July 27, 2020.
 
I am thinking of Culture....sub cultures....and problems regarding culture with the younger generation who talk about Mzabalaz, (The Struggle), and look down on all whites as enemies and anti-blacks, but have no idea about the struggle because the were born after Mande la and were raised in a different society. More about this later.
    Also some thoughts about my teeth. The molars have almost come to a total end and the next thing if I am going to be able to eat and chew is false teeth. Yuk. The last two holding out are rotting away and will have to be taken out and then....

July 16, 2020

Holy Moses, more than a month gone. How can time fly so fast!

July 18, 2020…and today we remember the 102^nd bthdy of Mandela. Also the day John Lewis passed away. They never gave up.

I think the first thing I think of this month is that the medicine prescribed by the neurologist (Dr. Wolple) combined with the medicine

Prescribed by our house doctor (Dr. Kheswa) gave me a new life. No pain and the spasms are pretty much under control.

We got our internet back and I have been surprising people all over the place as I experiment with video phone calls on

Whatsapp. “Where are you calling from?” from Africa, of course. If people don’t have Whatsapp I u Skype. I got a deal many years

Ago with Skype for 2 cents a minute to almost everywhere. I don’t think you can get cheaper than that.

Then, my cousin Veronica in Milwaukee organized , twice, Zoom meetings with our cousins, as I mentioned in my last blog, and

That took the edge off of the closed in feeling during the lockdown. We managed to overcome the reality of disconnect with a

Reconnect.. Of course, not as good as being there in person and getting and giving a few hugs, but, it is the best we can do under the

Circumstances.

    A fiend from the US consulate got permission to come to the old folks home where we are living and to bring a ballot for the

Election on Nov. 3^rd. So I already voted and the ballot was put in the supplied envelope with postage paid and went, with the

Diplomatic mail to the States where it was posted. Guess who I voted for.

For a moment, with the spasms and pain under control, I dreamt of maybe trying to fly home sometime in the future (2022?) but then,

The expense will probably be too great because of the need for social distancing on the plane. They will have to increase their prices.

BA is moth-bolling its 747 fleet for good. 31 of those planes that have the hump. The new planes coming out have only two engines

Instead of their four, and are much more efficient. Some airlines are just out of business. Who knows what the future s going to be like

Living with Corona, which, it seems, is not going to go away.

   So far we oldies here (all over 80) have avoided Corona. We haven’t been tested but no one has shown signs of the virus, so far.

We may be asymptomatic but we don’t see anyone here and we wear our masks when we are together so there is no one to get

Infected. Or am I wrong?

    This whole pandemic has given the Holy Spirit all kinds of opportunities to operate in people willing to risk their lives to serve others

On the front line (doctors, nurses, hospital staff like cleaners and maintenance people), or organizing food parcels, or a thousand other ways

To help others. And the virus opened up a new view into our society that revealed the plight of the poor to the point where we cannot, dare

Not, let it continue like this in the future. Our fragility in the face of a virus that doesn’t discriminate, w,and our vulnerability that reminds us that

We live a moment or two from the reality of our death, has brought a number of people back to their faith in the creator.

However, I must confess, with regard to the people in Florida who have abandoned the traditional God and have substituted this God for he Trump

God , refusing to wear masks (following the example of their substitute God,) and don’t bother about social distancing, going to restaurants and

Beaches, which were all opened at the insistence of their God, so that, the result, two weeks later, as we saw last week, was 15,000 new

Cases  in the State of Florida alone. I think the traditional God is showing them who the real God is. (self-punishment for their disobedience).

I think I may have to confess this because, if I put in another way, I was really feeling. Corona, go get’em. Not nice.

But they put each other’s lives at stake and they are now paying a heavy price with the many deaths because of their refusal to do the things that

Would have eliminated or limited the risk of letting the virus take advantage of the situation.

I was still going to my outstation at Savannah park when some of my family members said how stupid of me that was since I am in that group

That is being targeted by corona. Also the guys here in our house, even though they are wearing masks, role their eyes back when I say I am going

To Savannah Park, as if to say, there he goes again, the dummy. So, I eventually gave in and stopped but send a commentary on Whatsapp so that

They get a kind or sermon with a few thoughts that I hope they will find useful.

