Sunday, September 13 was the feast of St. John Chrysostom, the patron saint of our parish in Fresh Creek. So, after Mass on Sunday we had cake!
There is actually quite the connection between St. John Chrysostom and the Catholic Church in the Bahamas. St. John was known throughout the Church as an outstanding preacher. In fact, Chrysostom is not his last name, it means “Golden Mouth” in Greek and was a title given him for the quality of his preaching. He was born in Antioch (the city where followers of Jesus were first called ‘Christians’) about the year 349. After an extensive education he embraced an ascetic life and was ordained a priest, distinguishing himself by his preaching. He was elected bishop of Constantinople in 397 and proved himself a capable pastor. Twice he was forced into exile by the imperial court and the envy of his enemies. He died September 14, 407. His preaching and writing explained Catholic doctrine and presented the ideal Christian life.
Years later, a Benedictine priest who had taken Chrysostom as his religious name arrived in Nassau. Fr. Chrysostom Schreiner, OSB was the first priest permanently assigned to the Bahamas in 1893 and remained for 37 years. When a church was built in Fresh Creek Fr. Schreiner’s work was recognized in the naming of our church after his patron, St. John Chrysostom. Other Benedictine’s followed, including Fr. Gabriel Roerig OSB, who spent his entire priestly life serving the people of Andros. Arriving first at Behring Point he opened churhes from Behring Point all the way up north to Mastic Point during his ministry.
The church in Mastic Point was closed years ago and has been taken over by the bush, but is ironic that Catholics are moving back to Mastic Point and asking us to come up there and have services in the Elementary School. So this week we have a priest with us, Fr. Mel Taylor OSB. Fr. Mel is the last Benedictine in the Bahamas and was able to preach quite well about Fr. Chrysostom's life on Nassau and Fr. Gabriel's work on Andros.
After 3 masses we dropped Fr. Mel at the airport and Ginni and I headed off to Mastic Point. It had rained overnight and a bit more during the morning. The drainage on Andros is virtually nil since the whole island is nothing but rock and there is no sewer system for rainwater. Driving up north the road has pot holes and puddles so you really need to be careful.
As we headed out on the Queens Highway Ginni and I have our windows open to get the breeze and she begins to tie her kerchief over her hair to keep it in check in the wind. It was at that point that a car passed us coming towards us - and passed through a puddle right at that instant. This threw a wall of water onto the windshield (and a fine spray through Ginni's window). What made this comical was that it was at that moment she was tying the kerchief behind her head with her elbows pointing up in the air when the spray hit her and she let out a "Woooo!"
Now I thought the wall of water on the windshield was impressive, but not worth a "Woooo!" It was when I realized she'd also had cold water spayed onto her through the open window I understood what had happened. Laughing was probably not the best response at that time.
Well an hour later we arrive in Mastic Point and they were waiting for us. A few less than we expected but it turns out they had no power and the class rooms were stiffling. We ended up taking the chairs onto the lawn and we did the liturgy of the Word there. One of the children is well past 1st communion age so we had given that family some books. This was an opportunity for us to see what we learned so I asked a few questions, "What is original sin?" "What's the difference between a sin and an accident or mistake?" "What happens to the bread when the priest prays over it at Mass?" "Why do we need to go to a priest for confession?" It led to some discussion to help him understand more about Confession and the Mass. It turned out to be good info for some of the adults that listened in too - teachable moments.
We headed back to Fresh Creek and I would smile remembering Ginni's "Wooo!" and Ginni suggested that the next time we go to Mastic Point that she drive - especially if it rains.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Abandoned Churches Reborn - just maybe.
I feel like we are living in the calm before the storm. Time is clicking away as we get closer and closer to the beginning of Religious Ed classes starting up again and I find myself procrastinating on pulling together lesson plans and getting myself organized.
This year we have several parents that will be teaching classes in their homes which will really help us in Cargill Creek. Fresh Creek has less students so Ginni and I will still be doing all the classes there (as well as Confirmation Classes in both places).
RCIA starts up again tomorrow night after taking a summer break. We have two people who will be welcomed into the church on Easter and a few more still considering whether they want to start the program or not.
One piece of news you may find interesting is that this week we will be going north again to have Sunday services with the Catholics in Mastic Point. There used to be a Catholic Church up north but years ago, when Grand Bahamas was being developed, there was an exodus of people from Andros who left Mastic Point for the work. Eventually the Catholic Church was closed down and it was reclaimed by termites and the bush. Lately, however, we have heard from several families that they've moved back and there are a group of people willing to meet again - so we have made arrangements to have services in the elementary school. If we can really grow a community up there - who knows what might happen. The Archdiocese still owns the land and I actually found it and plunged into the overgrown vines and branches to find the foundation. If we ever did build a church there it would be a brand new building from the ground up. That's a long way off, right now we'll be going north to do a 4PM Sunday afternoon service and see what kind of turn out we have.
