Faith

Thursday, October 1st was the feast of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, who is the patron saint of the little chapel in L'Elmo. A Carmalite nun who never left the convent, Teresa is the patron of missions because of her intense prayers for the missions. She died at the age of 24, after 18 months of suffering from tuberculosis. What has always fascinated me is that on her deathbed she spent hours wrestling with her doubts about faith in God.
As a result, the recent revelations over the doubts of faith of Mother Teresa of Calcutta don't surprise me.

At times, I wrestle with my own faith. Although working with God's favorites, the poor, constantly reinforces and strengthens my faith.

Children at mass

The Catholic chaplain at the University of Rochester, NY, Fr.Brian Cool (whom I have known since he was 2 years old), is working to raise funds and book students to come and build a new chapel for the people of L'Elmo, hopefully this January.

The chapel at present
Preparing for mass inside the chapel

Two members of the little community of L'Elmo, despite their poverty, generously have donated the land for the new chapel.

Several views of the donated land which will be the site of the new chapel




God continues to surprise me with the generosity of others.

~P.Ron, Don Juan DR.