Dear Everyone,

    Yesterday was a very important event in our Mariannhill history. We buried a 94 yrs. old veteran of the school of old missionaries. He was a character, full of life and jokes and fun and at the same time deeply serious about making Jesus real to the people who were under his care as their shepherd.

     It was said that once he came out here to South Africa, which was, if I remember rightly, shortly after the second world war—he never returned home to his native Switzerland. He was a once off and when God made him, it seems, he threw the mold away, as they say.

     It was inspiring to hear about him and it gave an impulse to my own determination to be faithful to my calling and never to ease up as long as I live.

     Otherwise, I have still gladly given my self to looking after my confrere, Fr. Macarius Haeusler, who is back for a while from him parish in the North of Zambia. He successfully passed the 3 week checkup after his prostate operation, and the last thing on the list is a visit to a specialist eye doctor who can give him an injection into his eye (ouch!) to prevent the macular generation from destroying more of his eye nerves. He is already blind totally in his left eye and has very, very limited vision in his right eye. It is so limited that after our eye doctor, Casandra, checked out various ways (like magnifying glass, etc.) to enhance his vision in that right eye, nothing worked. So he has to just carry that cross.

    I have been going pretty regularly to a new and growing parish at a place called Savanah Park. I think that we hit it off with each other and I don’t mind at all whenever they ask for a visit from me. They are very kind to overlook my poor Zulu but I think that they still understand what I am trying to say.

     I would have lots of work to do in getting some order in my files but I have been too lazy to do that. The days go fast enough but the nights, from after supper ( a break from about 6pm to 7pm-and, after the news from 7 to 7:30pm) till bed time at about 9:30 or 10pm consists in doing a lot of reading, some heavy and some novels, especially by the priest novelist Andrew Greeley. John Grisham is another favorite.

    Anyway, I am preparing for a visit in just over a month to friends in Zimbabwe. I should start packing now so that by the time I leave, I will have cut down to only those things that I really need. I don’t like to wait till the last minute.

     So, there you have it. I am gradually adjusting to the slowed down life and am at least content for the time being. I would like to look for more, but I am sure that things will evolve.

   Catch you later. Fr. Cas