One interesting component of this part of Andros is that it has become an area for undocumented Haitian families to settle. The word is that there are many people without visas or any documentation there and, coming from Haiti, they are Catholic. Being able to make the Church a reality in the lives of these people again has been gnawing at me for months so I am thrilled to actually be going up there again. It will be a challenge to find them, and an even bigger one for them to take the risk of coming to a meeting for church where they could be exposed. This is something that I've been praying about for some time and I ask you to bring it to prayer as well.
There are a few Catholic churches on Andros like the one in Mastic Point that have been abandoned over the years. This is St. Gabriel's churh in Calabash Bay, actually not too far from where we live in Fresh Creek. Several years ago its parishioners were merged into St. John Chrysostom where we live and the building boarded up. Occasionally I drive by and find the doors broken open again like in this pic and I pull over and re-secure the building.
A little over a year ago, before we moved here, a homeless man had broken in and took up residence, smashing all the windows and breaking in the doors. They are all boarded up now but I've been stopping by every now and then and cleaning it up a bit at a time. We are a long way from re-opening it but with some work it might be able to be used for classes or prayer services. If I could pull that off it would be a major sign to the locals that the Catholic church is back and instead of closing up churches and consolidating we are re-opening them and expanding.
Churches that have been closed down here tend to fall into disrepair quickly. Termites are present everywhere and an old building like this, with dry wood, not being maintained that well tend to collapse in upon themselves unless some maintenance is done.
I have a bit of an emotional attachment to St. Gabriel's as well. The first priest to serve on Andros was Fr. Gabriel Roerig, OSB. He spent his entire life serving the people of the island (before there were roads and electricity and running water - actually a very hard life). When a church was built in Calabash Bay I think the Bishop named it St. Gabriel to recognize the work he had done. I know the patron of this church is the Archangel Gabriel but the more I learn about Fr. Gabriel I think a case could be made for his canonization and I like to think he's looking out for this church. Who knows with his help one day this church may be back in business full time.
Speaking of restoring things that used to be here and now are not - last Sunday I led an Altar Server Commissioning. After a few weeks of training 4 boys, two from Fresh Creek and two from Cargill Creek, were commissioned as altar servers. When Ginni and I went to the States this summer we purchased some altar server vestments and all 4 boys seem to be really excited about this ministry. Usually their roles are pretty simple when I am leading Eucharistic Services for 6 weeks before a priest is sent. We will see how well they do when we have a priest and they serve at a full Mass. If this catches on - who knows, we might even have girls who want to join their ranks.
Enough for now, I really should sit down and look through CCD books and begin putting together lesson plans. Till next time:
Peace.
This year we have several parents that will be teaching classes in their homes which will really help us in Cargill Creek. Fresh Creek has less students so Ginni and I will still be doing all the classes there (as well as Confirmation Classes in both places).
RCIA starts up again tomorrow night after taking a summer break. We have two people who will be welcomed into the church on Easter and a few more still considering whether they want to start the program or not.
One piece of news you may find interesting is that this week we will be going north again to have Sunday services with the Catholics in Mastic Point. There used to be a Catholic Church up north but years ago, when Grand Bahamas was being developed, there was an exodus of people from Andros who left Mastic Point for the work. Eventually the Catholic Church was closed down and it was reclaimed by termites and the bush. Lately, however, we have heard from several families that they've moved back and there are a group of people willing to meet again - so we have made arrangements to have services in the elementary school. If we can really grow a community up there - who knows what might happen. The Archdiocese still owns the land and I actually found it and plunged into the overgrown vines and branches to find the foundation. If we ever did build a church there it would be a brand new building from the ground up. That's a long way off, right now we'll be going north to do a 4PM Sunday afternoon service and see what kind of turn out we have.
One interesting component of this part of Andros is that it has become an area for undocumented Haitian families to settle. The word is that there are many people without visas or any documentation there and, coming from Haiti, they are Catholic. Being able to make the Church a reality in the lives of these people again has been gnawing at me for months so I am thrilled to actually be going up there again. It will be a challenge to find them, and an even bigger one for them to take the risk of coming to a meeting for church where they could be exposed. This is something that I've been praying about for some time and I ask you to bring it to prayer as well.
There are a few Catholic churches on Andros like the one in Mastic Point that have been abandoned over the years. This is St. Gabriel's churh in Calabash Bay, actually not too far from where we live in Fresh Creek. Several years ago its parishioners were merged into St. John Chrysostom where we live and the building boarded up. Occasionally I drive by and find the doors broken open again like in this pic and I pull over and re-secure the building.
A little over a year ago, before we moved here, a homeless man had broken in and took up residence, smashing all the windows and breaking in the doors. They are all boarded up now but I've been stopping by every now and then and cleaning it up a bit at a time. We are a long way from re-opening it but with some work it might be able to be used for classes or prayer services. If I could pull that off it would be a major sign to the locals that the Catholic church is back and instead of closing up churches and consolidating we are re-opening them and expanding.
Churches that have been closed down here tend to fall into disrepair quickly. Termites are present everywhere and an old building like this, with dry wood, not being maintained that well tend to collapse in upon themselves unless some maintenance is done.
