Feast of Allegra

At our chapel today

It was cold this morning .... 3 degrees and the highest it got was 9 degrees just for a few hours at noon. Drizzled all day. But the wind is the main culprit ... it was freezing cold. No snow though. It seems the cold will continue through the weekend.

Today we celebrated the feast of Blessed Gabriele Allegra ... on the 27th instead of the 26th because it clashed with the feast of Sts. Timothy and Titus. I had to very quickly arrange the altar by myself as Sr. Philomena fell and fractured her leg and is in hospital. Srs. Ancita and Clara were therefore taking her place in the kitchen and no one was there to help me in the sacristy. Kept it simple and everyone liked it. We're minimalists here ... so the simpler the better. Mass was celebrated as usual and the chinese priests and sisters all came to join in despite the cold and rain at 6.30am. After Mass we had the veneration of the relic. Everyone was satisfied and happy that it went well.

Being Sabbath, there's not much news coming out locally. However I've been receiving news of the situation in Damascus which is getting bad. The rebels have been targeting churches and monasteries ... bombing as many as they can. The sisters who were distributing food to the people hiding in the ruins were shot at. No one was hurt. The Greek Catholic bishop also escaped unhurt when his residence was bombed. The war there is far from over.

Today is World Holocaust Day. We remember all those killed unjustly and cruelly. Besides the 6 million jews, there were also gypsies, christians, africans and other minorities who were killed. And we don't seem to learn from history as war rages all around our region. We say "Never Again" but when will we actually act on it?