Wintertime in Germany adds beauty to the joyful seasons of Advent and Christmas. In the big city of Essen, one can admire the various Christmas decorations everywhere. Malls and shopping centers are packed with costumers. Everyone seems busy. Christmas parties and celebrations are held here and there, one after another. The Camillians in Essen are also carefully arranging their scheduled activities. Below are some of their extra activities:

St. Camillus Parish

• For three consecutive Tuesdays, a 30-minute evening meditation is organized in the Church. Parishioners are invited to take part in order to know deeper the meaning of Advent and to prepare themselves spiritually for this wonderful season.
• The Advent bazaar was held last November 25 in the Parish Hall and in Kamillushaus Hall. The parishioners themselves actively sold and bought handmade Advent and Christmas decorations.
• The Christmas bazaar was held last December 8-9 in the spacious square in front of Kamillushaus. Several small wooden stores (looking like sari-sari stores) were set up. The Filipinos sold Filipino delicacies like pansit and lumpia.

Filipino Community

• The members of the Couples for Christ celebrated their Christmas Party in the Parish Hall last Dec. 7. The Camillians in Essen were invited to join the party.
• The members of the Loved Flock celebrated their Christmas Party in Mülheim on Dec. 8. In honor of Mary’s Immaculate Conception, the group requested Fr. Manny to celebrate the Holy Mass before the party.
• The existing Filipino organizations in North Rhein, Wesfalia scheduled Christmas celebrations. Fr. Manny and Fr. Weber attended the Ala Eh Organization’s Christmas party held in Dortmund last December 15.

Ruhrlandklinik Hospital

• Fr. Manny is the Catholic chaplain in Ruhrlandklinik, a hospital specializing in lung treatment. Together with the hospital employees, he invited the Filipino Choir to sing Advent songs for the patients in the hospital wards on Dec. 5.
• Ruhrlandklinik celebrated its Christmas party last Dec. 16. The Filipino Choir was again invited to perform during the happy celebration.

75th B-day

Fr. Wille Kentrup celebrated his 75th birthday last Dec. 19. It was a big celebration not only for the community but also for his family and friends who travelled from north (Muenster) to south (Freiburg). The celebration started with a Mass held at 10:30 AM at the Home for the Aged of the Holy Spirit Foundation where Fr. Wille works as a chaplain.  A small program and salo-salo followed at the reception hall. In the evening we had an exclusive dinner at a restaurant.

Faculty Feast

Last Dec. 6 the faculty of the Theology department of the Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg celebrated its 550th Anniversary.  Bishops, professors, guests and students attended the occasion. It was well organized, well attended and well celebrated. Scheduled to end at 11:45 PM, it lasted until 2:00 AM. It was simply a successful event. Besides celebrating 550 years of existence, the University also rejoiced in having received an award last September 25 and being declared an elite university in Germany.

Unitas

During this winter semester I was invited to attend the opening semester gathering of the Unitas, the oldest student fraternity in Germany. It was a great gathering. Then I had a series of invitations and interactions. I came to know other fraternities as well. I decided to join Unitas. I was accepted by the council and was initiated last Dec. 7 during the celebration of the 50th house anniversary in Freiburg.

Christmas break

At the university we started our Christmas break last Dec. 21. After our last session, my friends and I visited the Christmas Market and drank Christmas wine with bread and sausages. The following day I started to decorate our Christmas tree and build a small Belen in the chapel. We celebrated Christmas Eve with a Mass at the Hospital then enjoyed the community gathering. On Christmas day we watched the Christmas message of the Pope. Then we had lunch and exchanged gifts. We received also extra gifts from our superior.

A week at the Provincialate

On Dec. 27, I went to Essen to collect gifts from the Provincial and the community. (Just kidding!)  During this week, I had a good chance to rest, to reflect and be renewed to welcome another year of perseverance and dedication. I joined Fr. Manny for sports together with the patients.  We played badminton and bowling.  Sometimes I went for fitness sessions. I also spent the evening with the community, watching the news or a short film with a glass of beer or wine or a shot of rum. Then followed a good night’s rest!