As far as I know, Trump never offered condolences to the families of the victims of Covid 19. He never reminded us to pray for those who were in

The hospital, fighting this virus. Do you remember when he ever consoled the families of those who died or asked that we pray for those who

Got caught by the virus?  I find that unacceptable by the leader of my country who dares to stand in front of a church with a bible In his hand.

What hypocrisy, I think.

But, that is enough of my ranting and raving. There are many things that I would like to share with you, like articles that are touching or very

Informational, but I just don’t take the time. Maybe next time.

But there is something I would advise you to check out and that is a Utube of the Ndlovu Youth Choir who will be singing for 67 minutes today

In honor of Mandela. They will be singing a song that they composed to bring hope to the youth of today called, WE WILL RISE. It will show you

Another side of the Africa that is usually presented in the news as a kind or basket case.

OH, I just thought of something else I wanted to share with you. Someone sent me the book by john Bolton (e-book) entitled, THE ROOM WHERE

IT HAPPENED, and before I could finish it, someone else sent me the e-book of the niece of Trump, Mary Trump called TOOU MUCH AND NOT ENOUGH.

 I have plenty to read, including another book called IN THE CLOSET OF THE VATICAN. Too much to read.

May God bless you all an protect you against the men virus, and if you have the misfortune to get caught my her, the strength to fight against it and win.

June 9, 2020

 Wow, It is almost a month and some heave stuff has been happening since the last blog. I will continue tomorrow, I hope. ,,

It is now June 20^th.. You can see that I am at Hell’s gate, right in front, with all my good intentions.

We are also caught up with the George Floyd tragedy. It went round the world. I am hoping and praying that it will be the tipping point. Marching and demonstrating are not enough.

There were actually  2 bishops who joined the demonstration in DC. And lots of white and Asian folds, which  is  encouraging. Minneapolis Municipality already decided that the police

Force as it is is not doing the job.  They want to look for alternatives, some of which are spending more money on social help where people suffer from severe poverty and the problems that go along with it. We shall see. I hope it doesn’t die out. But I am sure that having ignored the safeguards against corona, some will meet her, unorftunatelly.

We here in our part of SA and at Mariannhill faithfully wear our masks and wash our hands (I prefer soap and water to sanitizers). They won’t let you into the stores unless you wear a mask and they sanitize your hands and your trolley.

    Thanks to Ginsberg and Sotomayor, and John Roberts for voting on the right side of justice for the Dreamers. What a shame if they had to be sent to a country to people whom they don’t know and their whole lives would be shattered and no fault of their own.

   The same goes  for the decision to recognize the rights of the LGBTQ  folks .

Bolton finally did something good., Ha., he had a poor record when he was at the UN and now with Trump. But Trump, who praises the people he hires to the skies when he hires them, anthen when they are “disloyal” to him by telling the truth, he esxplains what no good useless losers they are. And if you are a Republican who dares to correct or challenge him he threatens you so that you won’t get re-elected. You must now choose to do what is right in your conscience and risk losing your career or continue supporting an unworthy president. Tough choice..

      But here, at Mariannhill  I had, for some time some car trouble with the battery going flat. It was a new battery and in the end, all was straightened out.

We also were without internet for about 3 weeks which was a killer for me, as you can imagine. It is better now but still some occasional problem.

My cousin in Milwaukee in America organized 2 ZOOM meeting with our cousins. It was great.  I also discovered video phone calls via Whatsapp and Messenger. I am still experimenting so don’t be sur prised one day if….

I am still battling the spasm problem. No medicine, so far, has stopped them, but just this week our family doctor gave me some pain pills (3 a day) that have really t=given me relief from some very excruciating pain in the morning, getting out of bed and getting dressed and at night before going to bed.

However, I still feel blessed when I compare with others and their crosses. I cas still take a shower, get dressed ( even putting my socks on), hobble around on my 2 elbow crutches, and, (and this is a big one) I can still drive. Hooray.

    My advice to you all, besides pray, is VOTE. I hope that the voting date won’t be changed because I already have organised a plan for my absentee ballot.

I pray for you all to be protected against corona ( I understand that she can be very mean….she killed 5 of our sisters in Mthatha…17 are still positive) and if she decides to visit you, may it be a weak variety, so that you can conquer it and survive and go on living  with us.

Love and Peace, as always. I think that next time I will  share with you some of my reflections as I pray the rosary. You smile but you will see how relevant the rosary can be.

May, 12, 2020

It is almost three weeks since that last blog, and for all of us it has been living in lockdown.

