Charlie Dittmeier's Home Page
The Philippines has a pre-Christmas tradition called Simbang Gabi in which, every morning on the nine days before Christmas–at 4:30 AM or 5:30 AM–everyone attends mass in their parish church. The Philippines Embassy couldn’t replicate the full custom here but is having masses in the evening on the first three days of Simbang Gabi. Fr. Charlie Dittmeier was asked to preside.
On the first evening, after the mass, the Phnom Penh Choral Ensemble performed a medley of Christmas carols.
“I solemnly swear (or affirm) that in all things appertaining to the trial of _ , now pending, I will do impartial justice to the Constitution and laws, so help me God.”
— oath required of senators by Senate Rules in Impeachment Trials
“There will be no difference between the president’s position and our position as to how to handle this…We’ll be working through this process… in total coordination with the White House counsel’s office and the people representing the president in the well of the Senate… There is no chance the president is going to be removed from office.”
— Sen. Mitch McConnell
~ from Doonesbury.WashingtonPost.com
Every year the girls at the Salesian Sisters Technical School have a Christmas Bazaar in December. Click here to see what was going on there this year.
This is the Christmas tree at the Maryknoll office. The Maryknollers put it up on Wednesday as part of their weekly meeting. It is a little simpler this year than before. It is an artificial tree and we removed one section so it wouldn’t be so tall, but we also cannot find a box of Christmas decorations that we used before.
This is a trailer, pulled by a motorcycle, coming from one of the provinces with a load of furniture–a heavy wooden bed in the rear, a heavy, solid chair in the middle, and a heavy wooden sofa in the front.
In the US it would be unusual first of all because of the style of furniture which would not be to the taste of most Americans. Secondly, in the US no one would be selling furniture–whether it was a popular style or not–on the street like this.
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Last week the priests of the Phnom Penh Vicariate met at the pastoral center for a business meeting, prayer, a tour of the new seminary building, and lunch together. Click here to see pictures from the day.
For generations Cambodians have been small farmers, eking out enough to eat and a little to sell in order to buy what they can’t grow. And whenever there was an opportunity to sell something on the side to make a little extra income, they jumped at the chance. Nearly 60% of Cambodians now live in cities but the old ways came with them, and the family is always thinking of ways to supplement their income. This woman makes some sort of snack in her kitchen and sells it to passersby outside her front door.
The “cold snap” here in Phnom Penh is continuing and the low temperature today was 64ºF, really frigid by Cambodian standards–and nippy even for the foreigners when taking a morning shower with no hot water.
