this today. It is worth sharing with you

A PRAYER FOR OUR PRIESTS

You came among us
To be, for us, one who serves.
We thank you for ministering Christ to us
and helping us minister Christ to each other.
We are grateful for the many gifts you bring to our community:
For drawing us together in worship, for visiting us in our homes,
for comforting us in sickness, for showing us compassion,
for blessing our marriage, for baptising our children,
for confirming us in our calling, for supporting us in bereavement,
for helping us to grow in faith,
for encouraging us to take the initiative,
for helping the whole community realise God’s presence among us:
For our part, we pray that we may always be attentive to your needs
and never take you for granted.
You, like us, need friendship and love;
welcome and a sense of belonging,
kind words and acts of thoughtfulness.
We pray also for the priests who have wounded priesthood.
May we be willing to forgive,
and may they be open to healing.
Let us support one another during times of crisis.
God our Father, we ask you to bless our priests
and confirm them in their calling.
Give them the gifts they need to respond with generosity
and a joyful heart.
We offer this prayer for our priest
Who is our brother and our friend.

Archbishop Nichols farewell to St Therese

The text of Archbishop Vincent's Farewell Homily follows:

Over the past 28 days, thousands upon thousands of people have thronged to pray in the presence of these precious relics of St Thérèse. Today, as we prepare to return these relics to Lisieux, we thank God for the graces and blessings we have received. This has been a time of such wonderful expressions of faith and love in which we have been strengthened and filled with joyful encouragement.

This outpouring of faith has baffled many people. Some secular commentators have not been able to make sense of it all. I have found their incomprehension quite intriguing. Other reports have simply described what was there to be seen: so many people finding encouragement, perseverance and hope through the example and prayers of this most remarkable of young women. But surely they can see, unless they refuse to do so, her testimony to the spiritual dimension of human living, a dimension which takes us beyond that which can be measured and lifts human reasonableness to new levels, and flowers in heroism, sacrifice and perseverance.

For many, these days have been a time of conversion; for some they have been a time of appreciating again the value of relics as an ancient expression of our faith in God's transforming presence in the midst of our human failures. The sense of uneasiness felt even by some Catholics can itself be a grace, prompting us to trust more readily in the closeness of God to each of us.

The real meaning of relics is, of course, that they are but a sign, a token of the holy life of this much-loved saint. They are God's way of opening our hearts to his unwavering love. We do well to draw all the encouragement we can from this time of grace.

Today we ponder on what happens next. Where do we go from here? What do we learn from Thérèse of our mission today? How do we in our turn, speak of the Gospel to this society of ours?

We must remember that St Thérèse is the patron saint of the missions. What an irony that she who never left the cloister of her convent became the patron of every mission, of every 'sending out'! Of course we know of her dream of being a missionary, expressed in the words: 'I would like to travel the earth preaching your name...I would be a missionary right up to the end of time.' And we have recalled her wish that she could spend eternity doing good on earth. How true that is and how grateful we are!

There is a profound sense of purpose running through the whole of the life of St Thérèse. She said that her single desire was 'to love Jesus and to make him loved.'

This was her mission statement.

Can it be ours too? Can we, today, truly love Jesus and make him loved?

Clearly, love is the key. Of course, in our mission efforts we need to be clear and reasoned in all we say and do. We need to understand carefully the circumstances of our day and be well versed in contemporary affairs. Yet Thérèse teaches us the ancient Christian message: without love all our efforts are little more than a 'gong booming or a symbol clashing.'(1 Cor 13.1)

She had her own way of expressing this: 'Finally I understood that love comprises all vocations, that love was everything, that it embraced all times and all places....in a word that it is Eternal.' Then she cried out, 'My vocation is love...Yes, I have found my place in the Church....in the heart of the Church, my Mother, I will be love.'

As often as we listen to these words, well-known and inspiring as they are, we need to remember that they were written in October 1896, nine months before she died. They were written, then, at a time of anguished pain and suffering. They are not the words of a young romantic, day-dreaming of an ideal future. They are born of abandonment to God, in darkness and desolation. They are, therefore, powerful testimony to the grace of God at work in our weakness, and not to the power of a self-centred romantic imagination. They are words to shape our mission today.

These words speak directly to us today when, as a society, we struggle to understand and respond to the experience of terminal illness and approaching death. In the shortened perspectives of many, such moments are pointless and actually rob life of all its meaning. Therefore some seek the right to exercise the only solution that is within their own power: that of killing themselves and having others free to assist them to do so.

St Thérèse lived through those same moments. She too experienced suicidal thoughts of ending the pain and the overpowering sense of futility. She warned the sister who cared for her that when she had patients who were 'a prey to violent pains' she must not 'leave them any medicines that are poisonous.' She added, 'I assure you it needs only a second when one suffers intensely to lose one's reason. Then one would easily poison oneself.'

So Thérèse too lived the tension that many experience today, the tension between her individual, autonomous choice, on the one hand, and, on the other, the bonds which bound her to her community, to her family, to those who cared for her, to life. She argues, as we do today, that reason, in the context of our relationships, must acknowledge life as a gift and not an individual possession and, at the same time, embrace death when it comes.

This is so because the full expression of such reasoning is love seasoned by truth: the bonds of love which truly tie the dying person to those who care; the love which recognises the true impact on others of every personal action; the love of life itself, as the ultimate gift, and as stretching beyond the immediate horizons to the eternity of God's presence.

Here we see that St Thérèse, indeed, proclaims the Gospel for our times.

For we live in a time of fragile and disposable relationships whereas she fashioned bonds with her sisters and with the Lord that grew stronger through every trial.