Ha, now it is May 18. You know, if it is true that the way to hell is paved with good intentions, then I am ¾ of the way their, and that is just with the Blog. There are plenty of other things too.

But let’s tackle some things while we can.

Skype---They reminded me about the expiry of my old credit card but when I tried to send the info about the new card, I ran into the usual unfriendly web pages suggested. Eventualy, I just pretended to start a new subscription and managed to get the new credit card info in their files, while still keeping the old info about how much air time I still have, etc. I spent hours and hours trying to do this but eventually it was the Holy Spirit that got us through. I now can use it to call my uncle Casey (92 yrs. Old) who has macular degeneration and can hardly see. It is the only form of communication that works for him now. The phone rings and the recording says the usual ….we’re not home now but just leave your phone number, etc. Ha. I know they are there because they can hardly move, he and his wife, the other Rose. So I can, come on, I know your’re there, it’s Cas from Africa, and in a few seconds he picks up the phone and we get going.

I also use it for cheap phone calls all over the world, since it is only 2 cents a minute. I am happy that I am still able to use Skype.

    Another thing that brought joy to my heart was that the internet was reconnected to us. Wow, it save me having to go over to the monastery to get a signal there, and now   I can also use I t at night when I have time on my hands.

    My sink was clogged up so I got some baking powder and some white vinegar and tried to unblock it. Lots of fizzing and foozing but not satisfactory. It allowed a small amount of water to go down after  long while, but eventually we had to get a plumber to do it. I think it took him about 30 seconds to unplug it.   It must be a plumber’s secret.

    Mike Pillay, our church leader, said he had to come to one of the convents here at Mariannhill to bring food parcels . I asked him to drop in and pick up the stuff I had prepared for his kids for Easter. He reminded me about the  bottle of Ballantine’s whiskey which he game me for my birthday last November which I haven’t touched because of medication. Ha he was so happy.

     But a highlight of this time, I think, is from the things I have been reading….Man’s search for Meaning by Victor Frankl, a Jewish Psychiatrist who is a survivor of Auchshwitz and Dachau.

It is unbelievable that anyone could have survived the conditions they had to live and work in. Starvation, freezing weather to work in, beatings for nothing, etc.  it is there that he got much of the material for his book. He came to the conclusion that every person needs to have something that gives meaning to his/her life. If that person’s life has meaning, that person can survive almost anything.  It is basic, he thinks. I think that I would agree with that. If one is convinced that his/her life is meaningless, there is no more a desire to go on living. He saw this in the concentration camp. Those who found no reason to live (to get back home and be with his beloved wife and watch their child grow into maturity , for example) just died. They found no meaning for their life, they just gave up.

   He also made an interesting observation regarding sex. Wasn’t it Freud who said that sex was the basic driving force for all human beings. He said that there in the all male environment of the camp, there was no talk of sex at all, whereas anywhere else where there are all males (prison, army, scouts), there are always problems.

His conclusion was  that if you could find a reason WHY you should continue to live (meaning), someHOW you would manage it.  He tries to help people find meaning for their lives through what he calls   Logo therapy, but we won’t go into that now. The terrible things he had to endure for more than 2 yrs. Really made me think.

There is another book that was reviving my spirits. My friend, Carohn Cornell, pulled together the stories of a bunch of people who had all worked for the Catholic Welfare Bureau , later called the Catholic Welfare and Development, emphasis  shifting from welfare mode to development mode so as to help people and their projects self sustainable . This was during the time of heavy apartheid In Cape town. It made one proud to see the Catholic Church, which inspired people, to become activists for uplifting people and for challenging unjust structures that were oppressing them. It renewed many memories and brought back to mind many of the  people who I was privileged to meet and even work with during those dark days. Of course the next question is what are we called to be and do now.    The explanation or who these beautiful people are is very flimsy. They are, all of them, heroes and heroins for their involvement in the struggle to bring democracy to south Africa and an end to apartheid.

There are many other things I would like to share with you, but let this suffice for now. Here is an article from one of my mentors, Bishop Kevin Dowling reflecting on the things that the corona virus brought out into the open that makes him feel that we simply can’t go back to the way things were before this pandemic. Here is what he says. Check it out with what you think..

