Heading towards Holy Week

Contemplative Sheep

Dear Friends and Family,

Holy Week is almost here! One of the best times of the year with the wonderful liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and of couse Easter itself. I will be praying for you all in a particular way as we follow our Lord in His passion, death, and resurrection, and wanted to share with you below how I will be living those liturgies. But first let me share some of the photos from this great 3 mile jog I found here in England. It takes you up and down hills, from the Carmelite monastery to the ocean.

Crest of first hill (monastery is in valley behind me)

The winding road heading towards the sea

Off in the distance, between two hills, is the ocean

Nearing now the Ocean and small sea-side town of Mawgan-Porth

Locals strolling the beach since it was a balmy 45 degrees

Had to put the sheep again since the animals are very nice to see along the way

Exercise this week also involved a day working at a farm--to get to know one of the local families that helps a lot at the monastery. Work included helping chop up a pig that had just been butchered. Interesting work... Neat family: mother and father have 12 children, and then those children, most of whom are married, have perhaps another 15 - 20 grandchildren so far. The youngest is two year-old Barnabas, a Down-Syndrome child. He's adorable. When I prayed the rosary with the family he crawled over next to me and just kept staring and staring, not sure quite what to make of me.... then as I talked with the family he crawled up onto my lap and was as good as could be. A real joy and blessing for the family I believe! Who knows what God is doing in his little innocent soul. He certainly has a special smile and gaze, and it was neat to see how the other children treat him so well.

Other than that day, this week was full of "ora et labora" with whatever time wasn't in the chapel being spent studying here. From now through the beginning of June it will be an intense time of studies. Tests every week for these next few weeks. Then during April and May I'm in class about 24 hours of each week, plus assignments outside of class and then... will be beginning April 5th the J.D. courses which are supposed to take 30 hours a week, plus the additional work of doing some ministry alongside the FSSP priests to get to know them.. so I won't be bored!

Tomorrow morning I fly back to Rome, then Wednesday fly to the States (Cleveland Ohio), from where I'll drive to Canada and move into the FSSP parish that is near St. Paul's University. Holy Week should be interesting. Palm Sunday I get to just observe. Holy Thursday they kindly invited me to celebrate the Mass and preach the homily (half English and half French), then to assist Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, and Easter day Masses as subdeacon, and to chant some of the readings at each. Will be very much praying for you!

These past two weeks at this monastery have been very peaceful and prayerful. This morning I had another 5:15AM candlelit Mass and preaching in Italian. Tomorrow will be once again 5:15, and then off to the airport, so I'd best sign-off now....

With much love and prayers,
Fr. Moses of Jesus Pillari