Last Mass in The Communities

Early this week I set out for Juina City for a two day meeting of the clergy of the diocese of "Juina". On my way I broke a spring in the jeep and had to abandon it in the middle of the country side. Thankfully one of the other priests came along and gave me a lift and organised the garage to come and collect the jeep. While in Juina I collected Padre Paudie Moloughney {the Parish Priest} off the bus {which was only 4 hours late - it too broke down} and returned him to his parish of "Juruena". And so next week I am off back to Sao Paulo to collect my car and drive it back to my new appointment. This drive will take about a week. I have been appointed to the diocese of Juina. Parish to be named later.

Paudie & Myself at the last mass in Santo Expedito

Parish Catechist "Neuza" who accompanied me to all the communities over the last three months and did the translating and other organising work. What you can't see is that she lost a leg in an accident over 20 years ago and is now paid as a full time church worker through the generosity of the Kiltegan Fathers. Her daughter is a trained teacher and was my Portuguese teacher for these last few months.

Some of the kids at the Mass.

About to fall asleep

As always there is food for all after Mass and this young man is "tucking in".


Views of Juruena September 2006 [4]

Views of Juruena September 2006 [3]

Views from around the parish [3]

The women of the "Pastoral da Saúde" which is a parish run health centre using alternative medicine and remedies from the local forest and local knowledge. Most of the workers are volunteers and is free to the poorest. The local doctor and pharmacist are not big fans of this social outreach programme.

The dug out at the local football pitch

A timber lorry crosses Rio de Juruena on the local ferry.

George & Leo with Juruena river in the background and this picture is taken before the rains have arrived. It flows from here to end up in the Amazon river. The town and county are named after this river.

Motorbike business and family transport!

Views of Juruena September 2006 [2]

Here is a second helping of views from around the parish.

A wooden cattle grid that divides two farms on the road to one of the communities.

The town "water reservoir". At the moment the water is undrinkable and I hear the women giving out it is not good for washing clothes either. It has little to do with the arrival of the recent rains, but rather because of political ineptitude and the fact the main filter has not been replaced in 12 years. In the mean time we have to buy water for fear of disease. That's OK for me as I drink about 6/8 litres of water a day. And 22 litres of water costs BR$7.00 and for the locals BR$20.00 is a days wage. No wonder Yellow Fever & Dengue Fever are rampant here.

The new rains burst the dam at the reservoir. The dam was a big tree trunk!

A young ice cream seller. Since it is made locally and made from the town water supply, I wonder how safe it is?

A wooden "sugar cane press" on a local farm. Brazilians have a full set of sweet teeth rather than one sweet tooth!

Baptisms in Nossa Senhora Dos Navegantes

Three Baptisms took place recently in Nossa Senhora Dos Navegantes. Every time we go out to this little community there seems to be Baptisms, a sign of a young and growing community. And as far as I am concerned they are the best singers of all the communities. {On the previous Sunday I Baptised 14 [2 adults and 12 infants] in the main church}.

A sleepy child! Must have been the long sermon!!

This young man is now preparing for Confirmation

This little lady looks like she could be making her first Holy Communion

Men, as usual outside, waiting for mass, while the women wait inside.

Storm Damage in Santo Antônio

The weather is now starting to change, insted of just dry heat it is now wet heat with the arrival of the rains. The other day I visited the community of Santo Antônio and their parish bulidings were severley damaged by the winds that preceeded the rain. I felt sorry for them because some of the buildings were only newly built last July and I was present at their FESTA to celebrate their completion. Thankfully the trees around the church, which is an older building, saved it from the storm damage.

Toilet & Shower Room without its roof, which was found in the ajoining trees.

Debris among the trees. The roof tiles look like asbestos sheets, but they are in fact recycled "tetrapack cartons". I read somewhere recently that Brazil is the only country that is able to recycle old milk and juice cartons. But the locals tell me that they are cheap but not very strong.

The wind toppled the new water tank which was full with water, this gives some indication as to the power of the storm.

Hall Roof damage.

Workers already gathering to clean up.

Happy 13th Birthday James

James becomes a "Teenager" this week - "God Help Us All!" Only Joking! Happy Birthday from Brazil. Tio {Uncle} Denis. xxxxx

Você está de Parabens!

"Father & Son" - Taken at "The Rock" Field Day, Gorey

Views of Juruena September 2006

Some views of the new part of town.

The bullock cart is in for the weekly shopping.

