Till we meet again Fr Edison!

Its a sign that we just dont want to say goodbye to someone who has been at the core of our group for so long! We could not even bring ourselves to say farewell and opted for the more optimistic "Till we meet again".

But farewell it was and a strong reflection of the respect, warmth and affection that is afforded to Fr Edison by all who came.

Once again a special Farewell mass followed by dinner at the residence of Chef Laudico. This time the preperations were elaborate! The full shabang! bells and whistles ( also known as a plaque and Balloons)

Fr Edison however made sure that he did not leave us without a successor. In fact he introduced to the group not one but two priests who have now become regular members- Fr Joaquim and Fr Tony

Its not often that Fr Edison finds himself at the receiving end of a sermon from the mount! But this unfamiliar sight was made pleasant by an outstanding piece delivered by Bob Fernandes.

Bob , compared our friendship with Fr Edison to a journey ( on a train) and one could just imagine , people getting on and getting off, some chat a little and some keep their distance, while still others get off before the journeys end!

He reminded father to check his bag when he gets back since it might have got "heavier" with all the good memories! Well Bob, we couldnt have put it better than that! bravo!

We certainly have creative minds working on making the mass special! The offertory included a miniature Violin ( to celebrate Fr Edison's brilliant violin playing), a cross and to everyones amusement a Goan food recipe book! everything had a lot of meaning and evoked fond memories!

The choir did a good job as usual- and we found a new guitarist doing an excellent job - Joe Gene Quesada joined Savio in making sure the music was sublime ( we were so happy that Joe Gene, Jing and Alfonso could join us for this special day). We were also happy to meet Sylvies sister Xaviera, who was visiting from Canada and Jerry's mum.

A Farewell Poem- Till we meet again- made even more special by the fact that each Family came up to recite a verse.

Father then thanked everyone with a personal message of thanks to each of the families who had made his stay here more memorable.

Everyone then moved to the next destination, a garden retreat courtesy Chef laudico - where a stylish and delicious dinner was awaiting us. Complete with candles, shitake mushroom soup and risotto par excellence, it was an evening to remember.

Here we met a new addition to our group- Joe and Sheeba Thomas!

Fr Edison regaled us with his violin , with Savio and Joe Gene accompanying to liven up the evening! Time flies when you are having fun and before we knew it, it was time to call it a night.

So long , Farewell and God Bless Fr Edison, we are all so fortunate to have spent some time with you here in Manila. We wish you every success in the future, you will always be in our prayers!

We have a lot to be thankful for ( New years Thanksgiving Mass)

Saying Thank You has always been meaningful but when all our families come together to thank the lord for all the blessings that have been showered on us for the year 2006,it is special and uplifting. One of the special aspects that mark every mass is the "family" approach to it, right from the organisation- every family plays a part! someone swings in to write the introduction and someone else writes down the prayers, while still others handle the music - its almost like an orchestra of effort blends in to make it a joint effort of everyone! Fr Edison is always happy to say mass and organise the beautiful venue for it.

All the young and the "young at heart" pitched in. Robert , our favourite valedictarian, was followed by Ajoy, Venetia , Kim.

One of the "Bright" and "enlightening" ideas for offertory that was really unique was the presentation of candles- Each family offered one ( with their name on it) - almost like a light of celebration for a year that went well- a customised Thank you if you prefer.

A joint prayer by all the ladies was a nice touch to mark this part of the mass

Father Edison's sermon is as usual warm , personalised and insightful. He reminded us on the day of the feast of Infant Jesus- how children are a reflection of Gods daily miracles in our lives and how even some athiests were converted after experiencing the miracle of a childs birth!

The new year gives us a chance to feel reborn and renewed.

So yet another mass came to an end, and the celebration was taken forward to Amici- our Italian restaurant par compare. A mouthful of pasta and hands full of Pizza marked our dinner and as usual Amici did not dissapoint us!

A special thanks to everyone who contributed and participated- the readers, the choir, the participants and of course our very own Fr Edison.