We live in a time in which affectivity and love itself seem to be commercialised and relationships subject to calculations of benefit and loss, and used accordingly. She reminds us that no cost is too high for God's love to meet, and that in love for us God has abandoned every calculation of worth and reward.

We live in a time when each individual must impose himself or herself on every relationship, fashioning it in his or her own likeness. She, on the other hand, teaches us that we find ourselves by living in and through our relationships, and that we find ourselves fully only by abandoning ourselves into the loving embrace of Christ.

In our desire for individual autonomy, we push relationships out of the heart of our living. But she shows us clearly that neither life nor death, certainly not death, has any enduring meaning beyond our belonging to each other and to the Lord.

The practice of love in every relationship is the heart of our mission, a mission carried out in every action, at every moment. And our mission is here. 'Make love real where you live'. That is her invitation.

Hidden in this invitation, and making it come to life, is a single question, addressed to every one of us who wish to share in her mission. The question is this: Do you really want to be close to God? Do you really want to live close to the Lord? Only when we answer with an unequivocal 'Yes!' will our mission be fruitful. As messengers of Christ, it is not effectiveness we seek; it is fruitfulness. And to bear that fruit we must abide in him, remain part of him, be with him one vine.

Now, as we continue with this Mass, we prepare for the moment in which these precious relics will leave. Again, we open our hearts to the Lord that he may guide our every moment, and fill the reservoir of emptiness within each of us. Then we will be able to accept our mission, our task, in this land today. If we are renewed in this sense of purpose, then these wonderful days of this pilgrimage will bear fruit indeed.

Amen.

Fr Damien declared a Saint (No not me!)

From the CBS News agency

Pope Benedict XVI canonized five new saints Sunday, including a 19th century priest whose work with leprosy patients on a Hawaiian island has been hailed by U.S. President Barack Obama as inspiring those helping AIDS sufferers in today's world.

Among the pilgrims packing St. Peter's Basilica was Hawaii resident Audrey Toguchi, an 80-year-old retired teacher whose recovery from lung cancer a decade ago was called miraculous by the Vatican.

She had prayed to Belgium-born Jozef De Veuster, more commonly known as Father Damien, who himself died from leprosy in 1889 after contracting the disease while working with leprosy patients who were living in isolation on Molokai island.

Toguchi and her doctor, Walter Chang, joined a procession of faithful bringing relics of the new saints to Benedict at the central altar of the basilica.

The pontiff said the newly-canonized had given of themselves totally without "calculation or personal gain."

"Their perfection, in the logic of a faith that is humanly incomprehensible at times, consists in no longer placing themselves at the center, but choosing to go against the flow and live according to the Gospel," Benedict said in his homily.

Official delegations for St. Damien included King Albert II and Queen Paolo of Belgium and, for the United States, President Barack Obama's new envoy to the Vatican, Miguel H. Diaz, and Hawaii Sen. Daniel Kahikina Akaka.

Mr. Obama, who was born and spent part of his childhood in Hawaii, has said he remembers stories about Damien caring for people suffering from leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, and its stigma.

In a message for the canonization, President Obama noted that millions worldwide suffer from disease, especially HIV/AIDS, and urged people to follow Damien's example by "answering the urgent call to heal and care for the sick."

Those with the disease, which can result in disfigurement, had been ostracized for centuries by societies and even families. Two leprosy patients participated in one of the basilica processions.

"The way leprosy was perceived then is how AIDS is perceived today" by many people, said Gail Miller, a pilgrim from Auburn Hills, Mich. Her parish church, St. Damien of Molokai, in Pontiac, Mich., became the first U.S. church to be named in the saint's honor.

Benedict praised the missionary, saying that "not without fear and repugnance, he chose to go to Molokai to serve the lepers who were there, abandoned by all," exposed himself to leprosy, and "felt at home with them."

A Honolulu pilgrim, Gloria Rodrigues, said she saw a connection between Damien and the AIDS problem today. "He was a servant of the outcast and should be an inspiration for us today to do as he did," said Rodrigues, who added she had relatives with leprosy who had been cared for on Molokai, although years after Damien's work there.

After the ceremony, the pope came out on the basilica's central balcony to greet some 40,000 faithful in the square. Speaking in French, he urged people to pray and help those involved in the battle against leprosy and "other forms of leprosy caused by lack of love or cowardliness."

Another new saint is Zygmunt Szcezesny Felinski, a 19th century Polish bishop who defended the Catholic faith during the years of the Russian annexation, which had led to the shutdown of Polish churches.

Two Spaniards were honored: Francisco Coll y Guitart, who founded an order of Dominicans in the 19th century; and Rafael Arniaz Baron, who renounced an affluent lifestyle at age 22 to live a humble life in a strict monastery and dedicate himself to prayer.

The fifth new saint is Jeanne Jugan, a Frenchwoman described by Vatican Radio as an "authentic Mother Teresa ahead of her time."

A nun, she helped found the Little Sisters of the Poor, which today runs homes for indigent elderly worldwide. She died in 1879.

A year ago

This time last year my family was keeping vigil at the bedside of my father as he entered his last days. It was a very difficult time. I had spent many hours with other families on this journey, but now it was my family and my father who were living this reality. This week I find myself back in that pain of letting go and revisiting the feelings that were surfaciong for me. I loved my father deeply and I was loved by him. But the disease that marked the final years of his life was to affect us all. Alzheimer's is a burden for the whole family to endure.

Today, I was reading the blog of a priest friend of mine, Fr Stephen Wang. He quoted this, which has given me a new perspective on thiose days.