I have a bit of an emotional attachment to St. Gabriel's as well. The first priest to serve on Andros was Fr. Gabriel Roerig, OSB. He spent his entire life serving the people of the island (before there were roads and electricity and running water - actually a very hard life). When a church was built in Calabash Bay I think the Bishop named it St. Gabriel to recognize the work he had done. I know the patron of this church is the Archangel Gabriel but the more I learn about Fr. Gabriel I think a case could be made for his canonization and I like to think he's looking out for this church. Who knows with his help one day this church may be back in business full time.
Speaking of restoring things that used to be here and now are not - last Sunday I led an Altar Server Commissioning. After a few weeks of training 4 boys, two from Fresh Creek and two from Cargill Creek, were commissioned as altar servers. When Ginni and I went to the States this summer we purchased some altar server vestments and all 4 boys seem to be really excited about this ministry. Usually their roles are pretty simple when I am leading Eucharistic Services for 6 weeks before a priest is sent. We will see how well they do when we have a priest and they serve at a full Mass. If this catches on - who knows, we might even have girls who want to join their ranks.
Enough for now, I really should sit down and look through CCD books and begin putting together lesson plans. Till next time:
Peace.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Power, Water & Money
Well it was about two weeks but it looks like the power is back. Having electricity impacts us in the obvious ways, but the fact that the town's water supply is dependent upon electricity to run the pumps means when we lose power we lose water too.
We still wrestle with water and water pressure, but having electricity is a good thing. Just to give you some idea of the water pressure issue. Ginni has actually been able to count the number of holes in the shower head while taking a shower (36) and the number of holes with water leaking out (5).
When Ginni was a growing up her family never had a shower. She grew up with a tub and washing her hair in the kitchen sink - well she has gone back to that and is much happier than what she was trying to wash her hair in the shower.
I have figured out that its not only the pressure of pumping the water up hill to the church, but also the way the plumbing in the house was installed. Pipes here run above ground since everything here is rock. Once the pipe from the street reaches the top of our driveway it was sunk under the church parking lot and re-surfaces on the church lawn. It then splits, with one line going to the church and the priest's weekend residence, and the other line going to our house/rectory. The pipe runs along the foundation then, for some unknown reason it was run up the side of the house to the roofline, around the back of the house, and into the bathroom.
Clearly the pressure can get it up the hill, but then to get it up the wall to the roofline and then to the show is a challenge for this system. Fixing it would be an expense not in anybody's budget.
Speaking of budget -
The Archdiocese of Nassau has an Annual Archdiocesan Appeal much like any other Archdiocese to support programs and needs beyond what parishes can support. Last year, of our 3 churches, 18 people contributed and we beat our $1,500 goal bringing in $1800. They have beat their goal consistently for the last few years but I was surprised that only 18 people had contributed.
We just finished this year's appeal and over 40 people contributed and we brought in just over $5,000. With the current economic climate this is outstanding. I am both proud of our parishioners and humbled by their generosity. This really is one of the better charitable efforts for Bahamians to help Bahamians.
The next effort will be to try to do a fund raising effort to upgrade the interior of some of our churches. The rugs at St. John's look like the original rugs as do the pews, several of which have significant termite damage. Termites are everywhere here and they are incredibly destructive. Hardwood seems to be safe, but soft pine or other soft woods are a favorite so often you might see doors or windowframes riddled with termite damage. Christ the King in Cargill Creek will need to be treated this year - yet another special collection.
Dealing with all the infrastructure related expenses is something I'd like to have the Bahamians take pride in funding on their own. We'll see if that's realistic or too optimistic on my part over time. From the conversations I have had I do believe that if specific needs are identified they'll pitch in. The challenge may be to identify the priority of what needs to be fixed first. Some may say we need to deal with the leaking roof in the priest residence, then the rugs, then the pews. Others may say the termite riddled pews should be first - it will be interesting.
With the children back in school, CCD is on our horizon. Ginni and I have spoken with a few book publishers and they've sent us samples. Setting up the curriculum for this year is almost settled and registration is well under way. CCD is a major task here and it takes a sizeable chunk of our time - pray for us - we'll need it!
We still wrestle with water and water pressure, but having electricity is a good thing. Just to give you some idea of the water pressure issue. Ginni has actually been able to count the number of holes in the shower head while taking a shower (36) and the number of holes with water leaking out (5).
When Ginni was a growing up her family never had a shower. She grew up with a tub and washing her hair in the kitchen sink - well she has gone back to that and is much happier than what she was trying to wash her hair in the shower.
I have figured out that its not only the pressure of pumping the water up hill to the church, but also the way the plumbing in the house was installed. Pipes here run above ground since everything here is rock. Once the pipe from the street reaches the top of our driveway it was sunk under the church parking lot and re-surfaces on the church lawn. It then splits, with one line going to the church and the priest's weekend residence, and the other line going to our house/rectory. The pipe runs along the foundation then, for some unknown reason it was run up the side of the house to the roofline, around the back of the house, and into the bathroom.
Clearly the pressure can get it up the hill, but then to get it up the wall to the roofline and then to the show is a challenge for this system. Fixing it would be an expense not in anybody's budget.
