BOXING DAY 2009

Jamaica being a former British Colony and now a Commonwealth celebrates the Boxing Day. By definition: Boxing Day was traditionally a day on which the servants had a day off from their duties. Because of this the gentry would eat cold cuts and have a buffet-style feast prepared by the servants in advance. In modern times many families will still follow this tradition by eating a family-style buffet lunch, with cold cuts rather than a fully-cooked meal. It is a time for family, parlour games and sports in the UK. Boxing Day is a bank and public holiday.

Here at st Mary's we have re-tooled the day and we host the Annual Children's Boxing Day Fair. As most of our children do not celebrate Christmas, as we know it state side, with decorations and gift exchange; they do save they money to come to the annual fair. Through the generous support of U S benefactor, most especially Archbishop Curley High School who again this year sent 700+ toys for Boxing Day, we can be assured that every child who comes will walk away with a toy, a stuffed animal, or a Hil-Rom pen!

Below are some shots of the day's events.

Fr Brad at the Raffle Table

Latoya and her team at Bounce-About The "Drinks Crew" - Peter Jon, Ricky and Ryan


Basket Ball Toss - A BIG EVENT for the DAY!

The KITCHEN: Fried Chicken, Jerk Pork and Chicken Foot Soup!

HOOP LA - under the watchful eye of Clive and Hasan.

A new addition this year - FACE PAINTING by Ms Booth

AA 331

Last evening the final section of downed American Airlines Flight 331 was removed from the beach off Kingston. On December 22, the Boeing 737-800 overshot the runway at the Norman Manley Airport in Kingston shortly after 10:00pm, crashed on the beach across the Port Royal Road and broke into three. There were no fatalities. There was no one from the Mission on the plane If the airplane hit the sea it would have immediately sank into the 11,000 feet of water

just off the shore. Jamaica is calling this incident a Christmas Miracle. As Christians we know that because of the Incarnation "miracles" happen each day, as everything is touched by the Divine! An additional miracle happened that evening. Many are questioning if the emergency crews were quick enough to respond but in typical Jamaican fashion it was the ordinary people; bus driver, local citizens, taxi operators, who responded immediately to offer assistance. In a Country plagued by violence, it takes a possible major catastrophe to show the goodness of the ordinary people of this tiny Island Nation. Below are some pictures taken by Sister Naomi last week on the way to pick up a visitor at the airport.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

The twenty-fifth day of December.
In the five thousand one hundred and ninety-ninth year of the creation of the world from the time when God in the beginning created the heavens and the earth;
the two thousand nine hundred and fifty-seventh year after the flood;
the two thousand and fifteenth year from the birth of Abraham;
the one thousand five hundred and tenth year from Moses and the going forth of the people of Israel from Egypt;
the one thousand and thirty-second year from David's being anointed king;
in the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel;
in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;
the seven hundred and fifty-second year from the foundation of the city of Rome;
the forty second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus;
the whole world being at peace,
in the sixth age of the world,
Jesus Christ the eternal God and Son of the eternal Father,

desiring to sanctify the world by his most merciful coming,

being conceived by the Holy Spirit,and nine months having passed since his conception,
was born in Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary, being made flesh.

The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.

Christmas Blessings from the Friars and Sisters as we

celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus, the Christ.

Greccio in Jamaica

On the 4th Sunday of Advent the Community of Our Lady of Lourdes, Rock Hall, gathered to celebrate the Franciscan Tradition of Greccio. Due to the falling of cold rain, the live Nativity was moved indoors. Members of our four Church Communities dressed as the major figures and hot chicken foot soup was served after the celebration as the temps dropped to a chilly 78 degrees.

Saint Joseph and Baby Jesus

Little J.T. makes the perfect shepherd

Shepherds and Kings - minus one King

CHRISTMAS SUNDAY ?

For some here in Jamaica the Sunday before Christmas is known as Christmas Sun day. Most families do not come out for Mass on Christmas Day, as they are preparing the ham and macaroni and cheese, rather that come out the Sunday before or after. Last night we "put up" the friary Christmas Tree. As we were stringing the lights we were talking with family on the east coast: Baltimore, MD - 15" of snow and counting; and, Spring Lake, NJ - 12" and counting. While we were in shorts, the temperature was a balmy 82 and a light dew rain was beginning to fall.

Blessings of the Season to you and yours!

