A Day of Sadness and Joy

Friday. Today was a very long, sad and joyful day. As I write this it is 1:30 in the morning. Our day started with a beautiful memorial Mass for S. Demetria. It was held at the chapel at the hospital where she died. There were 9 priests at the altar, mostly Salvatorians.

Then they put the casket on the bus and some of her family and friends, the Sisters, and a priest accompanied S. Demetria on her journey home. There will be a funeral Mass for her tomorrow and she will be buried at Lukeladi, a Salvatorian Parish near here. The bus ride took 12 hours. It took a while to even get on the road from the hospital through Dar es Salaam traffic. The ride was filled with prayers and beautiful hymns with wonderful harmonies as they prayed and sang their way to Masasi. Even though it was close to 1:00 when we arrived, all the Sisters and priests and some townspeople were waiting as we drove in. They were ringing the church bell. A fitting welcome.

The day was sad because of saying goodbye to S. Demetria, and joyful. As Fr. Patrick said, she lived a blessed life and was ministering to the very end.

She is at peace.

This picture was in the front of the bus as we traveled to Masasi

The bus they rented to take S. Demetria to Masasi

First full day

This is Thursday, my first full day here in Tanzania. It is very hot, but there is a nice breeze (if you can find it). 

We are all saddened here by the death of Sr. Demitri. She died last night.

As you can see from the picture below, S. Dorothea and I had a visit with Fr. Lukoa and Fr. Siprian. It is a blessing to spend time with old friends.

This afternoon I will rest and be ready for the bus ride to Masasi tomorrow. S. Dorothea will travel to buy my ticket for the bus. In the past we put our bags in large plastic garbage bags for the trip. However, plastic bags are banned in Tanzania, so we will see how the new plan works. It is so good for the environment to get rid of these bags!

We had a wonderful visit today!!

Arrived

No pictures today. I arrived safely, and all the luggage arrived. The flight was long, but okay. S. Dorothea and S. Judy picked me up at the airport. The other Sisters are down in Masasi for meetings. It is good to be back in Africa. More tomorrow.

On the way

Here's a photo of Sue after yesterday's Missioning, sharing good wishes with two of our other "Tanzania alumni," Fr. Jim Weyker and Br. Peter Farnesi. 

2019 Missioning

Today, members and friends of the Salvatorian Family gathered to wrap Sue warmly in prayers and blessings as she prepares to depart for Tanzania. God speed, Sue!

Until next year . . . . . .

Sue is home safely from her adventure. S. Barbara is in Rome. What an incredible experience! And a big thank you to S. Nelda who has posted our messages every day. And thank you to all of you for accompanying us on the journey. That's it until next year. Blessings and peace.

The airport in Amsterdam

A quiet day . . . a day for saying goodbye

It was a quiet day of resting and packing. Saying goodbye is always hard. The friendships we've made are remarkable. Sue lands in Chicago on Friday afternoon, and S. Barbara is heading to Rome.

This flower arangement
greeted us when we got to
Dar es Salaam.
Flowers from the garden.