muck!

I was supposed to have a meeting with the Custos this morning at 10.30. Spent yesterday afternoon drafting several letters to be presented to him. This morning I slept in, because usually on Wednesdays I celebrate Mass in the evenings in German with several other students who want to keep up with that language - and I have the permisison of the superior for that. Walked up the hill to St. Saviour's monastery at 9.30am, went to the tailor's first to see how he corrected my capuche (the hood of my habit) and he did a good job - so I gave him two more capuche to redo. Then went to the Custos' office only to be told my appointment was canceled and I have to wait till Dec. 5th at 3pm when he'll see me. Hmmmm being good friends doesn't pull any strings here - he's a busy man. Well his secretary tried to console me by giving me candies. I made sure they were mint and not honey! And it WAS a long walk after all!

After that I went to see my former superior who's now the treasurer of the Custody - well actually he wanted to see me. This is Fr Dobromir, a Pole, who served as superior after Fr Vincenzo completed his term. We had coffee and chatted and he promised to get my internet line fixed so that the video-conferencing can go ahead. In fact he called Shukri the guy in charge immediately to his office and told him to get it fixed immediately. Hmmmm some strings can be pulled here and there. But you know the local logic - immediately can mean anything.

It was 11am by then, so i thought maybe I'd stop by the Holy Sepulchre and celebrate Mass there since I remembered this week some of the students who come for German Mass were hebdoms so they can't make it this evening. But what a terrible shock when I reached our sacristy in the Basilica. The sewage was overflowing into the sacristy ; waterlogged and stinking to high heaven. The friars were trying their best to keep the sewage at bay, but when you have hundreds of pilgrims walking in and out, OBLIVIOUS to the inch high muck, it is almost an impossible task. Got round to help them. Finally managed to celebrate Mass in the Crusader Chapel at 12pm and the friars invited me for lunch. It was very nice - 20 minutes in all, perfect timing for me. After lunch I came home immediately - but I promised the friars I'll be back tomorrow to help them keep the sewage back while they say their prayers - tomorrow is a big feastday of All Franciscans Saints. They'll be too busy with the liturgy to clean the unstoppable mess. You see, because of the rains, the sewage pipes are stuck with rubbish. The Holy Sepulchre is below street level so all the muck flows into our sewage system (not just us but the Greeks, Armenians, Copts all have this problem). Call the plumber you say? But everyone here knows too well the local logic - as one friar said during lunch "It could take a day, it could months" (The last time this happened in winter last year, it took 3 months for the plumbers to come and deal with the problem! No kidding! And sewage was pouring out for 3 whole months on our church floor; AND the tourists were equally oblivious to the muck.) We just have to learn to live with it. But what is it with tourists? They don't seem to be aware of their surroundings!

Oh I also had a call from the carpenter. He's too busy to make my table and bed. The earliest will be in 2008. Welcome to Jerusalem!