"Yesterday, after an emergency call at the nursing home, I was about to exit when I noticed a man in the hallway. He was sitting next to a woman in a wheelchair, tenderly holding her hands. Not a word was spoken. He just sat there, looking intently into her eyes. I walked over and engaged him in conversation:

“Your wife, I take it?”

“That’s right, of forty-seven years.”

“Do you visit her often?”

“Every single day. Haven’t missed a day in four years, except for that blizzard last year.”

“She’s not saying anything.”

“That’s right. Hasn’t been able to for the last eighteen months – ever since her stroke. She has Alzheimer’s too.”

“Alzheimer’s! Does she know who you are?”

“Not really. But that doesn’t matter. I now who she is.”

[From Stephen Rossetti's Born of the Eucharist: A Spirituality for Priests pp. 101-102]

True

Therese on Tour. Day 1.

The relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux arrive in England via Eurotunnel on Tuesday 15 September 2009 in a specially adapted hearse for an historic first visit to England and Wales.

From 16 September to 16 October, the relics of the beloved, Catholic Saint will visit 28 different venues, including many Catholic cathedrals and parishes, an Anglican cathedral, a university chaplaincy, a prison and a hospice for the dying.

The relics make their way on Wednesday 16 September to the first tour venue, Portsmouth Cathedral. As a child Thérèse drew a map of England and on this map she named two cities, the cities where the official tour begins and ends; Portsmouth and London.

Huge crowds have flocked to St. Thérèse in every country her relics have visited – over 42 to date. Wherever they have gone, many people have experienced conversion, healing, a renewed sense of vocation, and answers to their prayers. All are welcome and there is a special invitation to the sick, young people seeking their way in life and those from any faith or none.

One of St. Thérèse’s sayings was that she would “let fall a shower of roses on earth” after her death. Consequently, many people will be bringing roses to the venues and asking for them to be blessed and to touch the reliquary.

Father Michael McGoldrick ODC, Regional Superior of the Discalced Carmelites in the UK, said: “The arrival of the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux is an important moment in their journey. They have been in over forty countries but in England they will visit an Anglican cathedral (York Minster) for the first time. It reveals something of the way in which St. Thérèse’s 'Little Way' of confidence in God's love speaks to people of different faith traditions.

“I hope the visit will bring many blessings on all those who follow Jesus and that like her they will come to a deep experience of his love for them. I am sure she will bring many blessings to people of other faith traditions and to all people of good will.”

Exhaltation of the Cross

"How splendid the cross of Christ! It brings life, not death; light, not darkness; Paradise, not its loss. It is the wood on which the Lord, like a great warrior, was wounded in hands and feet and side, but healed thereby our wounds. A tree has destroyed us, a tree now brought us life" (Theodore of Studios).

More of Aylesford

This week at Aylesford we have had many visitors. The Carmelite NGO team to the UN met here. Also a small group of young people met to make music and form a week long community. We also welcomed friars on route to the council of provinces being held in Italy next week.

This Wednesday Br Paul Jenkins will profess simple (first) vows and then move to our Walworth community to begin studies towards ordination at Heythrop. I also move to Walworth for a few months as parish priest. Photo's of the friary and church in Walworth next week. Meanwhile more of Aylesford.
The Pond


A view from the Gatehouse drive


The Shrine


The Old Guesthouse

A Morning View

A while has past since my last blog. The end of the July saw an end to my time as chaplain at Spec and a return to community life. I arrived at Aylesford in time to lead the All Night Vigil that takes place during the pilgrimage season. I was due to begin a sabbatical in September, but needs take over from wants and I have been asked to be acting parish priest in the Carmelite parish of Walworth in South London. So I will be on the move again. Meanwhile here are some pictures from last evening around the pond and views from my bedroom window.







I purchased this camera in anticipation of my travels. I'm still getting used to it. More photo's of the friary to come.

A Wedding Homily

Weeding season is upon us. This is a homily I preached recently.

As I gaze around the church I see many familiar faces, and I must say that you have all scrubbed up very well. The hat shops of Birstall and Kingston have obviously done a roaring trade. One of the benefits of being a friar is that I don’t have to worry about what to wear, as the attire is pretty much standard issue. But the very fact that we have dressed up in our finery tells us that what will take place today is of great importance, so for a few moments I will be serious, for what we witness, and the sacrament that Louis and Ann celebrate here today is of great importance and significance to us all.

If I were to ask each one of you ‘Why are you here?’ I am sure that I will hear some humorous answers. Maybe you wanted to see what Louis would look like without a frisby and in a suit, or just how beautiful Ann would be in her dress. It could be the promise of a free meal. Maybe you are all waiting for the best man’s long anticipated speech; I know that Louis is particularly looking forward to that nougat of entertainment. But if we were to allow ourselves an honest answer the simple response would be love. We are here because love has called each one of us here. Each one of us in this room has a connection with Louis and Ann that responds to the love that they proclaim today. In some way we have been touched by Louis or Ann and our presence here today is to affirm them in their love for one another. We are also to learn something more of God as we glimpse him in the love that is proclaimed today. We are not merely spectators here, but participants in this great day for the Church and for society as a whole. We have a role to play, and that is in our prayer and support of Louis and Ann. For those of you who are married use this liturgy as an opportunity to renew your own commitment to your spouse. For those of us who are unmarried let us pray in this celebration that we will always be open to the invitation to love and be loved.

