International News

On Monday, 17 March 2014, the Oblate Superior General, Fr. Louis LOUGEN, wrote about the atmosphere in Ukraine on the day after the referendum in Crimea. He is in Ukraine to preach a retreat to the Oblates there.

Here we are at the beginning of Carnival. Life takes on a different aspect until the Sunday of Temptation, that is, the first Sunday of Lent. There are many aspects of the Bolivian carnival depending on the different regions of the country. On the altiplano---the highlands where we are located---carnival is linked to the cult to Mother Earth. The ch'alla, as it is called in the Quechua language, is the main ritual during which one thanks the Pachamama (Mother Earth in Quechua)) for all that she has given us during the year and at the same time asks her for protection and her continuous blessing for the coming year. The ritual consists of showering the earth with alcohol, confetti etc. This has a profound meaning now that we are just beginning to learn how to respect nature and protect the environment.

On Friday, 24 January 2014, we officially opened the 2014 school year at St Benedict's with our traditional Academic Mass. The boys and staff from all three sections of our school as well as visiting parents gathered in the Multipurpose Hall at 9:00 for the occasion. We were joined by our erstwhile Head, Tony Dobson and School Chaplain, Sr Lorna Costa. We are always delighted to host these two dear friends of our school. 

For many weeks now, the Roman Catholic Church has been accompanying with her prayers the whole of Ukraine, praying for the peaceful solution to the problems with which the country is struggling. In our prayers we ask God for his mercy for all Ukrainian people and we also offer voluntary fasting on bread and water for the same intention. Today, as the unrest has encompassed the Crimean territory, we want to pray especially for our peninsula. With our prayers, we reach out to all the people, regardless of their religion, political views or ethnic background. We pray that the people, who for decades have lived in peace, will not start fighting today and that the bloodshed of the kind we have seen in Kiev’s Maidan (Independence Square) may be avoided here.

On February 21, from Ukraine, in the midst of a terrible conflict, the Oblate Delegation Superior, Fr. Pawel WYSZKOWSKI, wrote to Fr. Chicho ROIS, the General Councillor for Europe, to update him on the situation.