25 Years -- Feed the World, Band Aid

It's hard to believe that 25 years ago this song hit the air waves. Now 25 years later here in Jamaica we are experiencing drought, we are on the edge of civil unrest, the country is 10 - 19 billion dollars short for this fiscal year alone, rice (a staple here in Jamaica) is now more than $1us per pound, and just yesterady the Prime Minster's Office announced that the chicken industry would drop the price of chicken for one week, so that all might have access to chicken for Christmas. For some this song may bring back memories, for others they will say "what is that - look at that hair!" Maybe you have been blessed, in spite of difficult financial times world around, and you would like to help . . . consider St Mary's, Above Rocks, and Missions. P E A C E !

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Joy was in the air this afternoon as the All-Age presented their annual Christmas Concert. After weeks of practice, the students delighted their parents and friends with melodious songs, well rehersed poems and colourful dances.

Da Virgin Mary Had A Baby Boy...

Our Festival Dancers dance to "Behold The Lamb Of God."

Little April enjoys the concert with her Mom and Dad

Opening The Doors

In an effort to open our doors to the wider Above Rocks Community, the Mission hosted a wedding reception in the St. Louis Educational and Social Center this afternoon. There are not many places for people to gather in our area, so we thought this would be a good opportunity to reach out to our brothers and sisters from other Faith Communities. Many people have a misunderstanding about Roman Catholics and tend to be anti-Catholic. This new initiative helps to break down what divides us and help to build God's Kingdom where all will be one! Sunday night we will be hosting a play produced by a local young man portraying in a comical way life in Jamaica. This too is open to the entire Above Rocks area.

Our school children always find their way to Sister Marcia - even at a wedding reception.

Miss April (center in blue) Principal at St. Mary's Basic prepares for a night of celebration.

BEEP BEEP

...No, not the roadrunner but a new and exciting program at St. Mary's All-Age. "Yes we can" - "Yes we will" was the chant heard around the Mission this afternoon as the school community officially launched Boys Empowerment Enrichment Program. Boys and young men in general are a group on the fringe here in Jamaica. Most crimes on the Island are committed by youths between the ages of 16-25. BEEP was started to help our boys make good healthy choices as well as to help build their self-esteem. Many of these boys (grades 7-9) cannot read so literacy efforts will be made to enable these boys to read and thus open a whole new world for them. We do not want our boys to be just another statistic - BEEP will help guide and nourish them to be the next leaders of Jamaica, Land We Love!

Mr. Alrick McKenzie, past student of St. Mary's Basic, All-Age and College addresses the boys and challenges them to be successful. Mr. McKenzie is a Jamaican Television personality (and grandson of our cook)

BEEP choir sings "Ain't No Giving Up"

SMC - Guidance Dept Award

Yesterday St. Mary's College's - Guidance and Coun- seling Department were among six finalist for Region 6. Sr Naomi and Br Michael represented the Board of Management at the ceremony held at the Holiday Inn in Montego Bay. St. Mary's College came in 4th for their Guidance and Counseling Plan for the 2008 - 2009 Academic Year. The program sponsored by the Jamaican Association of Guidance Counsellors [sic] in Education included a pointed speech by the president of the Jamaica Teachers' Association and an ambitious address by the new CEO of the Ministry of Education, Ms. Grace McLean. Both speakers were supportive of the guidance and counseling programs across the island and thanked the counselors for the impact they are having on the young people in Jamaica.

Below you will see Mrs Davidson, principal (left), the Guidance Dept in the centre, and Br Michael, Chairman of the Board (right).

Do You Hear What I Hear?

On the evening of the Second Sunday of Advent, Church Members from St. Mary's Above Rocks, St. Helen's Linstead and Apostolic Mission Hall joined Holy Family Cassava River for their annual Christmas Concert. Joining voices with the Heavenly Hosts, songs filled the "cool" night air (70 degrees) as they "prepared the way of the Lord" on their Advent journey.

Pastoral Visit - First Sunday of Advent

On Sunday, 29 November 2009, Archbishop Donald Reece, joined the faith communities of St Mary's, O L of Lourdes, Sacred Hearts and Holy Family for Super Sunday (5th Sunday of the month) in Above Rocks. while the Ordinary might be expected to celebrate at the Cathedral Church on the beginning of a New Liturgical Year, His Grace said it was important for him to make a pastoral visit to St Mary's and Missions. All four faith communities were well represented and the presidents of each local church assisted with the Advent Wreath Service. After Communion the St Mary's Dancers provided us with a song and movement for our meditation, and 10-A-C Lewis had the chicken foot soup ready when we hit the back steps. Below you can find a 3 minute slide show of the day's events. Thanks for visiting the BLOG.