Marriage is a vocation, a call within the Church. And like all calls it gives a new dimension to what seems ordinary and transforms the ordinary into something precious and unique. God has called Louis and Ann to life through the love shared by their respective parents and families. He has called them to life in the love they have found in one another. He has called us to life by our witnessing this sacrament and our involvement in the lives of Louis and Ann. The Love that they proclaim is a message of hope for the whole church.

John in his Gospel gives us an insight into love that is rooted in God. It echo’s the theme of the wonderful poetry of the Song of Songs. Love, authentic love has to be shared. It cannot be silent or constrained. Love yearns to speak, and as Love is spoken its word resounds and fills empty spaces. Love is about life, the fullness of life, human beings fully alive. Love gives glory to God. This is why our presence here in this church is necessary; we are to hear what love has to say. We are called here to be attentive to our longings and to place them in the embrace of God. We are commanded to love so that we may truly reflect the loving community that is God. Love rooted in God is always fruitful. It generates life and hope. The sacrament that Ann and Loius celebrate here today within the context of the Eucharist invites us into the embrace of God. Ann and Louis today become a tangible sign of the Love that God has for each and every one of us.

Sometimes I feel that we have lost much of our understanding about love because we have become over familiar with the word. See you later love, love you, Ta love. We say I love chips and I love people with the same word and often the same enthusiasm. Our sense of language has become impoverished because of the way our language has developed. Society seems to be looking for the fleeting experience of love but without the responsibility of relationship. People see commitment as something that is negative rather than a choice for life. Today we gaze at love and see in it something of great beauty, a pearl of great price. Something for which we would give away all that we own.
The following words from Captain Correlli’s mandolin capture

something of this experience

“Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because that is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion … that is just being “in love”, which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two

I have known Louis and Ann for about 4 or 5 years. They are people of great faith in God and in one another. Their journey to this day has been considered and prayerful, and a great example to those who know them. At the heart of their relationship is a deep love of God and his Church. This can tell us something of the sacrament that we witness and celebrate today. First love is gift. It is the acceptance of another and the acceptance of ourselves. I guess that it is much easier to live who we are when someone loves us without preconditions. Yes, love will change us, but this can never be the basis on which love is shared. Love is about give and take, with more giving than taking. Secondly, love is an encounter with God. There is a beautiful line in the musical ‘Les Miserables’, when the principle character, Jean Valjean, is looking back over his life and not liking what he sees, then in a moment of grace he joyously proclaims that ‘to love another person is to see the face of God.’ And in singing this line he realises how blessed his life has been. I find that awesome. At the heart of our understanding of marriage is this sense of encountering God. In this sacrament God is communicated through the love that Louis and Ann have for one another. For each other they will be the face of God. And for the Church they will be a sign of the enduring love that God has for his people.

So Louis and Ann, thank you. Today you have reminded us of the awesome love that God calls us to participate in and receive. Be assured of our prayer on this first day of your new life together. Never forget the graces that God bestows on each of you today, and draw strength from these. Never forget the love that surrounds you today. You belong to a community of people that we call Church, and we rejoice and thank God for what the Lord has called you to.

Celebrating lives

One of the joys of the ordained ministry is being able to celebrate with family and friends the important moments of their lives. The last weekend saw me presiding at the wedding of friends in Ireland. It was a day of deep joy. I will preside at the wedding of another couple next weekend. Agsain, I know it will be a graced day (you only have to know them to realise that!)

When we are able to support those we love in the joy's of life, we also are called to be with them in those difficult moments, when a loved one dies and there seems no reason.

I find these word a comfort, when I can find none.

Always Ready ~ Sr Marie Paula.

There is no time to stop and prepare for the journey of death, even if we could. God demands the last day’s labour as well as the first.

He seems to Say: ‘Never mind death. I will take care of that. It is for you to take care of life.’

Just in the right time the hand will be laid on our shoulder, the word whispered in our ear. We must leave the sewing undone, the floor unswept, the plough in the furrow, the story untold, the picture unfinished, the song unsung. We may not, perchance, even kiss our loved ones goodbye.

But let us strive to live, that we may say ‘Yes, Lord, I am ready, always ready; for I need no money for luggage on this journey.

My hand is in thine like a trusting child. I am glad to be nearer to thee, Father, to feel more closely the warmth of thy breast. What I have missed and failed in, thou knowest; my poor feeble, futile efforts to serve thee, thou knowest also.’

There is neither prop nor stay, but in perfect trust it is all the cloak or covering I need. I have lived on the river’s brink all my life, now I am ready to cross with the great pilot.

I thought I knew life here. Oh no! It was an illusion. Now I am to live indeed

Year for Priests

This picture is of me on my ordination day. It was a wonderful and grace filled day. As I walked into the church I was aware of the love and prayer that surrounded me, and crucially, I knew that I would depend on that love and prayer. It has sustained me for six years, and helped me through some difficult times. Today begins the 'Year for Priests'. A time for priests to be renewed in their vocation to be servants of God's people. It is a time for the church to renew its call to our young people to consider a life of service in priesthood, diaconate, and religious life. It is a time for us to remember those priests who have served us well, whose words have inspired and whose presence in the lives of our families have enlivened God's presence among us and brought to us hope, faith and compassion. Please pray for your priests and pray for me.

A Prayer for Priest's ~ St Therese

O Jesus, eternal Priest,
keep your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart,
where none may touch them.

Keep unstained their anointed hands,
which daily touch Your Sacred Body.

Keep unsullied their lips,
daily purpled with your Precious Blood.

Keep pure and unearthly their hearts,
sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood.

Let Your holy love surround them and
shield them from the world's contagion.

