4th letter of December 2005

Sunday, December 25, 2005
4th letter of December 2005
4) Christmas, December 25, 2005

Monday, December 19, 2005.
Together with Valery, I was going to Saint Therese Church Chinatown to volunteer putting Christmas decoration at the church. At 3 p.m. Father Michael took us home at Hyde Park. In the evening I was preparing the power point of the community’s kaleidoscope for the December 31st.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005.
In the morning till afternoon, we (Ignas, Dharmawan, Valery and I) went to Saint Therese to help decorating the church.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005.
We as community went to a retreat house at Frankfort, Illinois, Portiuncula Retreat Center with the special theme of this year is HOPE, preached by Father Rocco. We ended the retreat with the afternoon Mass and had supper at Chinese Buffet nearby Chinatown.

Thursday, December 22, 2005.
This morning I borrowed In Focus, slide projector at CTU’s library and Ignas helped me give a ride. I tried this projector and with the help of Dharmawan it worked out. It will be helpful for the community event at the end of this year to review our community’s events during 2005. I put together my notes through my journal into power point including some pictures representing various moments of our theology community at Hyde Park. It takes time to prepare it. In the afternoon, joining at our holy hour, a young college man, Collin, together with Father Victor Moselle, sx. In the supper, we had long chatting about the vocation of priesthood.

Friday, December 23, 2005.
In the morning Mass there was Father Adolph who passed by to join us. I went to Union Station at downtown to take Metra train to reach Lake Cook Road Station. I visited an Indonesian family, Steve-Monci who live at Buffalo Grove, IL. They picked me up at the station at 11.30 p.m. and we directly went to have lunch at a Japanese Buffet Restaurant at Todai Restaurant located at Woodfield Mall, the largest mall in Chicago. I have been going to this mall last summer with two Alexian Brothers, Ronald and Victor. It’s a good place to have lunch with Japanese menu such as sushi and other Chinese food. It is much better than the Chinese Buffet. We went to shopping at a Swedish store called IKEI. In the evening we went to Steve-Monci’s house and I stayed one night there. The last time I went to visit them at summer, 6 months ago. I saw their three kids, Kalista, Thalia, and Alen are growing. They are 6th, 4th and 1st graders. I showed them my video tape of my presiding class, the Mass in Indonesian and English. At midnight I was sleeping at Thalia’s room.

Saturday, December 24, 2005.
I have slept very well last night and through computer Cik Monci showed me some pictures of the family reunion last summer at Walt Disney, Florida. At noon, the family treated me once again to have lunch at a restaurant, Bob Chinn’s Crab House Restaurant. They took me home at Hdye Park while the day was raining. After I arrived home, I could take a rest for a while and in the evening Ignas took us (Valery and I) to Saint Therese Church Chinatown to have Christmas Vigil Mass at 8 p.m. The children of the CCD program presented a Christmas tablo. It’s the first time I celebrated the Christmas night at this church and many people coming. We went back home at 10 p.m.

Sunday Christmas, December 25, 2005.
In the morning Valery and I went to Saint Therese to attend the Mass at 9.30. Only Father Michael and I served the Mass and not that many people came to this Mass. I joined the Indonesian Mass at Saint Therese School presided by Father Kuntoro Adi, sj from Milwaukee. There were about 40 people coming to this Indonesian Christmas Mass while in the church, there was Mandarin Mass at 11 a.m. attended by 79 people. I did meditation by myself at Saint Therese church and at 4 p.m. together with Deacon Paul, svd, I went back home at Hyde Park.
In the supper we have special menu cooked by Alejandro and Pascal Atumisi, a Mexican food, ‘tamales.’ It continued with community gathering, singing Christmas songs and exchanging gifts. We’re all present at this Christmas night plus Father Willy and Adolph and lasted until 11 p.m.

MERRY CHRISTMAS 25 DECEMBER 2005
AND
HAPPY NEW YEAR 01 JANUARY 2006