We cannot go back to what was normal in the past 

The Church faces two tasks, to help those suffering in the present crisis and to look to a different future

SOUTH AFRICA, even after 26 years of independence, still remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. The immediate need to respond to the health crisis cannot obscure the urgent need to create a more just and equitable society once the pandemic passes. The Church must be involved in both struggles, writes Bishop Kevin Dowling.  The number of infections and deaths recorded so far has been lower than expected. The peak will perhaps arrive only in September, and a long, uncertain road lies ahead. The prevention strategies being implemented only highlight the reality of life for most people here. Since 1 May, everyone who goes to work in a taxi or a car, anyone in the public domain, has to wear a face mask – but they are responsible for making these masks themselves. Social distancing is regarded as essential for diminishing the rate of infections – in that sense it is the right thing to do – but it is simply not always feasible. Thousands of very poor families in the huge shack settlements around the platinum mines in my diocese live in one room. Social distancing in such conditions is virtually impossible. How can they stay at home and wash their hands frequently, when there is no readily available water? The same often applies in the overcrowded townships. People are doing their best, but in my once a week trip to town for food I have seen a lot of people moving around outside their homes, including children playing with their friends. Many people here are desperately hungry. NGOs, the government’s social service departments and ordinary people are responding. But there have been examples of unrest, as thousands of desperate people are not able to find enough to feed their families. We are facing a serious crisis. The Church leadership in Southern Africa, under the bishops’ conference and its president, Bishop Sithembele Sipuka, has encouraged us to respond as creatively as possible to the needs of the people, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. 

SOUTH AFRICA

A religious community which lives next to me at St Joseph’s Mission, called Tsholofelo Community (“a place of hope”), works in some of the poorest shack settlements. The community supplies over 500 adults and children with food parcels once a week. One sister, a highly qualified nurse, is running a primary health care and ARV clinic in a converted shipping container; other sisters had been running education and training programmes until they were shut down when the lockdown began because they were not considered a “essential service”.  I hope that as time goes on, we can start to discern what the experience of this pandemic calls for from the Church in terms of its vision, mission and ministry. We are living a primarily sacramental model. The closing of churches and the suspension of public Masses is challenging us to become a different kind of Church. We cannot go back to what was normal in the past. We must be a Church which is much more inclusive of the destitute and of those who are suffering in so many ways: the victims of violence against women and children, all those who are stigmatised or suffer discrimination.  This requires addressing honestly the systemic issues in the political fabric of the nation, the massive corruption, mismanagement, and incompetence. But it also requires of us as Church to reflect on and discern what the signs of the times call us to be and do, what model of Church we need to create and develop. I hope and pray that this crisis will bring out the treasures of who we are called to be as disciples of Jesus, and to be the field hospital that Pope Francis dreams of. This means building on what we have achieved in the past – but then, to be creative in imagining something new for the future.

Kevin Dowling C.Ss.R. is Bishop of Rustenburg,                                                                                                         (FROM THE TABLET—MAY 9, 2020)

April  26, 2020

Time to update. I find that using the cell phone more and more, the tw0 thumb thing, I am losing my typing skills. Ha.

We had no Easter Vigil service this year. First time I missed, I think Ever! Strange feeling. They had something In the monastery but because there are two others who can’t move that far, rather than let them feel that they are abandoned, Two of us stayed behind to keep them company ( in the spirit of Easter)’

We had the Easter mass at 9am on Easter Sunday. I was hoping that our Fr. Proud (Jonathan) could find some time to come and do some counselling to my computer and printer as they seem to be refusing to talk to each other. This has gone on for a couple of weeks now. Fr. Proud is our local computer guru. He has managed to fix everything so far whenever I have a problem.

It is now the 28^th. I was lazy in between or just didn’t want to head over to the monastery where I needed a signal to get this blog going on the internet.

On Easter the superiors from the monastery came to pay us a visit here at MD (Mater Dolorosa), the abandoned ones.  Nice of them. We had a 9am Easter Mass here at MD, but no Easter Vigil, Christ the Light. It felt strange that something important was missing.

For a couple of days there was a lot of rain, and it is badly needed,,

On the 25^th, I took Fr. Urs to the monastery to show him how to get onto the internet. It had been weeks that he had no way of communicating. I told his to just use the battery of his computer. For the short time he would be on the internet. His computer is old and we discovered that his battery was as dead as common sense. What is the next move. He has the wherewithal and should invest in a new computer.

