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Dear Friends of Missions in Morocco!!!
Praised be Jesus Christ!!!
I am writing my letter with joy. After a short leave at my homeland I returned to the "Muslim House" (Dar el Islam). I have been discovering the beauty of missions among believing Muslims for 5 years.
I would like to Be and to Love. I look for treasures which do not pass away, which are eternal. In my Franciscan community there are 5 of us: Joel from France (he has been in Morocco for 57 years), Pietro from Italy, Gustavo from Mexico, Sarłat from Egypt and I.
Morocco is on its way to better living in an economic sense. As far as religion is concerned, people believe in God. They are also very traditional in their customs. We have just finished the month of Ramadan, i.e. the fasting from the sunrise to the sunset. We as Christians wanted to show solidarity with our poor people in Meknes and we accepted such form of remunerating God for everything that is full of egoism, war, hatred and death in us as well as in the surrounding world.
In the St Anthony Centre there are currently 1.100 pupils from poor families. Our service involves helping them in forming their hearts and minds. We do it together with 28 Muslim teachers. We are there from Monday to Saturday in order to make their lives easier. On Sundays we celebrate the Eucharist with Charla de Focualda nuns and several Christian families in nearby Azru.
Yesterday our Polish Embassy informed me that Muslim authorities from Morocco agreed on my service as a prison chaplain in the whole country. But I can only perform this duty with Polish prisoners. And there are many of them in Morocco. The main temptations are drugs produced from marijuana and hashish in the Rifu and Atlas Mountains. You get one year of prison for every 10 kilograms of smuggled drugs. Some prisoners have to serve 5 years of their sentence. This is a new ministry for me and facing upon it surely will not be easy. Moroccan prisons are hard to survive. "I was in prison and you came to visit me..." in this blessing and in prayer I will look for good and I will carry it in love.
December is approaching and here it is the middle of the summer although mornings and nights are chilly, especially close to the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Sahara and a rather dry and hot climate protect me. Mosquitoes have run away to the black part of Africa and they do not spread malaria. As far as health is concerned, it is not so bad here.
The country is a little bit disappointed after losing EXPO 2012. Wroclaw has been fighting for it as well. We lacked only a few votes. But such were the rules. We have to wait again. And we really wanted to show the world that a Muslim, African country can organize something as well and that it can be well done. Just be patient, our turn will come...
We are approaching the end of the year 2007. We have so many reasons for gratitude. The whole world is so beautiful. I still bear in mind the moments I spent in my homeland, all the meetings and the strength of the Spirit I have experienced...
That is why I thank the Gods love and the people I meet every day as much as I can.
"What remains is created by those who love."
For the time of Advent and Christmas I wish you a lot of hope. Hope that Good and Love always win and will last forever. Life is so beautiful when you love the life of other people...
Brother Simeon Czesław Stachera ofm
My address has not changed:
Fr. Simeon Stachera
Centre Saint Antoine,
5l, rue Driba
50.000-Meknes
MAROC
email address: simeonstachera@yahoo.com
Equipo del Centro
La casa de Dios
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