Speaking of budget -
The Archdiocese of Nassau has an Annual Archdiocesan Appeal much like any other Archdiocese to support programs and needs beyond what parishes can support. Last year, of our 3 churches, 18 people contributed and we beat our $1,500 goal bringing in $1800. They have beat their goal consistently for the last few years but I was surprised that only 18 people had contributed.
We just finished this year's appeal and over 40 people contributed and we brought in just over $5,000. With the current economic climate this is outstanding. I am both proud of our parishioners and humbled by their generosity. This really is one of the better charitable efforts for Bahamians to help Bahamians.
The next effort will be to try to do a fund raising effort to upgrade the interior of some of our churches. The rugs at St. John's look like the original rugs as do the pews, several of which have significant termite damage. Termites are everywhere here and they are incredibly destructive. Hardwood seems to be safe, but soft pine or other soft woods are a favorite so often you might see doors or windowframes riddled with termite damage. Christ the King in Cargill Creek will need to be treated this year - yet another special collection.
Dealing with all the infrastructure related expenses is something I'd like to have the Bahamians take pride in funding on their own. We'll see if that's realistic or too optimistic on my part over time. From the conversations I have had I do believe that if specific needs are identified they'll pitch in. The challenge may be to identify the priority of what needs to be fixed first. Some may say we need to deal with the leaking roof in the priest residence, then the rugs, then the pews. Others may say the termite riddled pews should be first - it will be interesting.
With the children back in school, CCD is on our horizon. Ginni and I have spoken with a few book publishers and they've sent us samples. Setting up the curriculum for this year is almost settled and registration is well under way. CCD is a major task here and it takes a sizeable chunk of our time - pray for us - we'll need it!
Monday, August 24, 2009
No Juice - and Skyjuice
It has been a tough week here on Andros. The Bahama Electric Company here has a diesel generator providing electricity to the island. Well it broke. They are limping along with a backup but it can't provide enough for the island so - rolling blackouts.
Without warning you simply lose all power for 4-8 hours. It may come back anywhere in that range. Once you have power it can also go away anywhere in that range.
This creates issues when its 90 degrees every day and you suddenly have no AC, no fans, nothing - especially at bedtime. Add the fact that the water system here depends upon electricity to work the water pumps. So no showers.
What makes this frustrating is its been like this since last week Thursday. The parts that they need aren't on Andros, nor are they on Nassau - and the red tape to get it from the US takes a week or more - so everyone is a bit grumpy here right now.
One impact I hadn't thought of was fuel for the van. Saturday I usually fill up for all the weekend driving we do covering 3 church and then communion calls. The man I usually get diesel was shut down by customs officials since he wasn't collecting taxes on the diesel he was syphoning from the back of his van (at the time he was the only source of diesel). When he stopped providing diesel he connected me with a gas station in town that had started carrying diesel, but with no electricity, no way to operate the pumps.
Someone suggested I go see "Phil", "He got diesel Fodder". So I get directions and end up pulling into a backyard littered with auto parts, broken windows, tools, and oil drums. Phil comes out, as do 2 of his friends, and after we had a friendly chat he pulls out the garden hose, sticks one end into one of the oil drums and sucks on it a bit, then slips it into the gas tank and the diesel fuel starts trickling into my tank.
As its filling we talk a bit more about the heat, the electric problem, how hard it is to sleep and stay cool. He said he just liked to sit on his porch with a gin and tonic and watch the starts at night. I told him it was easy to find Gin on this island but almost impossible to find tonic water. Everyone laughed at the truthfulness of that and then he said, "Fodder, if you can't find tonic, try Skyjuice - you can get that everywhere and it's very good with Gin". The other guys all nod, and smile and say "Yes, Fodder, try Skyjuice". So I ask about Skyjuice - "What's Skyjuice, I haven't seen anything like that in the stores?"
Phil looks at me and smiles, then says, "Water, Fodder - Skyjuice be water!" and everyone laughed and laughed at they joke they'd set me up for.
I told them that my father, when he was a boy in the depression used to go to the soda fountain at the drug store and ask for a pine tree float - a glass of water with a toothpick floating in it - they all got a good laugh at that one too.
Well, with power at a premium I am going to shut down before the electric company does it for me. Keep us in your prayers
--- Frank and Ginni
Without warning you simply lose all power for 4-8 hours. It may come back anywhere in that range. Once you have power it can also go away anywhere in that range.
This creates issues when its 90 degrees every day and you suddenly have no AC, no fans, nothing - especially at bedtime. Add the fact that the water system here depends upon electricity to work the water pumps. So no showers.
What makes this frustrating is its been like this since last week Thursday. The parts that they need aren't on Andros, nor are they on Nassau - and the red tape to get it from the US takes a week or more - so everyone is a bit grumpy here right now.
One impact I hadn't thought of was fuel for the van. Saturday I usually fill up for all the weekend driving we do covering 3 church and then communion calls. The man I usually get diesel was shut down by customs officials since he wasn't collecting taxes on the diesel he was syphoning from the back of his van (at the time he was the only source of diesel). When he stopped providing diesel he connected me with a gas station in town that had started carrying diesel, but with no electricity, no way to operate the pumps.
