Mallacoota

 

Around Christmas time, my family was in the region of East Gippsland in Victoria.  We spent a couple of days camped at Genoa, just out from the road leading to the picturesque village of Mallacoota, which apart from the beauty of its coast and natural environment, happens to be one of the places in that region we can rest assured to find a mass there on the day of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

This is important for us as in the vicinity, the availability of churches is as dry as the rest of the continent, as it is a miracle to find one, of whatever denomination.

 

In fact, Mallacoota has one church, that of St Peter, which is run in cooperation between the Uniting Church of Australia and the Anglican Church.  This year we had a pleasant surprise, as the mass was said by a female priest.  To tell you the truth, the format was almost identical to that we were used to in Catholic churches, and so I did not feel at all out of place.

 

She directed the proceedings rather informally, and the sermon, naturally about the birth of baby Jesus, was sweet and interesting, with the assistance of a presentation and animation.  Afterwards, the congregation was invited to a small party where we had the opportunity of quickly getting to know the small community of volunteers there.

 

We often find ourselves in this situation, where the ability to hear mass or participate in a service, depends upon the Christian denomination that we manage to find in the remote location we find ourselves in.  Once a few years ago we did not even find a Christian service, but an ecumenical service that was open to all religions.

 

The Catholic Church has its Canon Law number 844 that permits as an exception under several conditions that a Catholic person can receive some sacraments including communion from non-Catholic ministers where the sacraments are valid, when Catholic ministers cannot be approached.  Nevertheless the fact that the celebration was carried out by a woman, which our Church does not approve, and does not even approve Anglican ordinations, probably makes this exception not applicable in this case.

 

I have to admit not to losing much sleep about it.

 

What did cause me to loose sleep and cause concert was the persistent smell and presence of a smoky haze throughout our trip, although we actually never saw fire directly.  After leaving Mallacoota, we continued camping along the coast of East Gippsland until we had to leave one site next to Lake Tayers due to fear of fires.

 

It was with great regret later to learn about the fire also attacking Mallacoota village, and until the time of writing, there were still people trapped in this village, next to the coast to escape the flames, being unable to leave along the single road that from Mallacoota leads to Genoa.

 

It was extraordinary to read about vessels from the Australian naval fleet having to be used to evacuate locals and tourists from the place, and operation that is still under way.

 

I can only imagine the dense forest you see as you’re driving towards Mallacoota on the narrow road winding hither and tither, who knows what’s left of it.  I read stories of people who said they heard koalas screeching while the trees they were on became alight and were burnt alive.  As horrible as it gets.

With sorrow in this hell are the millions of hectares in hundreds of individual fires, the deaths of some people, both those fighting the fires and others defending their properties, the loss of probably hundreds of residences and other structures, apart from an estimate of a billion animals lost, with the fear of some extinctions.

 

Further sorrow comes from acknowledging the story is not over just yet, and other days of high temperatures are expected, with new or increased risks.

 

I think also about the congregation of Mallacoota I met on that Christmas day, where we rejoiced together on the coming of Jesus despite the formal differences of our denominations.  There were families with kids, the elderly and others, some of whom we talked to and shared a bite together.  I think of them, of the woman priest that led the Chrisian community there gathered in prayer, in the tiny church that welcomed us on that day.

 

I pray for them all.

 

-------------------------

 

Fil-ġranet tal-Milied, il-familja tiegħi kienet fir-reġjun ta’ East Gippsland ta’ Victoria.  Għamilna jumejn ikkampjati f’Genoa, ftit ‘il barra mit-triq li tagħti għall-villaġġ pittoresk ta’ Mallacoota, li apparti l-isbuħija tax-xatt u l-ambjent naturali tiegħu, huwa wieħed mill-postijiet li konna moħħna mistrieħ li nistgħu nisimgħu quddiesa hemmhekk fil-ġurnata tat-twelid ta’ Sidna Ġesù Kristu.

 

Dan importanti għalina għaliex fl-inħawi, il-knejjes huma niexfin qoxqox daqs il-bqija tal-kontinent, għax trid tagħmel wegħda biex issib waħda, ta’ liema denominazzjoni tkun.

 

Fil-fatt, f’Mallacoota hemm knisja waħda, dik ta’ St Peter, li hija kooperazzjoni bejn il-Uniting Church of Australia u l-Knisja Anglikana.  Din is-sena kellna sorpriża sabiħa, għax il-quddiesa tqaddset minn qassis mara.  Biex ngħid id-dritt, il-format kien kważi identiku għal dak li mdorri bih fil-knejjes Kattoliċi, u għalhekk ma ħassejtni xejn barra minn posti.

