Edition #1

Sunday 5th

June 2011 Edition #2

Sunday 12th

June 2011

Edition #2

Sunday 12th

June 2011

Edition #12 Sunday, 18

th September 2011

Sunday Priest Father Bernardino Andrade Contact: bernardinodandrade@gmail.com Newsletter Receive the Joyful Gift every week in your inbox!

Subscribe or feel free to contribute with articles by emailing Laura at laurikaaa@gmail.com

Find us online www.joyfulgiftatpenha.blogspot.com

JOYFUL GIFT Your weekly newsletter from the Catholic English Mass in Funchal

Welcome to the Chapel of Penha de França, founded

by António Dantas in 1622 and built on a “penha” or peak, by the sea. This soon became so famous a shrine that people came to it on pilgrimage from all parts of the Island, and in 1721 the chapel was restored and enlarged. When the Diocese of Funchal took possession of the chapel it was used for the bishops as a Country House or Summer Residence for many years. In the meantime, the Franciscans had been coming to Madeira to carry out apostolic duties however it was only in 1935, on Easter Sunday, that they founded the Franciscan Residence of Our Lady of Penha de França, at the request of Bishop D. António Ribeiro.

The English Mass is a tradition that dates back to 1966, when Fr Rafael Andrade, having just returned from his first visit to England, complied with the Bishop´s request to start an English celebration. Fr Rafael presided this mass for over 30 years, when he had to stop in 1999 due to overlapping duties. For eight years there was no Mass in English in Madeira, until it began again on the first Sunday of Lent in 2007.

Have a lovely time in Madeira Island and we hope to receive your visit again soon!

Thoughts on the Scripture Readings Brought to you by Chris Oliver, UK

18th September – 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

A few weeks ago the reading from

Isaiah 55 invited us to come to the joyful banquet the Lord has prepared for us. In the new translation of the Mass we are "called to the supper of the Lamb". Today's reading from the same chapter of Isaiah urges us to "seek the Lord while he may be found": although he is hidden and unimaginably different from us, yet he is near and wanting to give us his forgiveness. The Psalm sums it all beautifully: The Lord is kind, just, and "close to all who call him". For the next four weeks the second reading is from Paul's letter to the Philippians, probably written about 57 AD from Ephesus. Paul's main reason for writing was to thank the Philippians for the money

they had sent him while he was in prison. He encourages them to avoid internal divisions and to close ranks against the difficulties they are experiencing from the pagan world round them. Sharing in Christ's suffering means also sharing in the joy of the union with Christ which such suffering brings. In today's reading Paul is torn between wishing to be gone and with Christ, or staying alive suffering in the Lord's work. In Matthew's gospel everyone is swept up into the Lord's vineyard, even those undesirables rejected by other landowners during the day.

Isa 55:6-9 Ps 144:2-3. 8-9. 17-18 r.18

Phil 1:20-24, 27 Matt 20:1-16ª Further Information, www.bible-groups.info

CATHOLIC MASS SUNDAYS 10AM

PENHA DE FRANÇA

Capela da Penha de França Funchal, Madeira

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From My Heart to Your Heart Brought to you by Father Bernardino, Madeira

The Blue Danube is Not Blue

I am pretty sure that the “Blue

Danube”, a Waltz composed by Strauss is one of the most popular, beautiful and fascinating pieces of music of

the world. It took a genius like Strauss to write something so genial that has the power to electrify and at the same time to relax anyone even if he/she is not a music lover.

I always imagined that the reason why Strauss composed such a beautiful and fascinating piece of art was because the Danube River was really blue and was what we could call one of the wonders of the world with transparent, romantic blue waters and like a basket full of colorful flowers.

I was surprised to know that the Danube river is not blue and on the contrary it is terribly ugly, full of mud, with a bloody history of battles and hate. What many people found out later was that the famous waltz was more about Strauss than about the river. When people have a clean heart, a clean soul and clean eyes they are able to see beauty

even in the most insignificant things and the most insignificant people around them.

This is what came to my mind a few weeks ago when Laura Machado wrote such a beautiful article about me in the “Joyful Gift – Edition #9”. It was embarrassing for me but at the same time it was a revelation of the kind of person Laura is. The article was more about Laura with a head of a woman and a very skilled engineer and at the same time with the heart of a baby. I think this is the ID of great people like Laura. Thank you Laura for being like Strauss. Because you see things and people through your heart and through your eyes you have the gift of making people feel special.

Fr. Bernardino [bernardinodandrade@gmail.com]

Where the Ocean Meets the Sky Discovering Madeira Island

Madeira is divided in eleven municipalities (2nd level administrative division). Ten of those municipalities belong to Madeira Island and one to Porto Santo. Their creation, ordered by the King, was meant to reduce to power and privileges of the colonial masters in favour of the people.

The Municipality of Porto Moniz is on the northwest of the island, 98km away from Funchal. Its name comes from Francisco Moniz (o Velho), one of its oldest settlers, who built the Chapel of Our Lady of Conception and started cultivating the area around it. Nowadays, Porto Moniz offers a feast for all five senses – beautiful scenery, levadas and waterfalls and natural swimming pools. Further information, www.portomoniz.pt

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PORTO MONIZ

Municipality 13 Oct 1835

Civil Parishes Four:

Porto Moniz

Seixal

Achadas da Cruz

Ribeira da Janela

Population 2,927 (2001)

Patron Saint Our Lady of the Conception Municipal 22 July Holidays

The World Seen from Rome Brought to you by ZENIT, the Catholic Church news agency

Mexico Bishops Meet in Violence-Struck Monterrey

The bishops of Mexico held their annual formation

meeting in Monterrey last week according to schedule. Though the city was the site of a violent, drug-related episode a month ago, the bishops wanted their presence to be a specific sign of solidarity.

