A visit to Sicily

By Maria Arokiam
Chennai, Mar. 24. I am just back from Sicily where I had been from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. The delegate from Sicily, Fr. Paulo Fichera SDB, took Fr. Amalraj Susai (provincial of Trichy) and me to Palermo, the capital of Sicily by flight on Maundy Thursday night after our Eucharist and supper at the Pisana. We stayed in his house - a school - in a place called Ringabile.
From there the next morning we went to the parish of Santa Chiara, where Fr. Edward Xavier SDB and Bro. Savari SDB from Trichy province are working. We spent the day with them. In the evening we joined the celebration of the Way of the Cross and the adoration of the Holy Cross, organized for the Tamil-speaking community there. It seems that there are about 3000 Tamils in Palermo city itself. About 300 are Catholics. Of which about 100 belong to this parish and Fr. Edward cares for them together with the English-speaking immigrants from Gana, Africa. Nice to have a Tamil function in Sicily!
The next day, we were taken to Catania, a beautiful city on the Eastern end of Sicily. The famous volcano, Etna, is near here. It rises some 3200 meters above see level. It is one of the volcanoes of the world that is always active. We stayed in the provincial house. In the afternoon of Holy Saturday, the provincial, Fr. Vito Luigi Perrelli SDB, himself took us around to see the town and the Salesian works there. We visited some 5 of them, including a retreat house that is organized in the form of a hotel, a nice work for drug addicts, and another house which looks after old and sickly confreres. Some 22 confreres stay here. The community looks after them with great love and dedication. During the visit, I happened to have a small fall, missing a step in front of the Church of St. Gregory, and twisted my right ankle. Well, the night rest and some ointment have helped to some extent. I am able to walk with a little limp. I am grateful to God because falling four stone steps could have left me worse. At night we were special guests at the Easter Vigil celebration that was held in the public Church near the provincial house. The next day, Easter Day, after a very good lunch, we flew back to Rome, and landed in rain! And now we are all getting ready for the Discernment process that begins tomorrow early morning with the Eucharistic celebration. Quelle:www.donboscoindia.com/