Someone suggested I go see "Phil", "He got diesel Fodder". So I get directions and end up pulling into a backyard littered with auto parts, broken windows, tools, and oil drums. Phil comes out, as do 2 of his friends, and after we had a friendly chat he pulls out the garden hose, sticks one end into one of the oil drums and sucks on it a bit, then slips it into the gas tank and the diesel fuel starts trickling into my tank.
As its filling we talk a bit more about the heat, the electric problem, how hard it is to sleep and stay cool. He said he just liked to sit on his porch with a gin and tonic and watch the starts at night. I told him it was easy to find Gin on this island but almost impossible to find tonic water. Everyone laughed at the truthfulness of that and then he said, "Fodder, if you can't find tonic, try Skyjuice - you can get that everywhere and it's very good with Gin". The other guys all nod, and smile and say "Yes, Fodder, try Skyjuice". So I ask about Skyjuice - "What's Skyjuice, I haven't seen anything like that in the stores?"
Phil looks at me and smiles, then says, "Water, Fodder - Skyjuice be water!" and everyone laughed and laughed at they joke they'd set me up for.
I told them that my father, when he was a boy in the depression used to go to the soda fountain at the drug store and ask for a pine tree float - a glass of water with a toothpick floating in it - they all got a good laugh at that one too.
Well, with power at a premium I am going to shut down before the electric company does it for me. Keep us in your prayers
--- Frank and Ginni
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tropical Storm Anna
I know all the news reports say that Tropical Storm Anna is no threat, it's 'dissipating', it will not hold together, etc. Well let me tell you - it passed between Cuba and Andros last night and it was holding together pretty well then.
Around 1 in the morning we were woken up by lightning. Incredible crashes were right on top of us it seemed. Every 5-10 seconds there would be another incredible crack and the rain was so strong it sounded like pebbles on our windows. Needless to say the power went out and Ginni got up to unplug our internet phone and the router (when power is restored it usually comes with a power surge that creates issues).
Around 2AM we got out of bed again and checked the house - all seemed well but the lightning show was nuts. At one point I actually felt the whole house quiver as the thunder crashed right over us. This lasted until about 4AM with the power going out and coming back on several times during the night.
When we got up this morning the back yard had one huge puddle under the clothes line, our screen porch had 2" of standing water in it, & one of the panes of glass in a window in the priest's residence had been blown out. The window in the Sacristy had been left open about a quarter inch and the rug in there is soaked, but the vestments and everything else seems OK.
I must say, if this is a storm that isn't a bad one - a storm that is only going to be a 'rain event', I am not looking forward to actually dealing with a hurricane. It was crazy for those few hours in the middle of the night - absolutely incredible.
When Peter came by to clean up the Church this morning I showed him the window and he was able to force the glass pane back into place, but we'll need to fix it later. Ginni suggested that since nobody is living in the priest's residence and we are in the hurricane season, why not put the hurricane shutters up on that set of windows with the loose pane of glass.
So we went into the garage and took out a few of the shutters. The shutters are made of corrigated aluminum. The ones we needed were small, about 4' long, and they fit into a groove on the top of the windows and a notch in the bottom and are held in place by a metal clamp that you hammer into place. It was good for me to see how they go in for this small job because when a hurricane really does bear down on Andros I will have to do the whole Church, and our residence as well - and in the midst of the pre-hurricane rush Peter may or may not be around to help. The Church shutters are a good 7' long and you need to climb up on ladders to reach them from the outside. Hopefully hurricanes stay far away and its a task I won't have to do.
Right now it is partly cloudy, a light breeze, high 80's and 80% humidity. A lovely day in the tropics - whew!
Around 1 in the morning we were woken up by lightning. Incredible crashes were right on top of us it seemed. Every 5-10 seconds there would be another incredible crack and the rain was so strong it sounded like pebbles on our windows. Needless to say the power went out and Ginni got up to unplug our internet phone and the router (when power is restored it usually comes with a power surge that creates issues).
Around 2AM we got out of bed again and checked the house - all seemed well but the lightning show was nuts. At one point I actually felt the whole house quiver as the thunder crashed right over us. This lasted until about 4AM with the power going out and coming back on several times during the night.
When we got up this morning the back yard had one huge puddle under the clothes line, our screen porch had 2" of standing water in it, & one of the panes of glass in a window in the priest's residence had been blown out. The window in the Sacristy had been left open about a quarter inch and the rug in there is soaked, but the vestments and everything else seems OK.
I must say, if this is a storm that isn't a bad one - a storm that is only going to be a 'rain event', I am not looking forward to actually dealing with a hurricane. It was crazy for those few hours in the middle of the night - absolutely incredible.
When Peter came by to clean up the Church this morning I showed him the window and he was able to force the glass pane back into place, but we'll need to fix it later. Ginni suggested that since nobody is living in the priest's residence and we are in the hurricane season, why not put the hurricane shutters up on that set of windows with the loose pane of glass.
So we went into the garage and took out a few of the shutters. The shutters are made of corrigated aluminum. The ones we needed were small, about 4' long, and they fit into a groove on the top of the windows and a notch in the bottom and are held in place by a metal clamp that you hammer into place. It was good for me to see how they go in for this small job because when a hurricane really does bear down on Andros I will have to do the whole Church, and our residence as well - and in the midst of the pre-hurricane rush Peter may or may not be around to help. The Church shutters are a good 7' long and you need to climb up on ladders to reach them from the outside. Hopefully hurricanes stay far away and its a task I won't have to do.
