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Beloved,
Today I write to you from France, where I met Blaise Pascal. He is as much a mathematician as a philosopher and poet. Like a mathematical equation, he speaks of love until it all adds up to, “Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. Love still stands, when all else has fallen.”

He told me the story of Joseph, the Dreamer. _{… access your letter by clicking on the link.}

Beloved,
Today, I write to you from Holland, where I met Henri Nouwen. He seems an ordinary professor and priest upon first impression. But in his hands the quill becomes a blade wielded by a master, his thoughts become like the subtle knife that cuts through the strata of the psyche opening up to realms of the soul, and his words become like arrows that pierce the heart of matter. His heart of service revolutionized his battles into a sacrament.

He introduced me to the story of a little child who grew up hearing of all the Great Promises made to his grandfather: _{… access your letter by clicking on the link.}

Beloved,
Today, I write to you from Denmark, the land of “The Little Mermaid,” where I met Soren Kierkegaard, philosopher, writer and mystic. Dead men tell no tales, but surely his lips must have touched a mermaids tear, without being tempted by euphoria to have said “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

He told me the story of a Father and Son, as if together they were two sides of the same coin. “Isaac ben Abraham”- Isaac son of Abraham. The son eclipsed by his father’s shadow, redeems his father and steps into his own light. _{… access your letter my clicking on the link.}

Beloved,
Today, I write to you from Germany, where I met Hildegard von Bingen. She’s a visionary of the 11th century who united the medicinal, the magical and the mystical through her body of work.

She told me the story of a man who, literally gets going, when the going gets tough: _{… access your letter my clicking on the link.}

Following the Star to Bethlehem
THROUGH THE I’s OF OUR ANCESTORS

Advent is a time when we prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of Emmanuel – God with us. Every Advent we are invited to open ourselves to new ways of encountering Him in our every-day-busy-lives. This year we would like to invite you to an Advent Journey through daily reflections designed to help reflect on the mystery of God coming to reside amongst us.

Each day we will meet a biblical character and dwell on how they encountered God in their every-day-busy-lives, became attentive to his voice and were transformed through their divine encounter. In a short reflection at the end of each text is an opportunity to turn inward, find an aspect of that character – i.e. the Peace-loving David, the Fearful Moses or the Dreamer Joseph – within, who meets the loving embrace of God and is thereby forever changed.

The texts are in the form of poetic letters “written” by a helium-filled balloon called Barbapapa travelling from Switzerland to Bethlehem in time for Christmas. On his imaginary world-tour he meets men and women from different countries who each narrate a small piece of the grander story of God’s Human-Becoming and weave the lives of the familiar biblical characters like a golden thread from Creation to Christmas.
Below you will find the daily reflections for each day, starting with the first day of Advent on December 3rd. They are available to be read online and if you wish to receive personal letters, adding your email in the form below will allow the letters to find their way to your inbox. If you are curious about the story behind the story, follow this link.

May this time of Advent be a time of renewal for every one of us. May He bestow His grace, extend His peace, and prepare us to encounter joy in a whole new way. May we, like Mary find ourselves enabled to say, “my soul glorifies the Lord, for the Mighty One has done great things for me.”

Following the Star of Bethlehem,
Betty Sam Mathew

The Nursery for babies and toddlers is in the Pre-sacristy room. Our Word of God program is tailored for children aged 4 to 7 years. It is offered during our weekly Mass on Sundays at 17.30. The children are invited downstairs before the Liturgy of the Word and return before the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The children are taught a Bible story (usually related to the Sunday readings), recite the Our Father, and complete a simple craft or word puzzle

The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical was performed by our community in December 2005 and raised more than CHF10’000 for charity. Father Armin (our former Chaplain) in the role of Pharoah, and many others who participated are still around today. Join us for an evening of fun and entertainment as we screen the performance where you can reminisce on your own performance or try and identify some of our then budding actors and actresses. Details of time and date to follow as soon as venue etc. identified.

Each year in February the HCPT Switzerland Verein (Hosanna House and Children’s Pilgrimage Trust) organizes a trip to Lourdes for the feast day of our Lady of Lourdes. The next one takes place Feb 9th – 12th 2024 and is open to anyone who would like to join. Flights must be organized individually. Low fares are available with EasyJet Basel-Toulouse: depart Friday, Feb 9, 2024 at 17:15, return Monday, Feb 12, 2024 at 15:00. Detailed schedule.

The hotel and meals (full board) are arranged by the association at Hotel National in Lourdes for three nights. Additionally, a private bus transfer from Toulouse to Lourdes will be arranged and the cost will be divided by the number of participants.

Current full board hotel prices for Feb 2024:

• Single occupancy, full board: 120 Euros / night: 360 Euros in total.
• Shared occupancy, full board: 90 Euros / night: 270 Euros in total.

For further information please contact Mike Johnson in Zurich maj101@gmail.com