More than 50 people died in Monterrey at the end of August when a casino was set ablaze. Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, archbishop primate of Mexico, explained in a press conference that the bishops did not wish to suspend or postpone their meeting in the capital city of Nuevo Leon.

"Every year, we bishops have this week of studies scheduled and we did not wish to suspend or postpone it expressly as a sign of support for the city of Monterrey, for the state of Nuevo Leon and especially for the Lord Cardinal Francisco Robles, at this time when they have suffered violence," said

Cardinal Rivera Carrera. The Mexican prelate added that the bishops are cherishing the hope that levels of violence will drop and no longer affect the citizens' daily life so much.

"All of us bishops hope that this will end," he said, "that violence will decrease to humanly acceptable levels, and we wish to fill the people of Monterrey with hope, to tell them that every difficulty can be overcome."

Further Information, www.zenit.org

From the Pastor’s Desk Brought to you by Father Gameiro, Portugal

Spiritual Diseases

Spiritual Diseases affect the

spirit, not only the body. Last Sunday readings (Sir 27:30-28:7. Rom 14:7-9. Mat 18:21-35) focus on two of them: anger,

guilt and their therapy.

I used to say that helping professionals, as myself, can deal with small problems but they are unable to resolve some big ones, like serious anger, resentment, hatred, desire of vengeance and other hurts, due to strong injustices against you. For example, when one has killed your beloved one or defamed you, how can you forgive? In many occasions I met people who said to me: I cannot forgive him/her. Yes, for you alone this is impossible, I agree. If you desire to be able to forgive, this is a start. But only One can help you, can forgive in you: Jesus Christ. Ask him every day. Tell him: Jesus, I trust you. Be in me and forgive in me. To the Romans St. Paul says: “you are the Lord’s” (totus tuus). If we are, He forgives in us, even seventy times seven.

Another spiritual disease is guilt. Who can heal us, sinners burden by overwhelming guilt? Sirach and the Gospel say that to forgive is the condition to be forgiven. We come to a big problem: how can somebody heal my own guilt if I don’t forgive, if I don’t ask God and Jesus to be in me to make me able to forgive so that He may forgive me? Only Jesus Christ can, if I ask him and do what He wants, for example, going to confession, both healings are achieved in me.

We have to be aware that there is no complete separation between spiritual and organic diseases. To live in bitterness, resentment, hatred, violence, anger, desire of retaliation, when strongly offended and unjustly treated, affect our organic health too.

Only Jesus the Saviour, if we let Him, can heal us in a holistic way and make our life whole and harmonious, again. Even New Age techniques are not enough. Let us repeat: Jesus, I trust you, Heal me.

Fr. Aires Gameiro, OH, Brother of Saint John of God [aires.gameiro@isjd.pt]

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Editor: Laura Machado © Funchal, 2011 [laurikaaa@gmail.com]

Music for Everyone Brought to you by Josefina Farinha voice & Larysa Makarova violin

Larysa was born in Ukraine but

has been in Madeira island for 8 years now. She has been playing the violin since she was six years old. Having dedicated her life to her beloved violin, she now

teaches children & grownups!

From the yellow book Catholic Hymns Old&New,

Entry Hymn = No. 307 Lay your hands Offertory Hymn = No. 318 Let us break bread Communion Hymn = No. 82 Christ be beside me Final Hymn = No. 19 the Spirit is moving

People Helping People A small project founded in the Chapel of Penha de França to help those in need

PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE INFORMATION CHART

Timeline BEGINING – August 2010 1 Year Later – September 2011

Number of Active

Volunteers 2 10

Number of Families

Helped

Funds

Local support, Anonymous contributors,

English Mass collection, Foreign donations,

Fairs and sales

Type of Help Given

Support and friendship,

counseling and through

other organizations and

now we are also able to

help with…

If you wish to know more, please contact Fr. Bernardino and always remember that help has many forms (a kind word, a lift to the hospital, a birthday cake) and can be anywhere. Start your own People Helping People and lets create an international community that looks after one another.

We would like to express our gratitude to restaurant FIGOS in Garajau for always providing a fabulous meeting point, Fr Rafael for all the information on the English Mass, Fr Nélio for

kindly giving the booklet on the story of Penha de França, Sir Ronnie for all his dedication and friendship, Fr Bonifácio, Pablo & Ligia for all the help printing this newsletter, and all of you

that, with your endless generosity, support this cause.

If you wish to donate, please find bellow the details for PHP Bank Account NIB: 0038 0000 39527051771 85 IBAN: PT50 0038 0000 39527051771 85

BIC: BNIFPTPL

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Address Book

Pe Bernardino Andrade Rua das Murteiras, 28 – 1E 9060-199 Funchal, Madeira, PORTUGAL

Armando Machado Rua da Falésia, 19 P.O. Box 24 9125-909 Caniço, Madeira, PORTUGAL