Right now it is partly cloudy, a light breeze, high 80's and 80% humidity. A lovely day in the tropics - whew!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Dayshawn's Wheelchair
Sometimes you have an experience here that you just KNOW is the Holy Spirit. I have told most of my family about this story - but since this has finally come full circle, let me share this with you too.
When we were signing children up for CCD last year one man signed up his son, Dayshawn, age 10. We'd never seen any boy named Dayshawn at church so we asked about him and was told he'd just had surgery and was at home. So we called the family, introduced ourselves and set up a time to meet them. When we did, we found Loretta at home with a severely handicapped Dayshawn. Dayshawn suffers from Cerebral Palsey and in addition to being severely physically handicapped he cannot speak. His diet is primarily farina cereal and Ensure, the dietary supplement, which he drinks from a bottle.
Now back at St. Tim's in Norwood I served as Chaplain to "Faith and Light" a group of mentally challenged people that have been meeting at St. Tim's for over 20 years now. My experience with these loving people seemed to prepare me for Dayshawn. At that first meeting I was able to hold him in my lap for about an hour as we visited with Loretta and heard her story and Dayshawn's. Loretta is Anglican, her husband Catholic.
Leonard, or Porky as he is more well known, came to church and the Sisters who preceeded us here began to drop in and visit Loretta and Dayshawn. She said, "it was the Catholics that helped us Faddah, they came and visited". And now here we are, unknowingly continuing where the Sisters left off. Usually Dayshawn spends the day in a recliner, they have no wheelchair, there is no visiting nurse, there is no physical therapy, all we have here is a clinic. It was clear during our visit that Dayshawn is much loved. His parents provide all they can and he is an important part of their family.
Here is a pic of Dayshawn and his mother in their kitchen.
Weeks later, on a weekend we had a visiting priest, I was purifying the chalice after Mass at our church in Cargill Creek. As I wiped the inside of the chalice I happened to notice, on the bottom of the chalice, an engraving. It said 'Order of Alhambra - Caravan No. 82 - Montreal - In Memory of James Murphy Sept 21, 1952' and there was an emblem - a red tower.
Now, I never heard of Alhambra before - and Lord knows how a chalice like this found its way from Montrel to Cargill Creek Andros. Later that afternoon I went online and discovered that Alhambra is a fraternal order of Catholic men with a ministry of serving the needs of disabled children. (Isn't God amazing!)
So I send an email to the contact person, telling them of the chalice I'd found. I told them that if the Murphy family was still around, they might enjoy knowing this chalice is still in service and that it had found its way to this mission church in Cargill Creek, Andros. A few weeks go by and I get a reply from Roger Reid, an officer of Alhambra who was very interested in the chalice and referred me to the Alhabra 'scribe', Andre Beauchamp in Canada expressing great interest in the chalice and promising to research the chalice, etc. So I reply to him, this time mentioning that I had noticed they have a ministry to disabled children and describing Dayshawn. This led to a series of emails, over a period of months, until he suggested that Alhambra might be able to provide a wheelchair!
By this time I had told Loretta about Alhambra but she wasn't too excited about the wheelchair. They had had other wheelchairs and they never worked. Dayshawn has no upper body control and he would always slump forward in them. He needed a wheelchair that could recline, one that was adjustable, and might be able to grow with him over the years.
Well, my lovely wife is a visiting nurse. Now it was her turn to jump on the internet and search for chairs that would work - naturally she found one, but it was over $2,000 - then on another site one for half that, with a contact at a Nassau distributor. After several phone calls she came up with a solution for under $900.
So I send this information along to my friend in Canada and I get a reply that Alhambra is having a convention in Detroit and he'll bring Dayshawn's case up at the meeting. Needless to say, Porky and Loretta are thrilled that this has gotten this far and we were on pins and needles waiting to hear what would happen at the convention.
Well - the email arrived - the money was approved and a check was in the mail! I called Loretta immediately and later that day ran into Porky at the local market and told him. Weeks later the check arrived on Andros, we deposited the money, called the Nassau distributor, and sent them the formal order with the payment. Now it was just a matter of time.
One of the mail boats that comes to Andros is the 'Lady Katrina' and Loretta works as the shipping agent for the Katrina. We told the shipping company to use that boat to get the wheelchair to Andros and arrive it did!
Loretta took it home that day, Porky put it together and now Loretta doesn't have to carry him wherever they go. Dayshawn can be taken outside and sit in the gazebo his father built on the front of their house and watch his Dad play dominoes. Loretta can actually take Dayshawn for a walk. Moving from one room of the house to another no longer requires Loretta pick him up and carry him.
What strikes me about this story is how the Holy Spirit works.
What ever prompted me to turn the chalice upside down and look at the bottom?
What ever prompted Porky to register Dayshawn for CCD?
How did that chalice migrate to Cargill Creek?
