Christmas Day - Photos and Notes

This post and the next few posts were sent to me by Sr. Christine on Christmas Day 2005: (Excerpts)

"Here in the Philippines Christmas is pretty much finished with
supper after mass on Christmas Eve. People sleep in and take it easy on
the 25th, but there isn't much of a sense that it is still Christmas.
If you ask most people here when Christmas is... they will say it's
Decemer 24th! So, last night Anie, Mary and myself attended "midnight"
mass at 9pm at Sto. Niño parish where the three of us have some
involvements. Myra and Margaret attended "midnight mass" at 10pm at
Xavier University which is known for having very nice liturgies... and
last night they weren't disappointed. After mass we gathered at our
Carmen house for a late lunch."

"I had taken my dirty plate and cup to the sink and realized
that from there I had a wonderful view of the home of one of our
students... so I took this photo to show people the kind of place that
many of our children live in. This is one of the poorest, so many would
be a bit better off, but all would be extremely poor by Canadian standards."

Christmas Day-Photos and Notes

Here's a photo of the children at the Sto. Niño centre playing musical
chairs at their Christmas party.

Christmas Day - Photos and Notes

"This was a MEGA-party held for all the children of all the literacy
centres at Xavier University... except, of course, the children in the
prison weren't able to attend. All in all there were 80 kids! In this
photo.... just try to imagine 80 excited kids screaming CHEESE!!!"

Christmas Day - Photos and Notes

"Here is a photo of the children at the jail during their Christmas
party. There are acutally two literacy centres at the jail... one for
the boys and one for the girls. There are two jails on the one compound
and the male and female sections are run by two different wardens, so we
are not allowed to combine the boys and the girls even though there are
about 23 boys and only 2 girls at the moment. The girls were allowed to
come to the party with the boys which was good because it would have
been too hard to have a party for two girls only!"

"In this photo one of the boys is singing a song composed by
streetchildren about life on the streets... it is called "May Bukas Pa,"
in English, "There is Still Tomorrow." It's a very sad and touching
song.... both of the girl inmates were quietly crying as he sang. The
fellow playing the guitar is Mr. Moises Elaco who is hired part-time to
help with driving and outreach for the literacy centres."

Christmas Day - Photos and Notes

"Here's the last (and 5th, I hope) photo. This was the party at our
Kabula literacy centre. I think for all the kids, it would have been
the first time they's seen someone dressed up as Santa. Santa isn't
very common here among the poor, and mostly, I would guess that's
because most kids don't find any, nevermind many, gifts under the tree
on Christmas morning. Most probably don't have a tree for that matter."

"Actually, these past few weeks have been kind of difficult for me as
everyone I know, and many people whom I don't know have come to me
asking for a Christmas gift. Each time it happened, I got a bit
grumpier.... thinking to myself, where's the spirit of Christmas? Isn't
it supposed to be about giving rather than receiving? Do I look like
I'm made of money? Where am I supposed to get Christmas gifts for half
the people in town? I always find Christmas hard because of this.
Well... a few days back as Anie and I were tallking together about our
day during our community prayer, it suddenly struck me.... The poor
getting something, getting enough, from those of us who have too much, IS
the REAL Spirit of Christmas! I was the one who wasn't "getting it!"

Christmas in the Philippines

OLM SISTERS AT CARMEN HOUSE - PHILIPPINES. Left to right:
Sr. Anie Montejo (OLM Novice), Sr. Myra Trainor, Sr. Mary Gauthier,
Sr. Christine Gebel, Sr.Margaret Walsh. Note our cactus Christmas tree!

Prayers and best wishes
from Sr. Mary and Sr. Christine
in the Philippines:

May the Christ Child

born into a world of violence

continue to remind us

of God’s loving presence

in our broken world.

Dear Fr. Bob and friends at St. Mary’s Parish (Williamstown),

I would like to send Christmas greetings of Peace to you Fr. Bob and the Parishioners. It is good to celebrate Christmas in the Philippines this year. On Dec. 16th begins - Masses will be celebrated at 4am each day of the novena. It is a Spanish custom that has continued in some parts of the Philippines. I think the 4am was the time the rooster crowed and awakened the people when it was still dark. I don’t think I will hear the call of the rooster this year, at least not every day. I will remember you all with much gratitude as we celebrate the gift of Emmanuel - 'God with us'.

Mary Gauthier OLM.



Dear Fr. Bob and Parishioners of St. Mary's,

It is with much gratitude that I look back on 2005. My two months in Canada were a wonderful time of re-connecting with family and old friends, as well as making new friends. I carried back many good memories of my time in Glengarry, and the sisters in Toronto and the Philippines asked loads of questions and listened eagerly to my stories which in turn prompted them to remember and re-tell many of their own memories of our early days. I managed to get back into the swing-of-things very quickly here, and there's always something interesting to do. Now that Christmas is upon us, people are making a great effort to celebrate despite the fact that times are the hardest I've ever seen. Yesterday (December 11) we held a party at our house for some friends and the OLM Associates (a group of lay people who wish to share some aspects of our life and charism without living in community or becoming a religious) - attached are some photos of the party. (see picture at top)

Prayers and good wishes for a joyful Christmas and a blessed New Year! Peace, Christine Gebel OLM