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HOLY MASS 16 DECEMBER

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With Father Jeremias no longer with us, Comboni Father Mariano came to offer Holy Mass for us on 16 December. It is so important that we, as a community, pray together and it was, as always, a beautiful occasion. We thank Father Mariano for this very much. He is seen in the photos which were taken on the occasion.

GOODBYE CLARE

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On 13 December we held our farewell luncheon for Clare, our young volunteer from Italy. Our Mercy House women had the brilliant idea of making a farewell gift for her themselves, in the form of  a dress, bag, ear rings and bracelet, made of exactly the same material, as can be seen in the photos.  Clare was delighted. We really enjoyed having her, she was a great asset to our work and hope that she will come back. Whatever, we wish her everything of the best for her future, may God bless her, as she certainly deserves.

CHRISTMAS HAS BEEN AND GONE

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And what a beautiful celebration it was. The joy, as always, was tangible, with around 60 refugees – of all ages – there altogether. Thanks to the generosity of our friend Anna of Ocean Basket, we had a delicious lunch, followed by a nativity play of quality, prepared and produced by two of our young men, Ivan and Zeng.

Next, some of our young Rwandan ladies entertained us with Rwandan cultural dancing – see photo.  This was followed by the arrival of Father Xmas (a seven- year-old boy) and his adult assistant, Desire.  Everyone got a gift, selected and prepared for them personally. They were delighted with the “Xmas boxes” which are supplied every year for them by the Rosebank Union Church, to whom we certainly owe a great debt of gratitude.  Christmas 2015 was a day which will be remembered by all.  Our thanks to everyone who contributed in some way to the joy of the feast.


UPDATE: NOVEMBER 2015

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One of the stories that has fascinated me from my youth was the story of the Russian Pilgrim, in English, “The Way of a Pilgrim”. It presents our inner journey as a pilgrimage with God, who is made present through constant prayer. The pilgrim has only three things in his bag: the bible, a bread roll and a book with the teachings of some spiritual leaders. 
Looking at our personal life as a pilgrimage, from both an interior and exterior perspective, has a powerful effect on the way we live and relate to one another and to nature. It helps to create in us an attitude of humility, gratitude and dependence on God, who sustains our being and acting from within.
In line with the encyclical letter of Pope Francis, “Laudato Si”, this pilgrimage is not only made with people, but with the whole creation, realizing that we are in communion with God and all that he has created: “We need to strengthen the conviction that  we are one single human family. There are no frontiers or barriers, political or social, behind which we can hide, still less is there room for the globalisation of indifference.” (LS  52)  In personally addressing the United Nations, our Holy Father appealed to the whole of humanity to act with urgency, not only to establish global peace, but to respect our God-given environment and take strong action to prevent its destruction. 
Father Jeremias Martins
The life of Mercy House can be compared with a swiftly flowing river: always surging forward, always fresh, always new. The items below can show our readers some examples of this. 

WE ARE GRIEVING OVER A VERY GREAT LOSS

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On 3rd November 2015 our much-loved Father Jeremias will transfer to Rome, for atleast 6 years, maybe more.  He will be the Assistant to the. Father General of his community.
No one can ever really step adequately into the shoes of a truly great  human being, and this is what Father Jeremias is for us. We have had the privilege of having had Father Jeremias work with us for refugees for around 6 years. Not only is he a holy priest, but a man of great integrity with an amazing nearness to life and so humble and unassuming. Apart from all his commitments to his duty as Provincial, he still managed to find time to do so much for our Mercy work. He even knew all  our refugees by name.  We shall miss our regular Masses at Mercy House with Father Jeremias so much, as also the Recollection Days he prepared for our co-workers with great devotion. 

Above all, Father Jeremias, it is you we will miss and thank you with all our hearts for what you have done for us. We will not forget you and of course keep you in our prayers always. May God bless you in your privileged new task: our loss but Rome’s gain. Keep us in your heart

FAREWELL FOR FATHER JEREMIAS

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On the evening of Thursday 29th October, we said goodbye to Father Jeremias.
We invited all the refugees and co-workers who have known Father to a Farewell Mass, followed by a supper for all. It was a very special occasion, held at our play centre in the fresh evening air. The darkness around us made it all the more intimate and meaningful. It was a fitting tribute and way to celebrate who Father Jeremias is and what he is to us.
What made it all the more special was, that at the end of the mass, he gave out Comboni rosaries to everyone present, which meant so much to everyone. The photos below were taken on the occasion and also show Father giving out the rosaries.

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