Salvador da Bahia Mission: A Very Happy Christmas

Greetings and Feliz Natal from the Alto Mission! I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season and as always our prayers are with you. I am happy to say that this was the most beautiful Christmas I have experienced thus far. Brother Francis Therese has been in America for the past week and a half, and we all miss him.

Katie and Gabi and I spend a few days preparing the convent for the birth of our Lord. A Christmas tree, twinkle lights, a fake fireplace and plenty of paper snowflakes made the place feel just like home. On Christmas Eve, Katie Gabi and I sang in the choir at the Cathedral. It went very well and sounded beautiful. We started Christmas with mass, and then shared a lovely lunch with the Brothers and a few Oblates. We then went to Alto and let the most needy families know that we had food baskets waiting for them in the Church. They were overjoyed, especially the children. The baskets contained rice, sugar, flour, salt, crackers, and canned fish. The looks on peoples faces when we told them we had food for them was breathtaking. They were so happy to see us, and to share a greeting of “Feliz Natal” (Merry Christmas in Portuguese). One little girl hugged me for about five minutes, and it was really beautiful. We then headed home and had adoration. After adoration the girls did our best to make the dining room look beautiful with candles and twinkle lights. We surprised the Brothers with nice meats and French cheeses. We went around the table discussing why today was nice for us, and then ended the night with an hour of Christmas Caroling. It was the perfect evening. I apologize for the lack of pictures of Alto. Many of the people living there find it offensive if we take pictures because they feel as if we are trying to broadcast their state in life. I hope you enjoy the blog and pictures and please remember to keep us in your prayers. You are in ours! God Bless!