   One day the left wing of my glasses came off.  I wanted to glue it back on but I had loaned my glue to someone and it was gone. I wasn’t allowed to buy some at the store (when I went to get my yoghurt) because it is not an absolute necessity like food. My neighbor, Bishop Lobinger loaned me his and I succeeded in putting it back together.

Someone in a message said I should get Zoom so we can see each other when we communicate. I think I downloaded it but don’t know how to use it. Don’t laugh

On the Friday after Easter, among other things, we had prunes for dessert. Just what I need for my chronic constipation. But it was a once off and the next day they were gone, it seems, forever.

Fr. Proud came over at the end of the week and got my computer and printer talking to each other again. A simple. He just cleaned off the electric terminals on the ink cartridge and it was like the Holy Spirit blowing new life into a person. He also got me a way to top up my mobile router in case it runs out of juice before the end of the month. Hooray. Good ending to the first week after Easter.

Monday, April 20. BP 161/76   Wed. 22,  BP  152/72.   I think I am pretty healthy, all except for these bloody spasms. Ai swear they can calculate. They will let you in peace for a certain time ( lying down or sitting) but as soon as you get up, you pay dearly for the favor….There will be a wild spasm in direct proportion to the length of time they left you in peaaaace.

    On the 24^th, I took my first trip to the pharmacy to get a refill on my BP pills and a few other things. Also put some petrol in the tank in case one of us old timers decided to surprise us with an episode, we will be ready to take him to help, without fear of running out of petrol on the way. This is called “ forward thinking’. Learned from experience.

  I have spent hours on Google, trying to decipher Skype’s web page so that I could change my credit card information. Hopeless. Then a notice comes from Skype to remind me that my contract will end at the end of the month if I haven’t updated my credit card info. Ha. Then they said to go to such and such a place and then press “account”. Well, that sounded a bit too easy and  I was right. However when ai went to such and such a place, there was no “account’ (I knew that was going to be the case) but I went here and there and eventually manage to put in the new information, without any help from Skype. It is important that I continue with Skype because I use it to phone people, like my Uncle Cas, who is 92, and has macular degeneration and it is the only way to communicate with him now. Also, there are others who don’t have Skype (Skype to Skype is free) and I can use the good rates from Skype (2 cents a minute to the States or Europe)

And I can’t afford normal phone charges.

A friend from the UK sent some money to my socio-pastoral account, and now my brother too, so that I have been able to help lots of people with money to buy food and pay rents and other bills during this lockdown when no one can work and when many literally live from hand to mouth. No money today, no eat today

So for all of you who have contributed to this fund, I pass on their thanks to you. I keep telling them that it isn’t my money but I will tell those who made it possible, that you send your thanks and appreciation. That’s it for now. I will get this on the internet this afternoon.  Someone said that if you have everything but don’t have jesus, ( or some higher power besides yourself) you are a real loser.   Love and peace and patience and determination and hope during these challenging times.     Fr. Cas

April, 10, 2020

It is Good Friday, and this is the strangest  Holy Week of my life. No normal services. On Monday, 6^th, I did my little laundry and managed to find the key to get to the outside and hang my clothes out on the line outside where they could dry nicely in the hot sun. On Tuesday, I finished the job by doing the ironing. I was prepared to go to the pharmacy to pick up some medical things but Bishop Paul Khumalo did it for me. I am grateful for that. He is the one who is out almost every day in charge of the buying of the things we need for every day stuff here in the house so he goes from one shop to the other till he can find one that has what we need. There are still crowds of people who ignore the order to stay at home, but it is understandable that many eat from hand to mouth and have to go each day as they don’t have enough money to buy in bulk.

Wed. I tried, unsuccessfully to contact Time Magazine and Skype to give them the new details of my renewed Credit Card. Hopeless. They keep shunting you from one site to the next and want to give you a deal on a new subscription….everything but what you want. In two or three days, I spent hours on the internet to no avail. I finally gave up and said just to cancel the subscription.

Holy Thursday, 5 of us old timers celebrated the mass of the last supper together. One is blind, two others can’t hear, and three of us did the readings. No foot washing. Ha. None of us could bend down to wash our own feet much less someone else’s. But it was meaningful.

Good Friday, only two of us came together to do the Stations of the Cross. The others decided to do their own thing in their rooms. Looking after the homeless and those afflicted by the virus are the ways of doing the foot washing this year.

