Gulf Pine Catholic
•
February 27, 2015
7
Jerash
PRICE $2,998 per person
based on double occupancy out of Gulfport
Deposits received between Feb. 1 and
April 19, 2015, will receive $50 discount.
Tour includes:
6-night accommodations in 3-4 star hotel, 4 nights
Amman, 2 nights Petra, breakfast and dinner daily, round trip airfare
from Gulfport including taxes and fuel surcharges, hotel taxes and
service charges, transfers to and from international airports, touring
as indicated in the itinerary, entrance fees as required per the
itinerary, baggage handling at hotels & airports (1 bag per person),
and English-speaking tour escort throughout
It does not include:
All items not mentioned, lunches, travel insurance
optional ($139 double occupancy, or $209 single occ., tips to driver or
guide
Gulf Pine Catholic
Tour of Biblical Jordan with Fr. Tommy Conway
Oct. 19-26, 2015
Petra
Petra
For more information,
call Regina Tours at 1-800-CATHOLIC
or visit
Let Us Host Your Parties!
Fresh, Healthy & Reasonable
U.S. Prime Steaks • Fresh Seafood
Daily Lunch Specials
Breakfast:
Mon-Fri 6:30-11 am
Sat 6:30 am-1 pm
Sunday 6:30 am-2:30 pm
Lunch:
Daily 10:30 am-3:30 pm
Dinner:
Mon-Thurs 3:30-9 pm
Fri & Sat 3:30-10 pm
Join us for Sunday Brunch!
Restaurant of the Year
AwardedbyOceanSpringsChamber
Chef & Owner Sam Sabagh
reminds you,
“Bring your favorite
bottle of wine to dinner!”
1223 Government Street, Ocean Springs
(228) 875-0603
GREEK & LEBANESE CUISINE
Special thanks for
prayers answered from
Blessed Virgin Mary and
St. Jude. Please publish
my thanks. MMB
In thanksgiving to
the Sacred Heart
of Jesus and St.
Jude for prayers
answered! MJP
Thank you,
St. Jude,
for prayers
answered. MAL
In thanksgiving
to St. Jude and
the Holy Spirit
for prayers
answered. PCD
Being away from home for more
than forty years, I discovered that I
missed so many pivotal family ex-
periences. Aside from the obvious
birthdays, Christmas and Easter
celebrations, I missed seeing nieces
and nephews coming of age and
witnessing key, earth-changing mo-
ments in their lives.
Recently, I got a glimpse of one
such moment that I never experi-
enced before. My niece, Caitriona,
lives and works in Germany as
a translator for the Bayer Pharmaceutical Company.
Being a ”home bird,” she loves, not only to Skype her
family almost daily, but she never misses being home
for Christmas. Her German boyfriend, Christian, a re-
lationship of eight years, spent Christmas Day with his
family in Germany. With some preplanning and secret
negotiations, he appeared in our kitchen the day after
Christmas to surprise his soul mate. The surprised mo-
ment and the subsequent detective work by Caitriona
was filled with warm fuzzies.
The subsequent conversations between both of them
was peppered between English and German, depending
on the level of intimacy involved and the proximity of
family members.
On Sunday afternoon, both of them went for a walk
along a country road. Such an occurrence was not un-
usual but, this particular time, the usual became surpris-
ingly unusual. Like all children growing up, Caitriona
had her own favorite places both indoors and outdoors.
The romancing couple came to one of her outdoor fa-
vorite places by a lazy, meandering stream canopied
by a stone bridge. Christian, aware of the significance,
paused briefly, and, coupled with some butterflies in
his stomach, he reached into his pocket and produced
the evidence that would back up his question of “Will
you…?” We are not sure if he popped the question in
English or German or both. But, from that moment a
different journey had begun.
With family gathered around, on such an appropri-
ate Sunday as the “Feast of the Holy Family,” the of-
ficial announcement was shared amid tears, joys and
celebrations. Of course, aunts, uncles, cousins had to
receive a phone call that began with the words, “We
have an announcement to make…” Later, champagne
flowed freely in celebration.
Everyone wondered how Christian was able to not
only find the right ring but also the right size. It seems
both he and Caitriona had been out walking and paused
outside a jewelry shop. A certain ring in the window
caught Catriona’s attention. The seed was planted.
Later, Christian made a special trip from his parent’s
home to the particular store where recently he had seen
the ring. Not knowing the ring’s name, whether or not
the ring would still be displayed in the same window
place in the jewelry store or what size ring to purchase
for Caitriona; all the pieces of the puzzle came together,
mysteriously. Now, all that was needed was the right
moment to purchase and propose. Both worked magi-
cally.
Plans began to evolve. A legal wedding would take
place in Germany with family and friends in atten-
dance in 2015. A more lavish church wedding would
take place in Ireland in 2016. Of course, I was asked if
I would be available to perform the church ceremony.
I remembered some years earlier, Caitriona saying to
me, “I want you to perform our wedding ceremony be-
cause all the weddings of family members that you per-
formed, they are still married.”
My first Christmas home in forty years was trea-
surable, being able to celebrate it with family for the
first time. I wondered would there be anything special
or significant to make my second Christmas at home
memorable. Now, I know that it, too, had its outstand-
ing special moment -- an engagement and hope for the
future. Now I know, the best is yet to come.
Father Michael Tracey is retired and lives in Ire-
land. He can be contacted by email at mtracey1@bell-
south.net. His website is
An engaging experience
Across
the Pond
Fr. Tracey
To advertise in the
Gulf
Pine Catholic
, call (228)
702-2127 for more infor-
mation, or email tdick-
.
The newspaper is mailed
to over 16,800 Catholic
homes every other week.
