Saturday 15 October, Feast of St Teresa

I know, I know!  It has been too long since I have have posted.  I have been preoccupied with a number of week long retreats.  These have been enjoyable but have not given me the time or energy on my return to post.  Sorry.

Well, while I was away the well organised work on the priory has continued.  All the slabs have now been poured.  So you can see the length of the building and make out most of the rooms.  Here is a snap of the final slabs on the right are four bedrooms, in the centre formations facilities, laundry and offices and beyond that the garages.

Slabs for garages, formation resources and bedrooms.

Yesterday our nice Muslim concrete workers poured the corridor/walkway which will link the various slabs into a coherent building.

Concrete being poured for the corridor

You can also see the form work for the courtyard taking shape to the right of this photo.

The corridor is poured and form work put in place

The winding corridor takes shape

While I was at St Celement's Redempotorist Retreat Centre in Galong, near Hardon, NSW, I missed a unique opportunity back home.  On Tuesday 4 October contestants from the Miss Earth Australia Competition came to Mount Carmel and planted trees.  Paul Maunder, Johny Arattukulam and Gabriel Maliakkal welcomed the contestants, their chaparones, their entourage and the paparazzi gave them all wonderful Carmelite hospitality.  In fact the brethren, in their chivalry and Carmelite devotion to manual labour,  also wielded picks and shovels and planted the trees.  On my return I took a photo of their efforts.

Trees planted by Miss Earth Australia contestants

The Miss Earth Australia contestants will return to plant more trees on 2 November.  I shall be home then and am looking forward to some manual labour, myself.  Plus I hope to take a few commemorative photos.  At the same time we will have the Carmelite nuns with us for the General Assembly of their Association.  Perhaps one of the girls will be interested in the contemplative life? 

While having lunch on Friday we had a surprise visit from Jude Nagle or Jude de Angulo as he now is.  Jude was a postulant with us in Brisbane in 1982 and a novice here in 1983.  It was great to meet up with him again.  He was both fleeing the Rugby World Cup  in New Zealand and attending a wedding at nearby Mount Annan.  Meanwhile, I leave tomorrow for another retreat.  This time for clergy from Parramatta Diocese. 

The blessings of St Teresa be with you and all those you love.