With Christmas right around the corner our little community of 5 (big compared to what we were just a year ago....hard to believe) sat at the dining room table at our weekly community meeting and discussed the options of celebrating the fest. To celebrate, to serve, to be with and for, to eat and nourish, to sing to decorate and bring beauty into the world, to sit in contemplation of the presence that entered into our world saving us with his love and friendship 2000 ago, to sit in contemplation of the presence of our friends with whom our first meetings of friendship and love echo that birth of Christ.
It started with a couple people--Monika if she wasn't going home to celebrate with her family, Wolfgang, a new friend of ours since Tomoko's concert back in December who had no plans and no one to celebrate New Year's Eve with, Ingar--that is if she was feeling up to being social by the time Christmas came around (the depression swings are up and down). So it was looking to be us in community and a couple other people. A nice dinner, singing, etc. A fest of simple beauty and togetherness.
Well that it was...but on a larger, a little more boisterous, loud, lively, beautiful scale.
On Christmas Eve we were 24, from 9 different nationalities, all one big happy family finding friendship and togetherness being the best grounds to share this feast together, celebrating the birth of Christ--who was not necessarily the recognized Savior of all--we were Catholics, Christians, Muslims, non-practicing and practicing--but who's love brought us together just the same.
I'm convinced....only God could be the reason for such a beautiful evening together!!
Cooking preparations...Alina has forgotten that we've made vows of chastity :)
I can't help but be impressed....she definitely knows how to cook!
so proud!
the living room/dining room decorated and ready for the feast!
our little Christmas tree!! the men selling the Christmas tree's infront of the Church gave us a free tree!!
In preparations for the night we asked Fr. Clemens and Fr. Jacques to take care of one thing---building the creche scene in the chapel.
Never before have I seen such a cool creche scene. And I'm sure how cool it looks doesn't compare to how funny they looked dragging this stump (which is actually huge..its hard to tell in the picture) through the streets and public metro system after finding it in a park :)
We started the evening with mass said by Fr. Jacques in our chapel. Tomoko played the violin for the mass and she attended with her daughters, as well as Barbara and her daughters (Barbara is a friend of a friend who Alina met in her German course back in August...Barbara is Polish, but married to an Indian man and has two daughters who spent the evening with us, along with a friend)
After the mass we gathered and had a glass of wine (thanks to Wolfgang, who brought his own wine to the fest!! He owns a vineyard in Burgenland, the neighboring region of Austria) and waited for the dinner to be ready....Alina and Mathilde were busy in the kitchen preparing the scrumptious feast!
Barbara's daughters and Reiko and Keiko getting to know one another
The kid's table, complete with kiddie champagne that Tomoko brought along!
The adult table!
(Left to Right: Fr Jacques, Saima, Monika, Barbara, Wolfgang, Mathilde, Alina, Natzko, Tomoko, Fr. Clemens)
Totally didn't plan that heart in the table decorations!
Mathilde (Paris) and Natzko (Japan/Austria)
Tomoko (Japan) and Fr. Clemens (Paris)
Keiko (Japan/Austria) and Veronika (Poland/India)
Keiko and ? (I forget her name...)
The girls all getting to know one another
and goofing around
Tomoko and Fr. Clemens
Wolfgang's Wine!
Monika (Austria), Barbara (Poland), and Wolfgang (Austria)
Natzko and Tomoko
the end result: it is Austrian tradition to eat fish on Christmas Eve--most traditionally Baked Carp (which is exactly what Alina prepared) or a Christmas Salmon Roll (which is what Mathilde prepared but is not pictured here)--because since it is the eve before, it is still considered penitential and preparation time, so the feast has not yet begun! We were trying to embrace tradition! :)
Then we got a surprise visit from the Kalpakgians!!! Mark is the director of Student Life for the Franciscan University Campus in Gaming, Austria (just two hours outside of Vienna) and he and Niki (his wife) and Ari, Dominik, and Narek (their three sons) were visiting Vienna for Christmas Eve and decided to drop by! It was such a nice surprise!! Especially because soon afterwards, on January 5th, the little family moved back to America due to a job change for Mark. Miss them already!!
After dinner, Tomoko gave a little presentation on some writings of Mother Theresa that are very dear to her and then played a few pieces on the violin.
The kids sat in awe.
After the little concert, we all remained gathered together, ate dessert (complete with Marshmellow Christmas Holly--thank you Aunt Meg, Uncle Tom, and Faith for the ingredients!!) sang Christmas carols, and opened presents!!!!!!
As the kids were getting sleepy and the festivities were coming to an end, the night was no where near ending for us. Everyone started to trickle out of our apartment and home to their own beds when Monika, Alina, Wolfgang and I headed to the 3rd District to St. Rochuskirche where one of the most beautiful midnight masses in Vienna is said on Christmas Eve. That is another important part of Austrian tradition---Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. We got there a half hour early, and already there was a crowd in front of the locked front entrance of the Church. At a quarter to, we were lucky to be at the front of the growing mass of late night church-goers and when the doors opened we got to be close to the front. A dear priest friend of ours--Fr. Thomas--was one of the priests saying the mass, among around 4, lead in by 30 or so alter servers. It was a beautiful mass--musically, aesthetically, and spiritually--but what really struck me was the presence of the person standing next to me. Wolfgang was raised Catholic but has been no where near practicing in years. But here he was standing next to me, singing the Christmas hymns and participating in the mass. Afterwards I will never forget what he said "Thanks for inviting me....this has been one of the most special and meaningful Christmas' I have had, and it wouldn't have been if it weren't for you all, and this mass"
A.M.D.G
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