Check Mate

Today St. Mary's College hosted various schools from Kingston in a chess tournament

Our students put up a good fight but fell just short of victory.

Christ The King Of The Harvest

This morning folllowing the 8:00am Mass, the members of Our Lady of Lourdes, Rock Hall, held their annual Harvest Festival. Prayers were offered in thanksgiving to the Lord for all the good things He has done. Various goods (passion fruit, oranges, cabbage, pumpkin, chocho, sugar cane, beans) and baked goods were on sale.

Wind Chill

Last night a "cold front" moved over Jamaica and the temps dipped to 65 - but with the wind chill factor it felt like 60! The students in Above Rocks were all bundled up this morning on their way to school. The friars also had their long trousers on. The sweaters that were sent from Saint Francis High School, Athol Springs and Saint Catherine's School Spring Lake sure did come in handy. Who knows, we might even get a snow day....

Psalm 121:8

"The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in." This school year has seen the addition of watchmen at the main gate of Saint Mary's. Jamaica has seen an increase of abductions of children as well as an increase of violence. To protect our children there is limited assess to the compound and the watchmen keep a sharp eye on all who come in and go out. We have been blessed up here in the mountains as we have not seen the violence that is common in Kingston

Here our workers construct the new Guard House at our main gate. We are grateful to our workers who are multi-talented!

During the day Marc, a trained tailor, keeps an eye on our front door while keeping his busy schedule. Marc sews vestments,makes school uniforms and keeps our visitor's hostel clean and in order.

The Breakfast Club

One of the new initiatives at St Mary's College is the monthly Breakfast Club. In an effort to reclaim our Catholic Schools and reach out to our Catholic students at St Marys we gather on Wednesday morning after school devotion for: prayers, breakfast and discussion. By gathering as a group our Catholic students (21 of 940) can develop some identity and support one another in their faith. Here you see some of the group with porridge in one hand a fresh jelly coconut in the other. Next month they want muffins...

Peace In Action

One day after the Friars and Sisters of Saint Mary's and Missions celebrated the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi they joined members of Holy Family Church, Cassava River and brothers and sisters from the City Mission, Baptist and Pentecostal Churches for a Peace Vigil in Glengoffe. Two men were shot to death on Sunday September 27 in this District of Saint Catherine. One man was the Uncle of a parishioner from Holy Family. Songs for peace and forgiveness were offered to the Lord by this Ecumenical group. The Friars and Sisters know that Francis is the Saint of Peace as well as the Saint who crossed religious boarders that took him to the Sultan in Egypt, in order to build God's Kingdom. Sunday evening was a true Franciscan Moment as we joined hands as brothers and sisters to pray that God's Kingdom may come!

In Memoriam

+ Mother Mona Brunner, FSE who was to be the third sister at St Mary's, Above Rocks, and Mission died at the Franciscan Family Life Center, Pocatello, Idaho, late the evening of 2 October 2008. +Mother Mona visited the Mission during the month of January 2008. +Mother Mona was an artist and a talented baker...during her stay here we were treated to her special orange swirl rolls.

+Mother Mona will be waked on Sunday, 5 October 2008, and her Mass of Christian Burial will be on Monday, 6 October 2008, all in Pocatello, ID.

In your charity, please remember all the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist who grieve her passing.

Eternal rest grant unto her Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace!