When we went to the Church of the Black Madonna this past Monday, a number of Soldiers came away with Easter eggs, which are a big part of the Easter celebration in this culture. A number of my Soldiers really like mugging for the camera, too...
These two gentlemen are a couple of the many friends I've made since joining this unit immediately upon my return from Iraq last year.
These guys helped immeasurably during the Easter Triduum, before, during, and after each of the liturgies. I couldn't have done it without them! Thanks, men!!
You can see Jozefi himself overseeing our getting set up on the upstairs patio. It was a lovely spring day when we arrived, but about 45 minutes into being there it had become positively frigid, so I cajoled Jozefi (who was setting up the interior for some very large private party) into letting us move indoors.
The Church of St. Joseph can be seen in the distance as we look toward the mountain we climbed during the Way of the Cross the Friday before Holy Week.
As I mentioned previously, Easter eggs are an important part of a family's celebration of the joy of Easter, and Jozefi dragged me into the restaurant so that I could photograph the special Easter bread his wife had baked, and the Easter eggs he'd colored. He gave an egg to each of us.
The surrounding valleys have become verdant with the coming of spring. Unlike much of the rest of what I've seen of Kosovo, this town and its environs have almost no trash in the streets and streams and fields, making the region appear all the more idyllic.
Blessings and peace to one and all,
Fr. Tim, SJ
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