Bless their labours with abundant fruit and
may the souls to whom they minister
be their joy and consolation
here and in heaven their beautiful and
everlasting crown.

Amen.

Trinity Sunday

Again, I am conscious of the paucity of my blogging. Life is continuing and the work is being done. I had a couple of weeks off and managed to get away and rest awhile.

This Sunday is Trinity Sunday and a difficult one to preach as our words will never be enough to mine the depths of this beautiful mystery. For Christians, that concisely defines this mystery. The last word about God has not been spoken. As christians we are called to live with mystery and to befriend it. As a wise preacher once said and I oft repeat 'Loving is the best way to understand.'

An epistle to New Southgate

This weekend I returned to my old parish of Our Lady of Lourdes in New Southgate to celebrate Mass and to say goodbye to the people there properly. The people welcomed me with their usual generosity and love. It was a moving celebration. Being the year of St Paul, I decided to write the parish a letter rather than a sermon.

A letter in the style of St Paul from me, Damian, a stumbling, shy, joyful, endlessly surprised, constantly humbled, fan and follower of Jesus Christ.

I cut my own yesterday morning like I do every Friday morning because Friday’s generally means getting ready for the weekend and preparing a sermon and I swear I preach much better with a freshly trimmed dome. To all the brothers and sisters in the New Southgate community, whether here in the Church, sitting on one of our new pews, just come in from the sunshine, about to celebrate Mass together.
- To those listening at home.
- to those whose prayer is 'Jesus I believe in you—it's your followers who scare me',
- to those who feel so isolated but you stumbled upon this parish and it's making you feel like you aren't alone, like there are others out there longing for the same kind of fresh moving of the Holy Spirit,
-to those who find themselves on top of the world, you're asked how you're doing and you say 'I’m good', and it's true and you mean it
- and to those who can barely drag themselves out of bed each morning
- to those who've recently lost their job
- to those whose children are making choices that are breaking your heart
- to those whose relationships are in trouble
- to the lonely, the depressed, the confused, the doubting
- to those who find it very, very hard to swallow the idea of a good, loving God, much less an open tomb, or a new creation, to all of you grace and peace.

Grace and peace,
That's how Paul begins most of his letters — with grace and peace.
Paul echoes the Easter greeting of Jesus – ‘Peace be with you’, because he knows that we live in disturbance and that peace is the place where we will flourish. That is what Jesus wishes for each of us. His grace. His peace.
Paul knows that if we get a handle on them —or perhaps we should more accurately say— if grace and peace get a handle on us, then we will never be the same.

Grace is gift. It begins with our wide-eyed wonder and awe that all of this is a gift.
The 'this' is of course many things,
it's the love of the Father,
the gift of the Son,
it's the unexpected soothing reassurance of the Spirit who whispers sometimes in the most
hopeless of moments: - "you're going to be fine"

It's my friend who wrote to me recently to announce that he and his wife are expecting a baby and they're beside themselves with joy. If you knew their story, the long years of waiting and living with dashed hopes that they have been through to arrive at this moment where she's actually growing a belly. Oh grace.

It's a woman I saw all alone in front of the altar, tears in her eyes, obviously struggling with some deeply personal pain and then up behind her come two friends who put their arms around her and begin to speak calm and peaceful words of truth to her and she receives them she soaks them in,
she hears them and they give her life because she's learning about grace and peace

Grace has been abundant in this place when we have gathered to baptise, to anoint, to join together in marriage, to reconcile, to celebrate Eucharist, to be a family of believers. Grace has been given to me in the words of love filled encouragement that have been shared with me in the short time I have spent among you. You will never know what this meant to me, because I cannot begin to put my gratitude into words.

Grace was with us in Lourdes when we shared our stories in depth and realised that somehow, in some way, God had called us together so that we could not just celebrate the Eucharist, but become Eucharist for one another.

Grace and peace have placed themselves in our homes as we gather around those we love in their final moments of life and we realise that love is the hallmark of who we are and what we are about. My heart is filled with memories of prayers and grace filled moments as I’ve accompanied you through the passing and the farewells to your loved ones. And the recent time when you were with me and my family in our grief. You were the presence of grace and peace.

Grace and peace.

Grace sneaks into that old barn that's filled to the roof with guilt and shame and self-loathing and hate and despair and it smiles and then lights a match and sets the whole place on fire.
Paul keeps using words like joy and peace and grace and rejoice, Some of his writings come from dark places, from injustice and prison. He writes to those who support him when awaiting his own execution. Death row is not where you use those words, but Paul insists that suffering and joy are good friends, they hold hands, they embrace. This isn't conventional wisdom, you're either happy because everything is going according to your plan or you are suffering because God did something horrible to you and messed with your plan and now you have car accidents and cancer and the economy and divorce and Spurs!... It's either one or the other, but not both, and certainly not both sharing the same bed

But what we see again and again is that God's new creation works differently.
All sorts of flowers grow up in between the cracks in the ugly pavement and it's their location, right in the middle of all that ugly concrete that makes them so strikingly beautiful, because ordinarily you wouldn't notice them.

That's why some of the best insights come from pain.
that's why some of the best poems come from suffering.
that's why some of the best songs come from longing.
that's why some of the best stories come from the times when we had given up on having a story to tell...

I recently met a woman who shared with me her experience of raising her ten year old daughter with autism. She eloquently spoke of all the good and true and beautiful that she and her husband and family have experienced because of their suffering and struggle and challenges. I was moved because that's what joy is about.

Joy is learning to discern that God is up to something even in this.
Joy is learning to perceive things that run counter to prevailing wisdom about how the world works. Joy is evidence of a particular kind of living.

