Church, the people

Sunday, July 24, 2011
Hamle, 17, 2003, ec

Today, Abba Ayele, a charismatic Franciscan Priest, asked us to be in charge of the 11:00 Mass. He said, “I will say in English!” Nothing Abba says is without an exclamation point. He said you do everything: songs, readings, everything! So we were glad to oblige. Clayton choose the songs which we practiced. We did the readings and Abba had written the petitions. The congregation was very international. There were a few Ethiopians, Italians (who are here working on the railroad), several Notre Dame Sisters (from India who have a school several blocks away), several Indian families, a group of Chinese, and a nine-member Neumann group from Laredo, Texas lead by Brother Máirséan O’Leary (originally from Ohio, now from London), and several Sisters of Charity. The point of the delineation is the reflection of Church, the people—not the building. It was amazing that in the extreme location of Diré Dawa, Ethiopia, people gathered in faith to pray together this Sunday morning.

We prayed for the people of Norway and continue to follow the news as it unfolds via the BBC and Al Jezeera. Both networks are covering this horrible story as it unfolds.

The news here is very international, with smattering of information from all over the globe. The stories are indepth and very well done, putting some American networks to shame.

In the afternoon, Brother Máirséan and his group came over to play basketball and volleyball. They are here working with Mother Theresa’s sisters at the orphanage here in Meki. They were in Northern Ethiopia earlier and will go to World Youth Day in Spain at the end of their trip. These are college students from Laredo Community College and Texas A & M International University.

Brother Getachew took everyone for ice cream after the games.