April's Fool

So yesterday was April Fool's Day. I was the first victim. It was very cold and at 6am when I was in the sacristy preparing for Mass, Jobi our indian 2nd yr. student came up and said it's so cold it snowed last night, and told me go out to see. Stupidly I went out to see nothing. He had a great laugh. But that isn't as bad as when Jean Paul told Pavel our polish student that a polish bishop was waiting for him down in the courtyard. Pavel waited there for 3 hours only to realise he was tricked.

Yesterday was also the pilgrimage Mass at our Chapel of the Condemnation. Local christians, religious and friars gathered in the tiny chapel - originally built in the 7th century - to sing Vespers, celebrate Mass and sing the Passion of John's Gospel. It was a crowded affair.

Holy Week will soon start and we have to register if we want to concelebrate Mass at the Holy Sepulchre. The tiny space restricts concelebrants to a limited number.

The number of American tourists have risen these few weeks - you see them everywhere in the streets of the Old City. The Pope's visit in May is being arranged with massive activities for the altar platforms in the Kidron Valley and on the Mt. of Precipice (Nazareth where Luke says the people wanted to push Jesus off) and Bethlehem's Nativity Square in front of the Basilica. Maybe you want to come and join in the papal visit?