Gaudete!

Today is the Third Sunday of Advent. This Sunday is called also "Gaudete" Sunday due to the joyful message proclaimed by the Mass formula and the Liturgy of the Word.

We have several reasons today for a very joyful celebration. The Holy Father has opened the Door of Mercy at St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday. On Wednesday our Bishop of Musoma did the same in Holy Mary, Mother of God Cathedral in Musoma. Us did the same on Friday. Today another Doors of Mercy will be opened my the Holy Father in Rome's Papal Basilicas, in particular at his own cathedral at St. John  in Lateran.

In all dioceses of the world and indeed in every parish in the world the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy will be inaugurated and Doors of Mercy will be opened all over the world.

I have yet another - personal - reason to celebrate in gladness, gratitude and joy. This morning I have received the shipment of my new books and publications which I prepared for this Year of Mercy. A new book on Divine Mercy, a guidebook for readers of the Word of God, the examination of conscience for adults, the examination of conscience for the youth, the Jubilee prayer and the checklist of corporal and spiritual deeds of mercy during the Jubilee Year.

Immediately after we finished offloading the truck and stored books securely - the heavy downpour came all of a sudden and it still rains as I write these words three hours later. We were lucky, otherwise the shipment would get soaked in rain.

Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo! Thanks be to Merciful Father for the safe transportation of the shipment. Thanks be to Merciful Father for these first couple days of the Year of Mercy and extraordinary blessings and graces we have already received.

School Books

It's been a good first day of the new month. Drove to Musoma, collected school books for standard three and four future students (we have only standard one and two classes so far), drove back home and put them to store to wait for the next year and the next. All this due to the generosity of our sponsors of educational adoption program of Foundation Kiabakari. Well, not everybody fulfills his or her obligation, that is why I told the bookstore owner that I will pay in full by the end of this month. I simply have not enough money to pay for the books. The money flows slowly into the foundation account. I do hope by the end of the month we will have enough to pay for the books... Thanks be to all who pay in time and allow us to move ahead! Here are some pictures of the books I brought home today.

Empty Desks

After consultation with MM, seeing the point they made after observing our school for almost two months and after meeting with sisters, I clearly see that our educational adoption efforts must be directed for the time being (especially with our sponsors' donations for the next year) to the procurement of school books for our students in primary school.