Gabriel's Holy Fire and the Feast of St. Francis de Sales

In the first chapter of St. Luke's gospel, we read about the angel "standing on the right side of the altar of incense". A few verses later, the angel says, "I am Gabriel." This came to my mind at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament on Thursday evening, January 28th.

Every Thursday, we had Exposition after the 7:30 Mass, ten hours of adoration, and benediction at six p.m. On this particular Thursday, our oblate Gabriel was the thurifer. When he came into the chapel with the thurible (having prepared it outside), there was what I called in my journal, "a legitimate fire" going in it. When Canon Sigros lifted the top to add the incense, a coal or two fell out, nearly singeing the vestments. The impressive amounts of smoke still lingered several hours later, despite the open windows. It was something to behold. I think the Archangel Gabriel would have been impressed. Maybe he was there.

The next day was the feast of St. Francis de Sales, a patron of the Institute. For this great feast, Canon Sigros had planned a Mass for the whole school. Since even our big chapel was too small for the 300+ students, the Mass would be at the school. The whole event seemed very dear to Canon Sigros; I had heard him a day or so before telling the children to have impeccable school uniforms for the feast (he then said to them, "'Merci, monseigneur le chanoine', s'il vous plaît?" They responded, "MERCI, MONSIGNEIUR LE CHANOINE!!!") 

The school consists of a building with offices on either side of a breezeway. A flight of steps, open to the air, leads down to a long stretch of sand, with barrack-like (but prettier) buildings of classrooms and covered concrete areas (in front of the kitchen and library) on either side. The altar would be set up at the top of the steps, with plastic chairs set up for the children and teachers in the sand.

École S. François de Sales (the area I described is through the breezeway)

Canon had had the guys setting up on Thursday and had them out there at 6:45 Friday morning to finish up. Mass was at 9:30 and I had, naturally, been drafted to sing. I arrived around 9:00, as the teachers were beginning to seat the students by class. It was my first time at the school; I remember approaching the top of the steps, as the scene and the noise came upon me---it was like a movie! There were children running around and being noisy, music playing loudly through a speaker system.

I didn't know where the choir would be, so I and our Nigerian postulant ended up walking all the way to the covered concrete platform in front of the kitchen. I remember standing there, looking for the choir director, watching the teachers seat the children, seeing the first rain drops...

It didn't take long for the teachers to send the children under cover, or for the rain to start pouring. Here I will quote from my journal:

Between the heavy rain and the screaming children [you can't even imagine...] you could hardly hear. The gutters quickly poured the water in a heavy stream to the sand, making rivers. Then streams came in on the concrete. And there was wind. And screaming children. Some of the girls found me (mostly Maria Bambina girls, at least initially) on a couple separate occasions (the teachers would try to get them to sit down and be quiet; ha). They were fascinated with my hair. I took out the elastic and --- delighted shrieks. Little African hands all in my hair. When my bandeau came off--- more shrieks. Finally, a teacher sent them away. Guylene (whom I "got to know" they day before after Benediction) gave me a note ("Mouila Maire"). ☺ Saw Canon Sigros and altar boys taking apart altar--- poor Canon! Rain went on for an hour. Started to let up around 10:00. Children sent to class. Had Mass in chapel that evening. Poor Canon!

One other amusing episode that day was that once we had gotten back to the Mission, two of the seminary candidates left to go to Libreville for some business with residency papers. Canon Sigros said our Nigerian postulant and I would go the next week; I told him I didn't think I needed to do anything related to residency (I had received a six month visa when I arrived), so he asked to see my passport. At the suggestion of my mom, I had used a paper clip to hold all my extra documents in the back of my passport, all neatly put together. When I handed it to Canon, he looked over all of it and said in his very thick accent, "Zee American eez very organized." The credit of which, of course, goes to my mom. ;)

This was the note Guylene wrote for me. My eldest brother told us first, and I realized it as my French grew, that it doesn't actually mean anything; it's just words. ;)

Please feel free to comment and ask questions! I will do my best to answer everything.