Imagine this from a chalice from 1952! God set this up 57 years ago!
Imagine the 'coincidence' of Alhambra, of all the charities it might support, have a ministry to disabled children - and Andre Beauchamp taking the ball and running with it, presenting Dayshawn's situation to Alhambra in Detroit - and them approving the purchase.
God is indeed a loving Father, and we are His childen. We thank Alhambra, we thank Roger Reid and Andre Beauchamp - and most importantly - we thank the Holy Spirit who was totally involved in this, not only from the beginning of our meeting Dayshawn, but 57 years ago when the Murphy family first commissioned this chalice. Glory to God in the Highest - Amen!
Here are pics of Dayshawn in his new wheelchair - and another of his mother, father and I posing with Dayshawn.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Elephantitis
Hello again - well the latest news from here has to be the weather - it is HOT.
No breeze, no relief, just oppressive heat with high humidity. Every morning is the same, I leave the air conditioned bedroom and the trees are still, the house is already hot, I turn on the fans, start a pot of coffee, light my candle for morning prayer, then sit in front of the fan as I pray Morning Prayer. Every day is in the mid to high 90's with over 80% humidity - weather stations say the heat index (the 'feels like' temp) is always over 100.
While this is life on Andros - live goes on. If you remember, prior to our trip to the States we had a boy drown here. After we returned we stopped by to see the family and met the Grandfather. Everyone else in the house had gone to the creek to fish for supper so Ginni and I sat with him and talked for over an hour. It was a great conversation with him telling us much of the history of the Catholic church in the southern end of our part of Andros.
What was striking about this man were his legs. His wore shorts, no shoes, and right leg was incredibly swollen. All I could think of was the disease Elephantitis that you read about in Africa. The leg and foot were triple their normal size and the skin was tough and caloused. Ginni later told me it is 'peripheral vascular disease'. Meaning his circulation is so poor that the fluid in his legs stays there and the leg swells. Somehow to say it is swollen just doesn't describe it sufficiently as I type the words.
Anyway, we talked about is grandson's drowning, and the funeral we missed. We had heard it was a full church and very emotional. He said he didn't go because of his foot. In fact, he stopped going to Church years ago because he couldn't wear shoes anymore, and hasn't worn shoes for over 5 years.
When I asked why we hadn't seen his family in church he explained that when the permanent resident Sisters left, and the church was served by priests/deacons that just came for weekend visits they felt abandoned. They still consider themselves Catholic, but none of the grandchildren are baptized, his children haven't been to church for years and, after several years away, they are pretty much 'un-churched'.
Our conversation covered a wide range of topics and he was very well spoken. He told stories of Fr. Gabriel Roerig OSB, a Benedictine who spent over 30 years evangelizing Andros. He built the first church here, he served up and down the Andros coast before their were roads, using a boat when he could, and walking when he couldn't. The more I hear of this priest the more I wonder why he isn't up for canonization.
After a great conversation, and an assurance he'd try to get the grandchildren back to church on Sunday, Ginni asked if any of the Doctors he had seen had tried to get him stockings or support hose that might give some relief. They had not. Ginni's visiting nurse experience kicked in and she promised to try to see what she might find on the web. They have wrap-around boots for this disease that can be very comfortable, provide relief, and double as shoes for many people.
So we said our good-byes, promised we would bring him communion on Sunday, and left. Later that day Ginni had a print out of two different types of wrap around shoes - one was more of a slipper, the other not only wrapped around the foot, but the ankle and calf too. With velco straps the width was adjustable and it looked perfect.
On Sunday there was an entire row of new children we'd never seen before - his grandchildren. There were no adults, we assume they either walked or got dropped off, but he was true to his promise and they all were there, dressed in pretty party dresses. I talked to them after church and told them we'd be coming by with communion and some information for their grandfather.
After our van made the rounds of dropping off locals with no cars to their homes, we left and made our first stop to see him again. All the kids met us in the driveway - now back in shorts and t-shirts and shoeless once again. They led us to the back yard and we sat on buckets turned upside down under the same mango tree I had met with them a few weeks ago to talk about the upcoming funeral of the boy who had drowned.
Ginni showed him the pictures and the descriptions of the wrap around boot and he said no Doctor had ever shown him anything like this. After we read some of the information to him (all the time surrounded by all the children looking to see what 'Faddah' had brought grampie) he thought that it might actually work and we promised to see how we could order it on the internet.
Then I began the prayers for the communion service - and he still remembered the prayers. "I confess to Almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters that I have sinned ..." The children were wide-eyed as he and his wife together joined me and Ginni as we prayed through this little prayer service. I read the Ephesians reading from this Sunday liturgy and told him a recap of the homily. We prayed the Lord's Prayer and I gave him and his wife communion. Afterwards I explained to some of the children that, after they come to religion classes and they learn about the Eucharist, they can recieve their First Communion and recieve every Sunday. (At Church the young children recieve a blessing at communion, and they'd just had that experience at Church earlier).
We returned to the van (which, by the way, had people sitting and waiting for us for their ride home), and we were off. On the way home we dropped these folks off and then made another 3 communion calls. We have a 94 year-old blind woman who I've written about before, another 90+ year-old woman who has fallen and broken her arm, and a cancer patient who just returned from Nassau after chemo. A busy Sunday in 95 degree heat.
