Author: ANTONINO

Brought to you by: Father Ricardo Teixeira

The recent opportunity during the month of September to celebrate mass in the Chapel of Penha de França was a wonderful moment to recall the celebrations with the foreign communities in China.
In fact several times I had to go to other cities to help the local Chinese priest for the English mass. At the beginning I was a little afraid, nevertheless it made me really impressed with the amount of people that during their vacations, or at the weekend of their hard working week got some time to celebrate mass with a community.

In Shanghai, where I gave most of my help for the English mass, I could find a wonderful international community where, like the Chinese, all would follow their books and take part in the hymns. It was really amazing. Something I still miss in the other Portuguese celebrations – if there is the choir, the people just “forget” to sing. And sure, sadly, no one has a book to follow the answers of the mass.

The celebration of Mass at the Chapel of Penha de França made me remember the communion of different people and talents all working together for a more lively celebration. And after the celebration, the good moments in the “tea house” where we continue to celebrate the wonders of God in the nature and in the person that share their ideas, their time and their goods, people that really help people.

I want to thank you all for this wonderful opportunity. 谢谢 *
My best wishes,
Fr. Ricardo Teixeira, scj *(Editors note: “thank you” in Chinese)

A continuation of Fr. Bernardino’s column from two weeks ago about his recent trip to England…

When I was growing up I was surprised that in Portugal after Weddings or when big personalities visited the country, they would meet for a «Glass of Water». It took some time for me to discover that a “Glass of Water” meant to be a big and luxurious banquet. In England «Cheese and Wine» if I understood well, means a gathering of friends where food is served in a non-formal way. No special chairs for special people but simple food being served to people who could find a chair or be standing, drinking, eating and mainly socializing with one another.

Guess what! My hosts Neil and Dena Spence planned a «Cheese and Wine» gathering for July 26th. It sounded «normal». What happened «above» the normal was that gathering for «Cheese and Wine» meant to be a fundraiser event for the poor being helped by the project «People Helping People». From that gathering I could bring 555 Euros. I brought that money to Funchal on Monday, July 30th.

The following day when I was on my way to deposit that money in the Bank I received a very angry telephone call from a frustrated lady in charge of coordinating the distribution of the services and the money to the poor. She was very upset because this man had been ringing her house door bell, very early in the morning, when she was still in bed. This man was desperately asking for help.

Hunger has no rules, especially when children are involved… when there is hunger and no food, illness and no medicine, babies and no nappies. The man had come from far away. He had walked for an hour and a half to be able to catch a lift to Funchal. People Helping People wants to be an open door when all the other doors close. That’s the price we have to pay in our combat against bureaucracy and social inequality.

Pope Francis says that the poor are our doormen to heaven. Jesus says that “Whatever you do for the least of my children you do it unto me” (Math. 25). This lady in America was sleeping in her old car in the city of Concord, California. The police officer, who was a woman, knocked at the window of her car and told her that she had to move. It was illegal to sleep in cars inside the boundaries of that city. The city of Concord was distant from my city only about 20 minutes.

She rang the bell of my Parish residence asking me if I would give her permission to park her car in the huge parking lot of my Parish. Of course she got something better than a car to rest for the night. We spent some time together listening to her pain and frustrations and agony for being poor. At a certain point she said something that was “nailed” in me forever. What she said was: “This country is in a war against the poor”. I closed my eyes and said “I wish it was this country only”. But it is not true. Actually, the whole world is in a war against the poor.

One of Mother Teresa’s sayings that has been guiding «People Helping People» is: “WHEN YOU START BY JUDGING YOU HAVE NO TIME TO LOVE”.

From all our hearts to the people who gathered in the Spence’s family house for “Cheese and wine” here is our sincere and deep gratitude. I hope you don’t mind that I mention your names. It is for you that I will offer the Celebration of the Eucharist this coming Sunday.