The truth is this - you really can become a certain kind of person
the kind of person who lives in the Christ pattern of thinking feeling and acting
the kind of person who is working out their way into grace and peace.
You can set yourself on becoming this kind of person.
The kind of person who, like Paul, can write letters exploding with joy and wisdom.
The kind of person who resolves to find the grace and peace in any situation.
The kind of person who will not be crushed by circumstances.
The kind of person that always assumes that even in this situation,
in this tragedy,
in this desert experience,
in this failure and mistake and regret and nightmare,
there will be some sort of resurrection even in this...
Everything you've been through is being retold through Christ.
And so the hard part
the tough parts
the shameful parts
they are now living breathing examples of grace.

You don't say "I could never talk about that", you say "let me tell you what I've made it through".
You have survived,
you're here
and you're listening
and all those things that should have wiped you out have actually made you stronger.
All the things that would be painful regrets and unspeakable wounds
are now evidence that grace and peace are real.

You took those blocks and boards of your experiences and you let Christ make a table out of them so that others could share in your story, you can say rejoice and again you can say rejoice
because you know grace and grace is gift.

You are going to be fine
Paul at one point in his letter to the Philippians quotes an early Christ hymn about Jesus who is executed on the cross but then exalted by God.
The resurrection turns everything upside down; it opens up all sorts of possibilities
it puts all sorts of balls in play, it invites all kinds of people to the celebration as it announces that the last word has not been spoken.
So until then, in our fear and trembling, our doubting and our rejoicing, our forgiving and our being forgiven, our giving and our receiving, we have an open tomb - a new creation, and the heightened anticipation that there is more to be said...

And so we come to the end of my time with you. What a time I have had being with you in your joy’s and sorrows and you being with me in mine. This goodbye, this ending which is of course
like all good endings, is really just a beginning...

How I long for all of you to know, to understand, to live, to experience, and to enjoy grace and peace.

Glory be God who shows his power in us and can do much more than we could ask or imagine; glory to him in the Church and in Christ Jesus through all the generations for ever and ever. Amen.

With all the love I can muster, your priest and brother,

Damian.

Settling in

Well the move happened. I celebrated my last Masses in Our Lady of Lourdes on the first Sunday of Lent and then moved to take up my new appointment in the residential youth retreat centres of Westminster diocese. For the first time in my life I am living on my own. I have a house in the grounds of the pastoral centre just a couple of minutes walk from the youth centre (SPEC). I have been involved with SPEc on a part time basis for a year and now I am alongside them full time.

This is a real learning curve and a totally new way of ministry for me. I have been in chaplaincy before but in a totally different context and as part of a religious community. There is an 'aloneness' to what I am doing now, which is a completely new experience for me. Please pray for me in the coming weeks and months as I discover new ways of ministering to God's people.

The Perfect Priest.

Saw this and it made me laugh.

The "Perfect" Priest

The results of a computerized survey indicate the perfect priest preaches exactly fifteen minutes. He condemns sins but never upsets anyone. He works from 8:00 AM until midnight and is also a janitor. He makes $50 a week, wears good clothes, buys good books, drives a good car, and gives about $50 weekly to the poor. He is 28 years old and has preached 30 years. He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all of his time with senior citizens.

The perfect priest smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work. He makes 15 calls daily on parish families, shut-ins and the hospitalized, and is always in his office when needed.

If your priest does not measure up, simply send this letter to six other churches that are tired of their priest, too. Then bundle up your priest and send him to the church on the top of the list. In one week, you will receive 1,643 priests and one of them will be perfect. Have faith in this procedure.

One parish broke the chain and got its old priest back in less than three weeks.

Still here.

I have just realised that I have been a very neglectful blogger recently. My excuse is ... work. I spent 2 weeks of January having a break, my first real break in almost a year. I spent the time sleeping, reading and catching up with friends. It was a wonderful time and I came home refreshed and then had a bout of tonsilitus. I had forgotten quite how painful that can be. I am pretty much recovered now and I am able to speak without wincing.
A big part of my time and energy has been spent waiting for news of my new appointment. I was told four months ago that I would be moving and the parish had been told who my replacement might be but nothing was confirmed regarding my appointment which is only now beginning to firm up. Please keep me in your prayers in the next few days.

Catholic Missionaries killed in 2008

Fides news service has released the following list of 20 priests, religious, and lay catechists who were killed while serving on Church assignments in 2008. The list is headed by Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of the Chaldean diocese of Mosul, Iraq. Fides shows eight Church workers killed in Asia (Iraq, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Nepal); five in the Americas (Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil); five in Africa (Kenya, Guinea Conakry, Nigeria, and Congo); and two in Europe (Russia).


Fr Pedro Daniel Orellana Hidalgo, 50, killed by robbers in his room in Caracas, Venezuela January 6, 2008. A native of Caracas, for many years he had carried out pastoral activity in the Archdiocese of Cumana. Upon his return to Caracas, he was given various administrative positions and a position as a teacher. He was not working in any specific ecclesial position at the time and celebrated Mass at "Immaculate Heart of Mary" Parish in the El Rosal district. When he failed to arrive to say Mass on the 6th, which was also the anniversary of his mother's death, his family went to his house and found him dead.

Fr Jesus Reynaldo Roda, OMI (Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate), 55, shot dead in Tabawan, Philippines, on January 15, 2008 during a bungled kidnapping. The priest was in charge of a small mission station and a community of about 30 Catholics involved in programs of basic instruction and inter-religious dialogue. He was also head of the local Notre Dame Catholic School for Christian and Muslim children. A gang of 10 gun men broke into the mission chapel where Fr Jesus was saying his Rosary.

