Accompanying the first nights rest in Dar es Salaam was the delight of some friendly geckos and the morning echoes of the rooster crows. Thankfully, the first African alarm clock awoke us to 640 Catholic school children singing outside our rooms prior to the commencement of another day in authentic Catholic education. The grounds that we stayed at

were fully funded by the local Catholic community. The leadership of the discalced Carmelites mixed with patience has created a ‘beacon on a hill’ for these young Catholics of Dar es Salaam; and the need continues to grow.

In fact, we learned today that since the Jubilee year in 2000, the number of parishes in the dioceses has more than doubled. In 2000, there were 30, now there are over 60 parishes. Obviously the labor in the vineyard from the Carmelites and other missionary orders has brought forth great fruit for holy mother Church in Africa. With God’s grace, more native people’s of Tanzania will learn of Christ and His Church.

This pilgrimage to Africa is accented with no rest for the weary, onward we all go to a new destination this morning, the mighty Sarengetti! To this day, the Sarengetti wild life preserve is often referred to as one of the last wild places on earth. Because of a realization for God’s profound natural beauty here on earth, the Tanzanian people have protected many square kilometers from the modernization of the world. Therefore, today we hopped a smaller plane from Dar es Salaam to Mwasa on Lake Victoria, and then proceeded with a 3 hour Land Cruiser ride to the home of the cloistered nuns of the Discalced Carmelites. Here we shall rest our head before journeying into the mighty Sarengetti in the morning. Thankfully, we will have the Holy Eucharist inside of us to protect us from the lions, hippos, and leopards, just to name a few.

Ciao from the cloister.

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