Thanks to: Barry and Heather, Elizabeth and Nick, Ivan and Geraldine, John and Jenny, Robin and Rosemary, John, Ben, Trish and Jim, Julie and Doug, Nicola and Gavin, Chris, Eric and Jeanette, Kirstie and Sam. And last but not least, Jack and Lilly (my favourite English Angels).

Love and Peace,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade
(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)

– Brought to you by: Fr.Ricardo Teixeira

Having the opportunity to hold the celebrations in English in the Penha de França Church I was asked to write a few words. My name is Ricardo Teixeira; I am a member of the congregation of Priests of the Sacred Heart – Dehonians.

I’m a priest for 10 years, 4 of them in China. Now, coming back to Portugal, I get embarrassed every time people ask me to talk about that time in mission. Because of my missionary experience, I am asked to give testimonies and conferences.

The most embarrassment comes when people call me brave for this experience and I know that the brave and the courageous are the Christians who are in that country and others that are adverse, and maintain their faith.

I admired them when I saw them making long distances to go to church. Where, with effort, they built magnificent churches; for their audacity, they called themselves Christians even though they could lose their jobs, property, and social recognition because of this affirmation. The courage was not mine, the truly brave are those who today, here too, continue to declare themselves as Christians.

Thank you for the opportunity once again to be able to remember the courage of these, our brothers.

Recently I have had the privilege of being invited to spend 10 days in England. It was my first time in that beautiful country. It was a gift from a very special couple who attended the English Mass at the Chapel Penha de França, in Funchal. It is impossible to know Neil and Dena and not believe in the Sacrament of Marriage that is the symbol of the passion that God has for His people. Married for 53 years it is impossible to know Dena and Neil and not believe that Love is a growing journey. That love is growing together. That love is a commitment. That love is a decision. I strongly believe that they love each other more now than on the day of their Wedding. It is a marriage built on a rock as Jesus says in the Gospel (Mat. 7). It is impossible to know Dena and Neil and not believe that love is not love until it is shared with the world especially with the most vulnerable.
Neil belongs to the Church of England and Dena to the Catholic Church.

Besides their strong faith in God, their healthy communication, they also have something special. It is their sense of humour. That’s why laughter is the best music we can hear in that house. That’s what motivated Dena to buy a card for her grandson’s birthday with this saying: «My internet went down the other day so I had to go downstairs to speak to my family. They seemed like good people» Visiting England for the first time I felt like my internet had to break down for me to be able to «go downstairs» to know England and the marvelous English People.

One day in California I said to one of my colleagues: «I have a handicap. The more peoples and cultures I know, the less ready I feel like to put labels on them». He said: «No. That is not a handicap. That is a gift to see beauty in diversity». Africa was a mosaic of peoples, cultures and religions. The United States is a mosaic of peoples and cultures and religions. And they are really like a beautiful mosaic full of diversity and beauty.
However I don’t understand why I fell into the trap of believing that the English People were formal, distant and sometimes cold.

Each moment and each person and each corner of any street was for me a surprise. It was like a show with no intermission.

The place where I stayed was more in the country side of Shrewsbury. Those roads, escorted by beautiful trees extending their arms and embracing each other over the passing cars, the fields of wheat, cows and lambs grazing through those little hills… it is a scene that will stay forever in the eyes and hearts of those who visit them.
And… what about those «cold and distant» people? I confess that every moment and every person I met was a pleasant surprise. And one of the best parts of this discovery was that I was rewarded for expressing my feelings. In the airport I was close to a coffee shop, waiting for my flight. The waiters were so kind and always smiling and treating each customer like as if he/she was the only customer. I went to buy a cup of coffee and expressed my feelings about their service. I got my coffee. Then I asked a normal question: «how much is it?». The answer was: «That’s on the house». His name was Patrick. I wish I could meet Patrick again. But actually I met him again in every person I encountered in England.

Soon I will write another story about a social gathering made of “Cheese and Wine” that brought € 555,00 to the poor helped by “People Helping People” in Madeira.

Love and Peace
Fr. Bernardino Andrade