We are happy to invite you to the blessing of the first community of the Order of Preachers in East Timor. It will be blessed by the Bishop of Dili the most Reverent Virgilio do Carmo da Silva SDB
On the 4thof may we are going to have the blessing of the first Dominican house in East Timor. It is seated in a village call Hera not far away from the capital city of Dily. This new house has two floors. In the first floor the house has 2 individual rooms, 3 study rooms and common rooms like kitchen, refectory, laundry, visit room and office. In the second floor there are 6 individuals rooms, two dormitories for 8 aspirants each one, a study room for them and the community room of the community.
Beside the house there is a small chapel for the community prayer and apostolic celebrations.
The house has also and underground place with one side open to the light. In this place we can do in the future what we will need according to the necessities. We can have more dormitories, more study rooms or place for retreats because the National University is nearby we can have also a dormitory for students.
Beside our new house there is a house of the Dominican sisters of the Rosary. They have a primary school and they will have a middle school when the first students from the primary school graduate.
Everything have been possible thanks to generosity of all the brothers of the province. From here we want to give thanks to all the brothers and we ask you to continue praying for us.
Venezuela is crumbling, not only famine, insecurity, poverty, and shortages of food and medicine attack the lives of all its citizens. Since five years ago several areas of the country began to suffer the ravages of the absence of electricity, a situation that worsened about a few months ago.
According to Nicolás Maduro, the electrical failure is due to sabotage of cybernetic, electromagnetic, and explosive attacks in the country's main hydroelectric plant, the Simón Bolívar Hydroelectric Power Plant, also known as "El Guri". On the other hand, the leader of the opposition and the interim president of Venezuela Juan Guaidó assured that the government "stole the money for the investment in the National Electric System". To which the experts point out that this situation was also generated as part of the lack of maintenance, human resources, investment, fuel and corruption.
The lack of electrical service began on March 7, and with this, many people hospitalized died due to the lack of electricity and the operation of electrical devices. This also led to the loss of refrigerated food, drinking water service failed throughout the country. In some states, electricity arrives for a few hours, and in other states it does not.
Fray Ángel Villasmil, OP., Details the situation in Zulia state:
After last month's blackouts, Zulia has been experiencing an alarming electricity crisis. In areas like Municipio Almirante Padilla, people had 15 days without electricity, the same as Machiques de Perijá. In the same way, in some sectors of Maracaibo they have been without electricity for many days.
Much of the northern area of Maracaibo was devastated by the looting of businesses and shopping centers. Although in the south of the city - where our house is - no looting was recorded, at this time much of shops are paralyzed by power outages. Since last Thursday until now we have suffered power cuts for up to 18 hours. In the area of the parish the electricity arrives from 9 in the evening until 3 in the morning. Faced with this situation, there are very few commercial establishments that open their doors and very little what they have to sell.
Schools are also paralyzed in the parish. The schools Cristo Rey, Santa Ana, San Martin de Porres and San Judas Tadeo are not working at all because the they were designed to work with air conditioning. The weather conditions do not permit the best environment to held the school activities without electricity.
Also food is already becoming scarce, because many of these foods require refrigeration. Nor can you buy food for lack of cash and the inability to make electronic payments.
Water was always a problem in Maracaibo, a problem that has now become more acute with the electricity crisis. Thanks to God, the Fathers who built this house made two tanks that give of themselves to store water, although not in the quantities that this crisis that we are living would require.
We commend ourselves to your prayers because here we are and here we will continue, with God's favor. I do not doubt that Fr. Sancho, Fr. Teodoro and Fr. Muñoz, founders of this house, are interceding for us, we who are here in this reduced hour. We continue attending our people, listening to them, preaching and celebrating the Eucharist and the Sacraments. The rest of the time we pray and read.
In response to these concerns and the Order's commitment to justice and peace, and at this moment in history when Europe seems to be dividing once again, the Dominican brothers and sisters have proposed two initiatives that I wish to support. On the one hand, the European promoters of Justice and Peace have published a text of reflection to raise awareness about the evolution of the social climate in Europe. On the other hand, a group of brothers and sisters has prepared a prayer for Europe, entrusting the people of our continent to God through the intercession of St. Catherine of Siena. You will find these two documents as an annex to this message and on the website www.op.org I invite you to disseminate them, being able to translate them into your own language, and to use them as widely as possible among the communities of the Dominican family, among all those who frequent our churches, chaplaincies, schools and among all those you meet in your activities. I also invite you to publish them on the respective websites. Especially, I invite you to pray the Prayer for Europe on the occasion of the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, on April 29.In response to these concerns and the Order's commitment to justice and peace, and at this moment in history when Europe seems to be dividing once again, the Dominican brothers and sisters have proposed two initiatives that I wish to support. On the one hand, the European promoters of Justice and Peace have published a text of reflection to raise awareness about the evolution of the social climate in Europe. On the other hand, a group of brothers and sisters has prepared a prayer for Europe, entrusting the people of our continent to God through the intercession of St. Catherine of Siena. You will find these two documents as an annex to this message and on the website www.op.org. I invite you to disseminate them, being able to translate them into your own language, and to use them as widely as possible among the communities of the Dominican family, among all those who frequent our churches, chaplaincies, schools and among all those you meet in your activities. I also invite you to publish them on the respective websites. Especially, I invite you to pray the Prayer for Europe on the occasion of the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, on April 29.
APRIL: PRAYER FOR EUROPE. It is the month to ask for prayer for Europe through the intercession of Saint Catherine of Siena.Letter from the Master of the Order, Fray Bruno Cadoré, to the Dominican Family.Complete documents at: www.op.org