Several people back in the States have been very generous to us and it is that genosity that will be put to work now to buy this man's support-boot. If it works as well as we hope, he may actually be able to return to church with his grandchildren. Time will tell.
Enough for now, pray for us as we do for you.
No breeze, no relief, just oppressive heat with high humidity. Every morning is the same, I leave the air conditioned bedroom and the trees are still, the house is already hot, I turn on the fans, start a pot of coffee, light my candle for morning prayer, then sit in front of the fan as I pray Morning Prayer. Every day is in the mid to high 90's with over 80% humidity - weather stations say the heat index (the 'feels like' temp) is always over 100.
While this is life on Andros - live goes on. If you remember, prior to our trip to the States we had a boy drown here. After we returned we stopped by to see the family and met the Grandfather. Everyone else in the house had gone to the creek to fish for supper so Ginni and I sat with him and talked for over an hour. It was a great conversation with him telling us much of the history of the Catholic church in the southern end of our part of Andros.
What was striking about this man were his legs. His wore shorts, no shoes, and right leg was incredibly swollen. All I could think of was the disease Elephantitis that you read about in Africa. The leg and foot were triple their normal size and the skin was tough and caloused. Ginni later told me it is 'peripheral vascular disease'. Meaning his circulation is so poor that the fluid in his legs stays there and the leg swells. Somehow to say it is swollen just doesn't describe it sufficiently as I type the words.
Anyway, we talked about is grandson's drowning, and the funeral we missed. We had heard it was a full church and very emotional. He said he didn't go because of his foot. In fact, he stopped going to Church years ago because he couldn't wear shoes anymore, and hasn't worn shoes for over 5 years.
When I asked why we hadn't seen his family in church he explained that when the permanent resident Sisters left, and the church was served by priests/deacons that just came for weekend visits they felt abandoned. They still consider themselves Catholic, but none of the grandchildren are baptized, his children haven't been to church for years and, after several years away, they are pretty much 'un-churched'.
Our conversation covered a wide range of topics and he was very well spoken. He told stories of Fr. Gabriel Roerig OSB, a Benedictine who spent over 30 years evangelizing Andros. He built the first church here, he served up and down the Andros coast before their were roads, using a boat when he could, and walking when he couldn't. The more I hear of this priest the more I wonder why he isn't up for canonization.
After a great conversation, and an assurance he'd try to get the grandchildren back to church on Sunday, Ginni asked if any of the Doctors he had seen had tried to get him stockings or support hose that might give some relief. They had not. Ginni's visiting nurse experience kicked in and she promised to try to see what she might find on the web. They have wrap-around boots for this disease that can be very comfortable, provide relief, and double as shoes for many people.
So we said our good-byes, promised we would bring him communion on Sunday, and left. Later that day Ginni had a print out of two different types of wrap around shoes - one was more of a slipper, the other not only wrapped around the foot, but the ankle and calf too. With velco straps the width was adjustable and it looked perfect.
On Sunday there was an entire row of new children we'd never seen before - his grandchildren. There were no adults, we assume they either walked or got dropped off, but he was true to his promise and they all were there, dressed in pretty party dresses. I talked to them after church and told them we'd be coming by with communion and some information for their grandfather.
After our van made the rounds of dropping off locals with no cars to their homes, we left and made our first stop to see him again. All the kids met us in the driveway - now back in shorts and t-shirts and shoeless once again. They led us to the back yard and we sat on buckets turned upside down under the same mango tree I had met with them a few weeks ago to talk about the upcoming funeral of the boy who had drowned.
Ginni showed him the pictures and the descriptions of the wrap around boot and he said no Doctor had ever shown him anything like this. After we read some of the information to him (all the time surrounded by all the children looking to see what 'Faddah' had brought grampie) he thought that it might actually work and we promised to see how we could order it on the internet.
Then I began the prayers for the communion service - and he still remembered the prayers. "I confess to Almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters that I have sinned ..." The children were wide-eyed as he and his wife together joined me and Ginni as we prayed through this little prayer service. I read the Ephesians reading from this Sunday liturgy and told him a recap of the homily. We prayed the Lord's Prayer and I gave him and his wife communion. Afterwards I explained to some of the children that, after they come to religion classes and they learn about the Eucharist, they can recieve their First Communion and recieve every Sunday. (At Church the young children recieve a blessing at communion, and they'd just had that experience at Church earlier).
We returned to the van (which, by the way, had people sitting and waiting for us for their ride home), and we were off. On the way home we dropped these folks off and then made another 3 communion calls. We have a 94 year-old blind woman who I've written about before, another 90+ year-old woman who has fallen and broken her arm, and a cancer patient who just returned from Nassau after chemo. A busy Sunday in 95 degree heat.
Several people back in the States have been very generous to us and it is that genosity that will be put to work now to buy this man's support-boot. If it works as well as we hope, he may actually be able to return to church with his grandchildren. Time will tell.
Enough for now, pray for us as we do for you.
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