Please note: we are aware of the missing "h" in Bishop below. It appears spelled correctly in the text box but when the frame is formatted for the slide show it drops the "h" - we have tried to fix the spelling without success. Thank you for your understanding.

Comments

Thanks to our benefactors and friends who leave us comments after viewing a post. Due to electronic posts that are not from benefactors and friends, all future posts will be reviewed before they are posted. Thank you for your continued support of the Mission. PEACE!

Eternal Rest Grant Unto Them O Lord

Today marked the annual blessing of graves in the Archdiocese of Kingston. All four of our Churches have areas where the dead are buried. After each Mass this morning we blessed the graves of those who have gone before us and remembered the many contributions they made to the Mission.All-powerful God, whose mercy is never withheld from those who call upon you in hope, look kindly on your servants who departed this life confessing you name, and number them among your saints forever. We ask this through Christ our Lord. AMEN

27 Months . . . but B V M Arrives

In February of 2006 a friend of the Franciscan Friars, +Aunt Josie, died in Baltimore, MD. Her family wanted to donate a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the Mission, as +Aunt Josie had a great devotion to Our Lady. So in May of 2007 the family purchased the statue. At first we were told it had be shipped to a "Brother Michael" in Central America. Then a few months later we were told she was on the island (Jamaica) but they just couldn't put their finger on the exact location. In August of 2008 we found here, in a garden in Mandeville. Actually she had been sent to the Passionist "Brother Michael" in Mandeville, where she was given a home on the lawn of St Paul's Cathedral. Through the tireless efforts of +Aunt Josie's Family, especially Pat, the long awaited statue was put in her home today. My hunch is: she could have walked from Baltimore, MD, to Above Rocks, Jamaica in 27 months...what do you think?

Special THANKS to the

Karwoski Family!

St Francis Day

St Francis Day Celebrations - Through the permission of the local Ordinary the Friars were able to celebrate the Feast of St Francis at the weekend liturgies (vs 27th Sunday of the Year). After Mass at each of the worship sites the Franciscans (friars and sisters) joined with the people of God for cake and juice (above). Later Sunday afternoon the Franciscan Sisters of Allegheny joined us for dinner (below). . . here you see: (left to right) Br Michael, Sr Marcia, Fr Michael, Sr Goretti, Sr Colleen, Sr Angela and Sr Terecita enjoying dessert, awaiting the full moon to come over the distant mountain. Not pictured, because she's getting the picture for us, is the FSE Postulant, Ana.

Beautiful Boginvilia

The workers at the Mission are always looking for new ways to beautiful the compound. Marc has taken the responsibility to develop a boginvilla garden on the auditorium veranda.

Marc and Sheppie give the new plants some nourishment.

St. Joseph Cupertino

Thanks to all our overseas supporters, Kemar loves to learn!

Today (September 18) the Franciscan Order celebrates the Feast of Saint Joseph Cupertino OFM Conv. This Saint is a favorite among students as he himself found studies difficult and is thus the Patron Saint of Students. Now in the 4th year, the Cupertino Program at the Mission helps students who need extra attention. Two sessions are held each day. The morning session is for grade 6 students ( 12 students attend) while the afternoon offers assistance to grade 2-5 students ( 20 students attend). This program is funded entirely by our supporters in the States, especially the Parishioners of Saint Joan of Arc in Maryland. Anyone interested in helping the future of Jamaica can send their monetary donation to our Mission Office in Ellicott City Maryland. Who knows - maybe we have a future St. Joseph Cupertino in Above Rocks!

Miss Kadian (Coordinator of the Cupertino Program) helps Jordan with his math.

Grade six students use the computer (donated by Archbishop Curley High School) to develop their skills.

St. Joseph of Cupertino - Pray for us!

Welcome Back Students

For the past two weeks the students have been back in school - unfortunately the power has not - we are without power for various reasons up to 15 hours a day! Students, teachers and administration look forward to a successful year and hope the brain power kicks in!!!

All-Age students are all smiles as they begin the new academic year

The entire student body of St. Mary's College gathers for the opening assembly in 95 degree heat. We have the students but are in desperate need of a large auditorium. Naming rights are available to anyone who is interested in making a sizable donation to the auditorium fund. Father Michael is open to any name even if it is named after the Red Sox!

College girls happy to see their teachers after a long Summer