 

Il-quddiesa għamlitha pjuttost informali, u kellha l-priedka, naturalment madwar it-twelid tal-Bambin, ħelwa u interessanti, bl-għajnuna ta’ preżentazzjoni u animazzjoni.  Wara l-kongregazzjoni kienet mistedna għal festin żgħir fejn kellna l-opportunità li nsiru nafu ftit fuq il-komunità żgħira ta’ voluntiera t’hemmhekk.

 

Ġieli insibu ruħna f’din is-sitwazzjoni, fejn li nkunu nistgħu nisimgħu quddiesa, jew nipparteċipaw f’servizz, jiddependi fuq id-denominazzjoni Nisranija li jirnexxielna nsibu fil-post imwarrab li nkunu fih.  Darba minnhom snin ilu lanqas biss sibna servizz nisrani, imma servizz ekumeniku li kien miftuħ għal kull reliġjon.

 

Il-Knisja Kattolika għandha Liġi Kanonika 844 li tippermetti bħala eċċezzjoni taħt diversi kundizzjonijiet li Kattoliku jirċievi xi sagramenti inklużi l-ewkaristija minn ministri mhux Kattoliċi fejn is-sagramenti jkunu validi, meta ministri Kattoliċi ma jkunx possibbli li jiġu avviċinati.  Madankollu l-fatt li t-tqaddis sar minn mara, li l-Knisja tagħna ma tapprovax u lanqas ma tapprova l-ordinazzjonijiet Anglikani, aktarx li jagħmel din l-eċċezzjoni mhux applikabbli fil-każ tagħna.

 

Ikolli ngħarraf li ma tantx tlift irqad bl-għali.

 

Li tellifni l-irqad u tani nkwiet mhux ħażin kienet ir-riħa persistenti u ċ-ċpar ta’ duħħan li kellna matul il-ġita tagħna, għalkemm nar dirett qatt ma rajna.  Wara li ħallejna lil Mallacoota, komplejna nikkampjaw mal-kosta ta’ East Gippsland sakemm kellna nitilqu bil-biża’ ta’ nirien f’kamp minnhom maġemb Lake Tayers.

 

Kien b’sogħba kbira nsiru nafu wara li n-nar hebb ukoll għall-villaġġ ta’ Mallacoota, u sakemm qiegħed nikteb, għad hemm ħafna nies maqbudin f’dan il-villaġġ, qrib tax-xatt biex jaħarbu min-nirien, ma jistgħux joħroġu mill-uniku triq li minn Mallacoota tgħaddi għal Genoa.

 

Ħaġa straordinarja kienet li naqraw li bastimenti mill-flotta navali Awstraljana kellha tintuża biex tevakwa lin-nies lokali u turisti mill-post, operazzjoni li għadha għaddejja s’issa.

 

Nista’ biss nimmaġina dik il-foresta folta int u ssuq lejn Mallacoota fuq triq dejqa ddur ‘l hawn u ‘l hemm, min jaf x’baqa’ minnha.  Qrajt fuq nies li semgħu lill-koalas iwerżqu waqt li s-siġar li kienu fuqhom ħadu n-nar u nħarqu ħajjin.  Orribbli għall-aħħar.

 

Ta’ dieqa wkoll li f’dan l-infern ta’ miljuni ta’ ettari f’mijiet ta’ ħuġġieġi, mietu xi nies ukoll, kemm dawk involuti fit-tifi tan-nar u kemm nies tal-post, u ntilfu aktarx mijiet ta’ residenzi u strutturi oħra, apparti stima ta’ biljun annimal, bil-biża’ ta’ xi estinzjonijiet.

 

Iktar ta’ dieqa hu li l-istorja għadha ma spiċċatx, u huwa mistennija ġranet oħra ta’ temperaturi għoljin u riskji ġodda jew imkabbra.

 

Naħseb ukoll fil-kongregazzjoni ta’ Mallacoota li ltqajt magħha f’jum il-Milied dakinhar, fejn fraħna flimkien bil-miġja ta’ Ġesù minkejja d-differenzi formali tad-denominazzjonijiet tagħna.  Kien hemm familji bit-tfal, nies anzjani u oħrajn, uħud minnhom kellimnihom u trejjaqna flimkien.  Naħseb fihom, fil-qassis mara li mexxiet lill-komunità Nisranija hemm miġbura fit-talb, fil-knisja ċkejkna li laqgħatna dakinhar.  

 

Nitlob għalihom ilkoll.