Continued Cloudy with Downpours and Flowers
I am told this is a year of weather like no other. The heat of summer has thankfully passed. (Aussie parishioners shared that they had never seen so many days of such heat.) And now we have had three weeks of clouds and rain. When we do get a break, it is only for a few minutes and then it's another downpour. Our house has leaks that are getting worse. It's a mess.
Like a rosebush, I thrive with sun. These days are really getting to me. I haven't gone for a run in a week and am feeling it. When I wake up to the sound of rain, I just don't want to get out of bed. But thankfully I do.
The other day I had the 6.45 am Mass (that's how they write 6:45 am around here). The sun was just rising as I walked over to the chapel. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera…but another parishioner did. This is a photo she took with ehr phone on the way to Mass (1). A thin layer of cloud hung over the sky and the light kissed the water and it blushed a beautiful brilliant red. The whole East was a glow. It was spectacular!
I am amazes that the roses are still blooming. I was told that they didn't like real wet conditions. And that they especially didn't like water on their leaves…that it causes fungus. Ours seem to be surviving. Here are some from our school. They were picture perfect (2-4).
Here are some shots of flowers in our gardens around the chapel (5-17). The bougainvillea are stunning (5). These flowers always pick me up (6-8); I love the variety you can get with just petal shape, button center and colors. Our own roses are doing very well (9-12). This bush is just covered with red blooms (12). And these last flowers are odd things I have never seen before (13-17). The last four (14-17) are the same variety. I wanted you to see how full of flowers the plant is and how different each stalk of blooms look.
On the first Sunday of Lent (March 5, 2017) we headed out to the Cathedral of Parramatta for the Rite of Election. This is a rite that takes place each year in every diocese where those who are entering the Catholic Church at Easter (through baptism, etc) are presented to the Bishop. He then receives a Book of the Elect from the parish. Here he signs it ont he spot and it is returned to the parish right away.
In Parramatta, they posted the professional photos and offered them on-line to anyone. Here are the ones of our parish and interesting shots of the ceremony and the building. This is of the Bishop (Vincent Long, a Conventual Franciscan of my Order) entering with the Book of the Gospels (18).
This is a panorama of the space (19). The Cathedral was originally a traditional old church from early last century. There was a fire and through insurance and the raising of funds, the church was restored and modified with an addition off the side. They have daily mass in the original worship space but use this larger space for Mass on Sunday and for ceremonies like this one. I have mixed feelings about this. I like the use of natural stuff. Some of the art is elegant. The altar seems overly big for the space (six of me could sleep on it without realizing others were sleeping there too!) I loathe the crucifix. Christ seems made of spent foil gum wrappers. And his proportions are all grotesque. Okay, enough critique!
Here the bishop is preaching (20). His Emcee is a lay person (not a priest) yet dresses in clerics for mass. Not sure why that is. People have brought it up to the bishop, including myself, and Bishop Vincent doesn't seem to do anything about it. Here the bishop signs the Book of the Elect (21-22) with (from left to right) Fr. Gerard, my RCIA volunteer coordinator, Annette Tan and myself watching. The recessional (23) and a picture wuth our group (24). We have 10 people for baptism (including 4 children) with two candidates for full communion with the Catholic Church. (Unfortunately, I and my associate had already left as "Joey was tired" and I had the evening Mass.)