Today is the feast of St Francis of Assisi and it's the Pope's name day God bless him. Such a difference his ministry has made to the Catholic Church, indeed to all Christians. I feel a sense of expectation and excitement about the prospects for the church's witness and mission, after a decade of serious setbacks. Who knows what will emerge from the dialogues now being fermented by the Vatican?
I went for a stroll before lunch, and as I passed the barrio parish church of Nuestra Senora y Sta Fe on impulse I went in to pray for/with the church on this special day. A wedding was in progress, in a mix of Spanish and English, with a women's choir accompanied by a guitarist, singing the hymns and the ordinary of the Nuptial Mass in cheerful harmony. It was a moment to cherish. I forgot to pray for the Pope as intended, however, but when you join with the church in prayer, as it cherishes the life of its faithful people, the Holy Father's name will be in there somewhere, whether you register it or not.
My stroll took me past the recinto feriale, where a huge fun-fair is in the process of construction for this week's fiesta. October 7th is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, a public holiday in Fuengirola, as the parish church in which the ajuntamento and other municipal buildings are located is dedicated to the Virgen del Rosario. At some time during the fiesta (I haven't seen any advertisment yet), a Flamenco Mass will be celebrated in Constitution Square. It's one of the most distinctive celebrations in this community, affirming Andalusian cultural identity in the supreme act of worship. I look forward to it.
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