1st Communion

 Yesterday there were 165 viewers .... still being stalked. 

Lebanese food

Yesterday there was 1st Communion for the children of our parish. It was a big group as last year's was cancelled. Jack Katanasho's daughter was among them. Jack runs a small lebanese restaurant in the Old City but because of the lockdown it was closed for a year. He can barely pay for the rent and support his family. Some of your donations go to help pay his children's school fees and more recently to buy food for his family. He cares for his elderly parents as well ... all refugees from Lebanon.

After the Mass, Jack invited me to his apartment to celebrate. His brothers' families were also there. It's a tiny apartment and there was no space so a few of us stayed outside on the staircase to chat and eat. His food is fabulous ... lebanese fetteh (salad with breadcrumbs and yoghurt), roasted chicken, mtabal (eggplant puree) and sfiha (the original pizza before it became italian). I loved it all. And as I needed to go home early so as to avoid trouble in the streets, 

Though the ceasefire is in effect and no roclets have been fired from both sides, clashes continue inside the Al Aqsa compound. This morning, israeli police allowed over 100 jews to enter the compound ... something that was closed the past week. Unhappy muslims protested and 5 were arrested.

Anyway exams start tomorrow and our students are studying hard. Summer holidays begin in mid-June but everyone is wary of another wave of Covid infections. So we're all hoping for the best. fingers crossed.