Safari # 2

Day 2 of our safaris: Each day we are on Safari - we are awoken at 5:00 and meet in the Dining Area for biscuts and tea or coffee. By 5:45 we are loading into our Safari Vehicle, and have an early start. We are at the main entrance of the Park by 6:00 AM. 

Mom and Baby Rhino!

A Nyala Antelope - 

This was from the Poarch of our Tree House Lodge!

A Mom And Baby Zebra. 

Each Zebra's markings are as unique as our fingerprints!

There was still little rain so the Water Buffalo liked the Mud!

 This is from a Cheetah refuge - 

and these cheetah have been exposed to humans.

This is a Serval Cat - who has also been exposed to humans!

Peace

Feast of the Holy Family 2015

We are pleased to Welcom Bishop Boissonneau to our parish for our Feast Day. Grateful for his reflection - Jesus was born into a Family - and how as members of a family we can use 3 phrases that Pope Francis suggests as an aid to grow in Holiness:

• May I?
• Thank You
• Pardon Me

We keep all the Families in our Parish in prayer, in a special way those who are hurt and wounded, those who are suffering and ill, and those who have had events of great Joy recently.

Peace

Christmas Greetings!

Christmas Greetings - to eveyone in your Family from Holy Family! 

The Drakensberg Mountains

This is the third area we visited in South Africa - The Drakensberg Mountains. They are actually more of an ecarpment - but are quite a dramtic range that is 250km long - and includes the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. 
While here we went on a trip up the Sani-Pass to Lesotho (another stamp in the Passport!)

See that road up the centre of the picture - heck yes we took that one!

Beautiful Scenery

From the top of the pass!

At the Border

Beautiful Scenery again!
Peace

Finally - Safari Photos

Some may be thinking - Finally - Safari Photos. 
We were in the North East part of South Africa - Hluhluwe Imfalozi Game reserve - one of the oldest iparks in the National Park system. This park has been working on rehabilitating Rhino's, which are often killed by poachers for their horn.

Water buffalo - man does he look ugly!

A Pride of Lions on the hunt.

Papa Lion! This was the first time I saw a Male Lion - with the full MANE

 You can see that other Safari Vehicles came watching the hunt! 

This is what was the target of the hunt.

Here was a Mother Rhino and her Baby!

This was another rhino - just before we left the park.

So this was day 1 of the Safari's incredible to see 3 of the big 5!

Peace

Cathedral

This past Tuesday and Wednesday there was an open house at St. Michael's Cathedral, which has been closed for the past 6 months for the restoration work that has been ongoing. There is literally no part of the Cathedral which is being left untouched! 

The Nave has all of the pews removed at this time and there different "boths" with the artisans talking about the various aspects of the restoration project.

The Ceiling now has many "Stars" and is reflective of the original Gothic Architecture.  All of the work is quite impressive.

A significant part of the Family of Faith campaign monies are helping to support this work of restoration.

Peace

St. Michael's Altar

Urszula Cybolko and myself traveled to the School Board Contruction offices to see the new Chapel furnishings that are under construction for St. Michael's Secondary School.
We were both excited to see the work that has been done and look forward to receiving these items in the new year!

The cross will hang on the back wall of the Chapel

The Altar and the stand for the Tabernacle

The Ambo and 2 storage units for the entrance area of the Chapel.  The neat part is that the Ambo has a pivoting slanted top, which allows it to be a free standing Ambo, or to be a place where the word of God is entroned outside of a liturgy.

All of the pieces have a consistent element of 4 pillars - representing the 4 Gospels and a central column - representing the unified Magisterium - the teaching arm of the Church. Our Sacraments  rest upon Scripture and Tradition!

Peace.

Second Stop - Durban

The city of Durban is on the South-East coast of South Africa, and is its 3rd largest city! This was supposed to be our warm weather "beach" stop on the holiday... Well it rained 3 out of 4 days along the coast - be we did have some time to tour... 

We went for dinner in a seafood restaraunt which is attached to a big fish tank at the Auarium. Incredible sharks swimming!

Some Beach Art!

The Soccor Stadium in Durban - Moses Mabhida Stadium

The Catholic Cathedral in Durban - Emmanuel Cathedral

This is the medicine market - with dried Animal parts for mixing into potions!

Some neat artwork on the support pillars...

Lunch involved a deluxe Milkshake! $5.00!

Happy to be Home!

November has been an eventful Month!
On Nov. 3 I went on holidays. My second time to South Africa in as many years! Flying on Aeroplan Points Myself and another priest travelled to Cape Town via Washington D.C., and Johannesburg on United Airlines and South African Airlines. The SAA plane stopped in Accra to change crew, refuel, and take on some passengers. We were joined in Cape Town by some other travelling companions who took different airlines. There were 9 of in total.
We visited 4 different areas - all within South Africa: 
Cape Town, Durban, Drakensburg Mountains, and Hluhluwe-Imfalozi Game reserve & St. Lucia Estuary.
I will post Pictures in the order of the trip...
So first are Cape Town - a wonderful and delightfully safe city to visit! There was bright Sunshine, but cooler temperatures - the low 20's for much of our time there.

Cape Town is famous for "Table Mountain" and here we can see the "Table Cloth" - the white cloud - beginning to form. 

Capetown is also famous for its big Bay - and the beautiful Waterfront area - Some pictures from our walks around the waterfront:

They were already getting primed for Christmas decorations.

These Statues are in an area called Nobel Square - where the 4 Nobel Peace Prize winners from South Africa are represented:

Nkosi Albert Luthuli, Archbishop Desmund Tutu, F.W. De Klerk, and Nelson Mandela.

This is a Dassie - a small rodent like creature which has similar DNA to an Elephant! This guy was on Table Mountain - near the food shop!

This is a delightful street in the area just south of the Bay - a colourful community!

We went on a wine tour to the Constancia Region - very close to Capetown - think Oakville to Toronto! We had lunch at The Steenberg winery. Outside one of the wineries was a field with Poppies - and it was just before Remembrance Day.

 Sorry for the delay in posting these!
Peace