Fr Michael Kamau Ithondeka, 42, Vice-Rector of the Mathias Mulumba Senior Seminary of Tindinyo (Kenya) was killed in Nigeria on January 26, at an illegal post established by a gang of armed youth on the Nakuru-Eldama road, in Rift Valley. Fr Michael was on his way to Nakuru. Fr Kamau was born in Kiambu, near Nairobi. He entered the Minor Seminary in Molo in 1986, studying in St Augustine Seminary in 1986 and St. Mathias Mulumba. He was ordained for the Diocese of Nakuru on January 1993. From 1998-2002, Fr Kamau studied Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Institute for Biblical Studies in Rome. In 2005, he became Vice-Rector of St Mathias Mulumba Seminary.


Brother Joseph Douet, Order of Christian Brothers of Saint Gabriel, 62, was killed by robbers on April 8 in Katako, Guinea Conakry. Brother Joseph was a native of Pin-en-Mauges, France and had spent 37 years in Africa, having taught in Cholet. In 1971, he began the mission in Senegal, as a teacher, school director, and head of formation. He returned to France for serious health trouble, however as soon as he had recuperated he returned to Africa. In 1989, he was appointed Superior of the young Province of Senegal, which he served for two terms. He then moved to Guinea, where the Province of Senegal had founded two mission, in Ourous and Katako, with a literacy learning centre and agricultural school. Brother Joseph was killed in by intruders at his school, where he was alone at the time. All the other staff was outside the premises preparing for the inauguration of the new school.

Fr Brian Thorp, Mill Hill Missionary, 77, killed in Lamu, Archdiocese of Mombasa, Kenya, apparently the victim of an armed attack which occurred on the night of April 9-10. Fr Thorp was born in Bamford, Derbyshire, the fourth of five children. After a life working as a carpenter and construction worker, following the death of his youngest brother in 1967, Brian decided to reflect on his future. The following year, he entered the program for studies with the Mill Hill Missionaries. He made temporal vows in June 1970 and perpetual vows June 29, 1972. He carried out his first mission from 1973-1976 in Basankusu (in present-day Democratic Republic of Congo), where he worked on various projects for building structures for the mission. He later worked in the missions in Kenya and Uganda. In 1999, Fr Brian was named parish pastor in Lamu.

Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mossul for Chaldeans (Iraq), 65, was kidnapped on February 29, in Mosul after having celebrated the Way of the Cross, as he exited the Church of the Holy Spirit. Three persons were killed: with him two bodyguards and the driver. The Archbishop's body was found on March 13. The Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan and Iraq, Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikat, said: "Archbishop Rahho was a man of peace and dialogue, a link between Christians and Muslims." "Archbishop Rahho took up his cross and followed the Lord Jesus, thus he contributed to bringing justice to his martyred country and to the whole world, bearing witness to the truth." Pope Benedict XVI said: "I know he had a particular fondness for the poor and the disabled. In order to offer physical and psychological care, he founded a special association called 'Joy and Charity' , with the task of helping these people and their families, many of whom learned from him not to hide these relatives and to see them in Christ. May his example sustain all Iraqis of good will, Christians and Muslims, to build peaceful coexistence founded on human fraternity and mutual respect."

Fr Mariampillai Xavier Karunaratnam, parish pastor of the church in Vannivi'laangku'lam, human rights activist and advocate of dialogue and reconciliation was killed April 20 in Ambalkulam (Diocese of Jaffna). The priest was wounded while he was in his car, in a region of heavy fighting between the military and Tamil rebels. According to reports issued by the rebel forces, he was wounded by military gunfire. Other sources report a mine attack that destroyed his vehicle. The priest was Founder and President of the North East Secretariat on Human Rights, that denounced the violence and abuse of the war and provided psychological assistance to victims of the conflict. The faithful of his parish remember him as a Pastor who was always concerned for the flock, in every circumstance, always ready to remedy their spiritual and material needs, especially for those who had lost their homes or jobs due to the conflict.

Fr Julio Cesar Mendoza Acuma, Mexican, 33, died on May 2, 2008 in Mexico City, following attacks suffered the night before in his parish residence. He was the pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, in a southern district of the Mexican capital. He was found in his bathroom, still alive, lying face down with his hands bound and his head an face covered with blood. He was taken to hospital where he died.

Fr Johnson Moyalan, 60, Salesian missionary from India, was killed in his mission on July 1, in Sirsia, Nepal, by a group of armed men. Gunmen broke in during the night forcing the gate keeper to take them to the priests' house. Assistant priest Fr Mathew Puthuppallil, tried to go for help but was stopped. The men went into the room of Fr Johnson Moyalan, shot him and ran off about 15 minutes later. The local people came running and found the missionary, shot to death by two firearms. Hindu extremists who operate in the area have often threatened Christian and Muslim communities in the area. Fr Moyalan was born in Ollur, Kerala, in 1948. He had been a Salesian since 1967, and served as parish priest in the state of Andhra Pradesh. He went to Dharan in 1996, and in 2000 moved to a new Salesian mission in Sirsia, to assist the poor, run an elementary school and a parish. In Nepal, he had taken the name of Fr John Prakash. "Fr. Johnson was a very committed priest, an excellent religious, a person with great compassion for the poor and the marginalized. In the past, at the mission in Nepal, he had worked at the then "Missio Sui Iuris" Apostolic School preparing priest-candidates for the Mission. He was also very involved in village development programs and education, beneficiaries of which were mostly non-Christians of the area - among whom were many from the tribal communities and the so-called 'untouchables.' His work in the Don Bosco School in Sirsia was appreciated by everyone." These were the words of the Apostolic Vicar of Nepal, Monsignor Anthony Sharma.