"Villa Nova" - New wooden houses, well almost new, along with a wide avenue. One thing about Brazil, it has plenty of "space" to grow.

This wreck at the entrance to the town was removed the day after I stopped to take a picture. It had been there for a long time, maybe my picture taking caused some embarrassment.

Two lane highway through the town, beside a man made lake. The traffic comes down on the left and up on the right, depending on the humour of the drivers!

A new "Road Sign" has appeared in the last few days, easy know there is an election coming up. The thing about this sign is that I was driving for four hours and this is the first sign I saw for "Juruena" which was now only 6kms away

Cristo Rei Community

Cristo Rei Community is about 25 minutes outside of the town and so it is not too dangerous to travel to at night. Hence they have a night mass, (hence the night time photographs). It is the only active community in the south side of the parish. The school desks are a sign that it might have been used as a school one time or other, but I am sure the town school bus gets out to this community now.

Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe

Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe is the only community that does not have a church or a recognised community centre, so Mass is celebrated in the homes of the community. This month's Mass was celebrated in a well-to-do farm house with electricity. Last month's Mass was celebrated in a very poor house, in the yard in fact, by candle light {I forgot my camera that night!}.

As always there is food and drinks afterwards.

Lucky Escape - Graças a Deus!

I had a lucky escape this Parish Festa Weekend. Graças a Deus!

The pictures below are from the Military Police, I took it off a local website.

The elderly gentleman in the picture paid me a visit on Saturday with a story that his wife had died in a neighbouring local city and he needed some help to pay for the bus trip so he could attend the funeral. He asked for BR$65.00. I checked with the bus station about the price, and they informed me it was BR$45.00. So I asked him about the difference. His story now changed and he was bringing his son with him. The trouble was I had seen him with the two guys, and neither his story, nor the cost of tickets did not add up, so I guessed right he was not telling the truth. So I gave him a few bob, not what he asked for, and sent him on his way.

That night, these three guys robbed the parish hall of cigarettes and chocolate that was to be sold during the parish festa.

On Sunday, the day of the festa, despite the fact they had no money the day before, they attended the festa and had plenty of money to spend! When he saw me he hid and put sunglasses on, and he nearly chocked on the meat as I sat down beside himself and the other two men and asked him how did the funeral go?

Later they were seen trying the doors and windows of the parochial house and the Military Police were called. But they had disappeared. Obviously they were looking to rob the proceeds of the Parish Festa, but I had insisted that it be stored else where and I had the house locked up tight, for that very reason.

That night they made it to the neighbouring town and broke into the parochial house there and robbed the local priest and tied him up. But they were quicky arrested by the Military Police. Our cigarettes and chocolate were found on them along with Euros and items belonging to my neighbouring parish priest.

It turned out they were very dangerous characters, wanted in numerous other cities for violent crimes and the local police were afraid to hold them so they shifted them to Juina city.

So Tuesday morning the Military Police came looking for the parish Jeep as they needed a number of vehicles to transport their prisoners. They were afraid to put more that one of them in the same jeep.

I was not too happy that the parish committe gave the Polícia Militar a loan of my jeep, as I had a number of communities to visit that day and the next. But, I suppose I was happy they did not get into the house either!

Police Picture - Loot & Prisoners.

Unlike Ireland, here people who are arrested are often photographed by the papers and TVs, even before a trial.

Festa do Padroeiro, Paróquia São Padro, Juruena - Mato Grosso 1 of 4

At 6 am I was awakened to the sound of chopping wood as the BBQ fires were being set and lit.

At the same time the spuds were put on the boil to make a salad.

The women arrived in to prepare the salads and deserts etc that would be sold along with the meat.

Choosing the meat on the skewers. Here the meat is chosen and paid for and then they bring it to the BBQs and give instructions to the men, how they would like their meat to be cooked. Mostly it was very well done even over done, but thats how many like it.

The meat is place on the BBQs. about 10 am. This is only one side of the BBQ house.






Festa do Padroeiro, Paróquia São Padro, Juruena - Mato Grosso 1 of 4

Festa do Padroeiro, Paróquia São Padro, Juruena - Mato Grosso 2 of 4

The other side of the BBQ House. Note the numbered tags on the skewers. These correspond to a numbered receipt issued when the raw meat was chosen and sold earlier in the morning.

Playing cards while waiting for the meat to be cooked.

Some of the local kids.

Collecting the cooked meat.

Time to tuck in.



Festa do Padroeiro, Paróquia São Padro, Juruena - Mato Grosso 2 of 4