GRADUATION DAY - 2023 - 2024
23 Febuary 2024
Orphan six year old Miss Brown Rice graduated this morning together with her Kindergarten three classmates from our slum school. She said this was the
Most important day of her life. More important, even than breakfast.
Her teacher came very early to the abandoned junk car, where she slept under-neath. New tooth brush, tube of tooth paste & a comb for her hair & a freshly washed
Dress & her graduation gown to be worn by all the kindergarten three grads.
Legend has it that a long time ago, another Miss Brown Rice- slaughter house orphan –attending our first school, and couple of her sharp eyed classmates spotted an old water logged statue of the Blessed Virgin floating face up, on the Canal, just off the River ,next to the pig pens - Ran and told their elders – the Statue – face up – seemingly to smile - barely above the surface perhaps -lost from a flooded Church up-river in Ayutthaya. –
They placed Our Lady’s Statue in that abandoned shack along the slaughter house path way / lite candles and said the rosary while the men carried the Statue.
Named the shack: Our Lady of the River. true, not a proper home for our Blessed Mother Mary to live, but the best we could do. As good as any of our own houses. No better. No worse.
The shack immediately became a chapel kindergarten: to teach the kids – including Miss Brown Rice of 50 years ago to learn to pray properly & read & write their names. . That Our Lady of the River surely wanted her slum slaughter house children to be beautiful: know how to pray & read & write.
And so it began. Our first kindergarten in Our Lady of the River abandoned shack next to the canal leading into the River. Our first slum slaughter house kindergarten welcoming all: Buddhist/ Catholic/Moslem.
As you know, for this to survive: everyone has to help. Food, teachers, all cost money. The first Miss Brown Rice also had no money and the cart lady of that time paid her five Baht a day We began asking a daily merit making; one to five Baht per day for those who could afford it, and it’s been the same since then – for over 50 years now in over Thirty slums of Bangkok. Now, yes, things are more expensive, but still, everyone helps. And nowadays our own orphan Miss Bown Rice of today has no money and a new cart lady pays her way each day.
SOON IS GRADUATION DAY … THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY IN OUR CHILDREN’S LIFE…AND I’M SURE
IN YOUR LIFE – IN SOME WAY – COME AND TELL US YOUR OWN STORY. Blessings fr. joe
Most important day of her life. More important, even than breakfast.
Her teacher came very early to the abandoned junk car, where she slept under-neath. New tooth brush, tube of tooth paste & a comb for her hair & a freshly washed
Dress & her graduation gown to be worn by all the kindergarten three grads.
Legend has it that a long time ago, another Miss Brown Rice- slaughter house orphan –attending our first school, and couple of her sharp eyed classmates spotted an old water logged statue of the Blessed Virgin floating face up, on the Canal, just off the River ,next to the pig pens - Ran and told their elders – the Statue – face up – seemingly to smile - barely above the surface perhaps -lost from a flooded Church up-river in Ayutthaya. –
They placed Our Lady’s Statue in that abandoned shack along the slaughter house path way / lite candles and said the rosary while the men carried the Statue.
Named the shack: Our Lady of the River. true, not a proper home for our Blessed Mother Mary to live, but the best we could do. As good as any of our own houses. No better. No worse.
The shack immediately became a chapel kindergarten: to teach the kids – including Miss Brown Rice of 50 years ago to learn to pray properly & read & write their names. . That Our Lady of the River surely wanted her slum slaughter house children to be beautiful: know how to pray & read & write.
And so it began. Our first kindergarten in Our Lady of the River abandoned shack next to the canal leading into the River. Our first slum slaughter house kindergarten welcoming all: Buddhist/ Catholic/Moslem.
As you know, for this to survive: everyone has to help. Food, teachers, all cost money. The first Miss Brown Rice also had no money and the cart lady of that time paid her five Baht a day We began asking a daily merit making; one to five Baht per day for those who could afford it, and it’s been the same since then – for over 50 years now in over Thirty slums of Bangkok. Now, yes, things are more expensive, but still, everyone helps. And nowadays our own orphan Miss Bown Rice of today has no money and a new cart lady pays her way each day.
SOON IS GRADUATION DAY … THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY IN OUR CHILDREN’S LIFE…AND I’M SURE
IN YOUR LIFE – IN SOME WAY – COME AND TELL US YOUR OWN STORY. Blessings fr. joe