Fr Jaime Ossa Toro, Colombian, 71, from the Institute for Foreign Missions of Yarumal, was stabbed on August 13, in Medellin, in northeastern Colombia. His body was found in his room, near Emmaus Church, where he had served as a parish priest for three years. Born in Medellin (Colombia) on November 1937, he was ordained in October 1962 and was a missionary in Angola for 14 years. In 1995, he returned to Medellin. According to testimonies,he was known for his spirit of charity towards those most in need, for his sincerity, intelligence, and culture. Very well-esteemed by his faithful and brothers in the order, he was especially dedicated to promoting the participation of the laity and the youth in missionary activities.

Fr Thomas Pandippallyil, 38. On the night of August 16, several people found the Carmelite priest who was assassinated while celebrating Mass in a village. His body was found in Mosalikunta, on the road linking Lingampet to Yellareddy, in the Indian state of Andra Pradesh. A kilometer away, the moped that he used was also found. Archbishop Marampudi Joji of Hyderabad has denied any activity of "proselytism and forced conversions," given that there were only "five Catholic families" in the parish in which Fr Thomas was killed. According to the Archbishop, the crime was the result of the climate of "jealousy towards the Catholic Church," which is only guilty of having worked for the development of the poorest and most abandoned areas of the country, and committed to sustaining and helping those who are victims of violence and oppression. A native of Kerala, Diocese of Palai, Fr Pandippallyil entered the Carmelites in Chanda in 1987 and took his vows in 2002. For some time he served as Rector of the Provincial Institute and worked as an administrator in the hospital, school, and local missionary centre.

Fr Nilson José Brasiliano, 44, who was stabbed to death, was found on August 24, in the rural town of Tiete, in Parana, Brazil, along the side of the road, nearly 10 km from the larger city of Araucaria. The police arrested four men, who according to an investigation had kidnapped him in ordered to force him to hand over his bank savings.

Fr John Mark Ikpiki, 43, was killed on September 1, in Isiokolo, state of Delta, Nigeria, just a short distance from the local police station, by attackers who stole his vehicle. The priest was very well-known as the author of catechetical material and formation texts, dedicated to giving spiritual retreats and having encounters for young people. In the Diocese of Warri, he was the parish pastor of St Ambrose, Diocesan Chaplain of the Catholic Dramatic Society and Diocesan Director of the Social Communications Office, which published the diocesan paper "The Messenger of Peace." According to the testimonies of those who knew him, he was a charismatic priest who was very dedicated to his ministry.

Fr Gerardo Manuel Miranda Avalos, 45, was shot dead on September 2, as he was entering the Institute "Fray Juan de San Miguel," of which he was Director. The crime took place in the entrance of the educational facility located in downtown Los Reyes, in the Mexican state of Michoacan. He died in the hospital during the initial medical interventions. The priest was originally from Yurecuaro, Michoacan, Mexico. He was ordained a priest in 1987, and was very loved and respected by the entire region.

Fr Samuel Francis, 60, and lay volunteer worker Mercy Bahadur were found on September 22 in the village of Chota Rampur, near Dehradun, in the Diocese of Meerut in the state of Uttarakhand, northern India. Fr Samuel Francis was also known as "Swami Astheya," as he led the life of a hermit in an "ashram," or typical Hindu monastery, adapted to the Christian tradition. The lay volunteer had been collaborating for over a year with the priest, welcoming all those who visited the ashram. The Indian Bishops' Conference, said the homicide did not seem to be part of an anti-Christian hate campaign launched by radical Hindu groups, but probably was a failed robbery.


Fr Bernard Digal, 45, of the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar, in Orissa, India, was attacked on August 25 by Hindu fundamentalists, and died on October 28 in hospital, from severe head wounds. "During his life, Fr Bernard showed great determination and courage in bearing witness to Christ and dying for Him. He has died as a true Christian. Immediately following his attack, he forgave his enemies and persecutors," said Fr Mrutyunjay Digal, from the same Archdiocese and Secretary of the local Archbishop Raphael Cheenath.


Fr Otto Messmer SJ, 47, and Fr Victor Betancourt SJ, 42, were found on the evening of October 28 in their rooms in Moscow, by another Jesuit who was concerned because he had not heard from them. The double murder took place on October 27, with a difference of 15-17 hours between the killings. Russian media said a mentally-ill man had been arrested and cofessed to the crime.Fr Messmer, a Russian citizen, was born on 14 July 1961 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Since October 13, 2002, he served as Superior of the Independent Region of Russia of the Society of Jesus. Fr Betancourt was born on 7 July 1966 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He undertook his Jesuit training in Argentina, Ecuador, Germany and Italy. Since 2001, he had formed a part of the Russian Region. He worked in vocational ministry and was a theology professor in the St Thomas Philosophical, Theological and Historical Institute in Moscow.


Boduin Ntamenya, 52, of Goma, North Kivu, DR Congo, was killed on December 15, 2008, in the territory of Rutshuru. Boduin had worked for the Italian NGO, AVSI, for two years and took care of emergency education. He was part of a team of teachers that support and assist teachers and students in areas of conflict. He was on the way to visit a school when the car he was driving was attacked by four gunmen. He was hit in the hand and the side, but managed to continue driving for another kilometre until the jeep broke down. Boduin died before reaching hospital. He leaves his wife and six children.