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NOVEMBER 4, 2008
The fall of leaves in October was
of great entertainment to the children, who not only raked
them up, heaped them into a huge compost heap, and burnt
large piles of them, but also played in those same piles.
The fire pit was also used to dispose of some dead wood
on the property, and odd and useless pieces of wood left
over from the construction.
The feast of Christ the King was important
for Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as it followed the Society’s
world-wide pilgrimage to Lourdes, with some 16,000 pilgrims.
The students and parishioners were very happy also to respond
to Bishop Fellay’s call for another million rosaries
to bring about the removal of the so-called excommuncations,
just as the million rosaries two years ago was instrumental
in making the traditional Mass available for every priest.
Along with all the other chapels of the Society, we are
collecting as many rosaries as possible for this intention,
between November 1 and December 25, Christmas day.
The school was excited by the preparation
for the All Saints’ party, that took place on the
eve of the feast. Several home schooling families, friends
of the school, came along to the celebration of the saints,
bringing up to 42 the number of children who participated,
not counting the adults who dressed up as saints and presented
the life of their saint. The children went one by one before
the panel of two judges, Fathers Scott and May, and told
as best they could the story of their life. Not a few of
them managed to stump the Fathers, including some of the
high schoolers, who had been a little reluctant at first
to participate. Prizes were awarded for the best presentation
and the best costume in each division. After the rather
lengthy presentation of all the saints, came a series of
different games set up for the children of the various age
groups. At the end games of musical chairs were enjoyed
by all.
On November 2nd, Father Scott formally
initiated the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Chapter of the Eucharistic
Crusade, meeting with all the interested children after
Mass. Some of the school children had already started filling
in their treasure sheets and living the motto of Prayer,
Communion, Sacrifice and Apostolate, but others are also
interested. He collected at that time a spiritual treasure
from the month of October of 7 treasure sheets, 143 morning
offerings, 127 Masses, 121 sacramental communions, 161 spiritual
communions, 479 sacrifices, 603 decades of the Rosary, 92
visits to the Blessed Sacrament, 67 meditations in silence
and 289 good examples. It is a humble beginning, to be sent
to Father Boulet, the District Chaplain.
On the same day, Father Scott asked the
parishioners to pledge $10,000 to completing the large double
room that is to be the future Our Lady of Mount Carmel chapel.
Everybody who assists at Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Mount
Carmel understands the urgency and importance of this project.
A meeting with the contractor took place on November 4th,
arranging the details of the electrical wiring, dry wall,
insulation, stucco, heating radiators, trim and finish to
be included in the project.
Since work on this project is to start
immediately, the Fathers, the boys, and some generous parishioners
spent the afternoons and evenings of November 3 & 4
emptying the future chapel, of huge piles of extraneous
items that had accumulated there, including some 20 doors
of all kinds, hundreds of light fixtures, many radiators
and all kinds of junk.
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Student Jerome
Nienaber watches as Father May takes a flying leap
into a pile of leaves they had gathered together
during recreation.
The adjoining cemetery can be seen in the background.
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Father May instruct
the boys on the rules for Badminton
during gym class in the school gym, leading an enthusiastic
team on.
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The
two judges, Father Scott and May, question St. Nicholas
Postgate, rather bemused by the white cloths set
out. They in fact were stumped, not knowing that
this, one of the last English martyrs of 1679, identified
his secret visits to celebrate Mass by leaving white
cloths on the trees nearby. It was a good thing
the English authorities were just as stumped by
the priest, enabling him to administer to the faithful
in England for a half century before being caught.
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Some of the high school saints, in costume,
look on whilst the other saints perform. |
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A
view of some of the faithful in the gym,
watching the presentation of the saints. |
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A view of the collection
of saints, in costume,
after the presentations, together with Father Scott
& May.
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Some of the saints,
with renewed vigor,
participate in a fun game of musical chairs after
the presentation.
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Some of the academy students, on the school parking
lot on All Souls‘ Day,
pray for the repose of the souls buried in the adjacent
cemetery. |