When I went to the monastery to get the internet, I heard a commotion outside my window, that got my attention. When I pushed aside the drapes, I saw a man lying on the ground surrounded by young men with sticks and among them were some of our students who are staying at the monastery now because their school is closed.

Each time he tried to get up they beat him with the sticks. I presumed that he was caught stealing. I was woyndering if I should go out and tell them that this is not the way Jesus would solve the problem but, being white, with all the left overs of apartheid, I figured that they would probably tell me to get lost, the time for taking orders from a white man are over now. But I was ashamed that the members of our religious community joined them in their scolding the man, if not actually beating him, and approved of his being beaten.

    I talked to one of these young seminarians and he said that it was right to beat him so that when he went back to the village with all the bruises, etc.  the others would see what happens to thieves if they want to steal, especially from the monastery. I couldn’t convince him that I was sure that this is not the way Jesus would have solved the problem.

    I know that it is useless to call the police because they will keep him overnight, maybe even beat him themselves, and then release him the next day so that he can go back to his stealing again. But I am still convinced that this is not the way Jesus would have solved the problem.

It is Holy Saturday today and we won’t be having the Sat. Evening service with Christ the Light, the fire and the Easter Candle. We will only celebrate Jesus triumph over sin and death tomorrow morning at the Easter morning mass.

You are all in our prayers during this trying time. Many has lost hope. Easter joy and hope are irrelevant for them, they think. They need money to buy food and medicine, etc. but they are not allowed to go to work….a real dilemma. And the lockdown has been extended another three weeks.

We pray for each other these days and try to help and support one another as best we can during these very difficult times.

I still say Happy Easter under the present circumstances. The virus has stirred up a lot of love that was sitting idle in our spirits and we thank God for that while we pray for wisdom and courage to go along with our love to guide us as to what to do.

Love and Peace, as always,   Fr. Cas.

April 4, 2020

Like most of you, we have been on lockdown for almost 2 weeks now and are supposed to go till April 16^th (I expect that it will be extended for another period of time since this thing keeps growing and growing and growing. Although people have mostly been ibeying, the main super markets are full every day.

   Before the lockdown I had masses as usual at the hospital and at Savannah Park. The first ones to ask me not to come were the Sisters or Saint Mother Theresa, as they were warned not to have services. The rules have gone out both by the government and by the church authorities saying no church services (mostly masses which many can catch on TV), so my last mass at Savannah Park was on Sunday the 15^th of march (we snuck in a home mass for the Pillay family since they are the ones who do all the organizing---plus a few other active members).  I went out once to a family who was celebrating the 75^th birthday of one of their members. It was taking a chance as we were many in one room, but…. Luckily we all survived, as far as I know.

I went out to a supermarket near us to get some yoghurt and liver spread for emergency snacks. Ha. Empty shelves. I waited two days and went back and luckily got the last two plain yoghurts but no liver spread. Ai didn’t know that so many people are into plain yoghurt---mostly strawberry or something sweet.

We have mass here every morning, us old guys---only three celebrating at the altar, the others just there, either blind or deaf. Ha. Not very lively.

I am scourged with chronic constipation and it got so bad one day I went to our hospital , St. Mary’s (now government but they all know me as the chaplain who refuses to give up) and asked for a dynamite pill. Ha. Instead one of the nurses I know well offered to give me an enema. Well, it is good that I have been through so many experiences so far in my life that I can’t be embarrased any more. It more or less did the job and I could start again from scratch.

    Our wifi was hit by lightening so we were without access to the internet for at least two weeks. No way to reply to others who want to know how we are surviving. Finally it was repaired at the beginning of this week so I can go over to the monastery once a day and hook into the part that was repaired and do some essential things, like catching up.

     All the help by us and the monastery have been put on leave, including Sr. Maria, the cook. The novices are filling in with lots of things including cooking lunches and suppers. They are actually doing quite well. None of us has even thought of dying from food poisoning or starvation. Ora et labora.

    All the Holy Week services will be at the monastery but here at MD (Mater Dolorosa) we have Fr. Macarius who is mostly blind, Fr. Dominic is somewhere in his dememtia . Bishop Lobinger who can still see but not enough to read, Fr. Urs who is able to hear and read but is not so mobile. And then there is me, hobble-along Cas with my crutch. So we decided to do our own thing here at MD since some would not be able to get to the monastery and would be left here to die of spiritual starvation.