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What’s the significance of a name? For the

Jewish people the giving of a name had great importance. When a name was given it represented what that person should be in the future. An unknown name meant that someone could not be completely known. To not acknowledge someone’s name

meant both denial of the person, destruction of their personality, and change in their destiny. A person’s name expressed

the reality of his or her being at its deepest level. A Jewish child was named at the time of circumcision, eight days after

birth. This rite was instituted by God as an outward sign to single out those who belonged to the chosen people. It was a sign of

Dear Friends...

The name above all names...

What’s in a name?

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IT IS OVER TEN YEARS since Bishop Charles Caruana, asked for a ‘Diocesan Newsletter’ to be published, and that was how ‘Upon this Rock’ was born. Speaking at the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe after a Mass for Climate Change at midday on the the 12th December, he prayed “That we may not destroy ourselves and the world we live in through the excesses of our activities and their impact on the environment’. His Lordship later said that he wished to send a special thank you to the advertisers, who support Upon this Rock. He acknowledged that there are so many demands on businesses’ advertising budgets, and many other magazines coming and going. He also wished to thank those who contribute to the magazine and everyone involved in making it a success and reaching its 10th year in this very difficult financial climate.

Bishop Caruana also mentioned his support of the candlelit vigil outside the Convent that was to be held that evening, to send a message to the world that Gibraltar supports the Real Deal on Climate Change. Environmental issues are included in the Bishop’s brief to the editors of Upon this Rock and are regularly tackled in the magazine, as part of a vitally important role in informing, and educating people on the choices and consequences facing us all. Articles like Pope Benedict’s Christmas Homily on Climate Change when he spoke of ‘the abuse of energy and its selfish, reckless exploitation’. Earlier this year we attended a conference on building materials held by Interbuild and Sto in partnership and reported on the innovative technology for insulating our homes and offices to save energy and cut down noise pollution presented there. In this Issue 103 on page 17 we champion an electric scooter after taking the vehicle, imported by Energy Replay Ltd., for a road test.All this work is entirely supported by advertising and donations to the magazine which is run in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar by EuropeAxess Media as a not-for-profit project.

the covenant that God made with Abraham and his posterity.In fulfilment of this precept, Mary’s newborn child is given the name Jesus on the eighth day according to the Jewish custom.

Joseph and Mary gave the name Jesus because that was the name given by God’s

messenger before Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb.

This name signifies Jesus’ identity and his mission. The literal Hebrew means the Lord saves. Since God alone can forgive sins, it is God who, in Jesus his eternal Son made man, will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). In the birth and naming of this child we see the wondrous design and plan of God in giving us a Saviour who would bring us grace, mercy, and freedom from the power of sin and the fear of death. The name Jesus signifies that the very name of God is present in the person of his Son who

became man for our salvation. Peter the Apostle exclaimed that there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved (Acts 2:12). In the name of Jesus demons flee, cripples walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised. His name is exalted far above every other name (Philippians 2:9-11). The name Jesus is at the heart of all Christian prayer. It is through and in Jesus that we pray to the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. Many Christians have died with one word on the lips, the name of Jesus. Do you exalt the name of Jesus and pray with confidence in his name?“Lord Jesus Christ, I exalt your name above every other name. For in you I have pardon, mercy, grace and victory over sin and death. You humbled yourself for my sake and for the sake of all sinners by sharing in our humanity and by dying on the cross. Help me to always praise your holy name and to live for your greater glory.”Happy New Year.Fr. Stuart

Upon this Rock magazine is published by EuropeAxess

Media, Gibraltar.

Editor Fr. Stuart Chipolina: editor@uponthisrock.eu

Production Editor: A. Sargent

angela@europeaxess.com

Cover: In a last minute change before the magazine went to press we were able to obtain the cover photo of

Kaiane Aldorino, Miss World 2009 as she thanked the 1,000s

of Gibraltarians who had gathered to welcome her home. Many thanks to Brian R. Nielsen for the image.

The small image shown here is the original front cover St. Paul’s Church Nativity Scene which was constructed this year by

volunteers: Antonio Torres, Ernesto Mesilio and George Buttigeig. Photo: A. Sargent

To advertise: This magazine is hand delivered to homes, churches, hospitals and many businesses around Gibraltar every month. To discuss your advertising requirements, or promote your church group or charity,

call Tel: 200 79335 email angela@europeaxess.com Editorial is selected by EuropeAxess Media in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar. Neither of these parties is responsible for the accuracy of the information contained herein, nor do the views and opinions expressed herein necessarily reflect the views and opinions of either party. Advertisers are not endorsed by virtue of advertising in this magazine. EuropeAxess Media reserves the right to refuse space to any submissions or advertisements.

A Special Message of Thanks from

His Lordship

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Advent with Jesus for kidsChristian Mission trust

What a great start to the season of Advent, this event

marked the start of the Christian Musical Festival, ‘Heartbeat’. Many kids joined us in preparing the way for Christmas on Saturday 28th November at the Catholic Community Centre. The main aim of this event was to put ‘Christ’ back into ‘Christ-mas’. An initiative to allow young kids from 4 to 11 years of age to be involved in a number of activities, the majority aimed at reminding them of the true meaning of Christmas. We got to see a few little art-ists displaying their skills with play-doh, making all sorts of Christmas creations and also painting the story of the birth of Jesus. They also had the op-portunity to make stone angels. They painted faces on the stone and decorated their wings with glue and glitter, what a heavenly mess! Other activities included Stairway to Heaven, Jesse tree,

Advent calendar and face-paint-ing. They also made their own Christmas decorations and rolled up their sleeves to make hand prints on a banner later used in other heartbeat events such as ‘Majesty’ and ‘Dreaming of a Holy Night’ with Graham Kend-rick. (See overleaf)

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Advent with Jesus for kidsChristian Mission trust

One of the highlights of the event was ‘Stairway to Heaven’. What a great and fun way to teach our young ones the com-mandments. The children had to fill in the missing word of the commandment to be able to go up the stairs and climb to the top. They had fun searching for the answers that were hidden in

the clouds (stuck to the stairs)!On the whole it was a great turn-out and the kids had a great time with plenty of colour and glitter all around. There have already been requests for it to be repeated next year when it promises to be even better!

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Christian Mission trust

GRAHAM KENDRICK LIVE!

After two years of plan-ning and a co-ordi-nated campaign of

publicity, the Christian Mis-sion Trust and the organisors of the ‘HeartBeat!’ Christian Music Festival must have been well pleased with the fantastic turn-out at the main event of the festival, Graham Kendrick’s live performance of ‘Dreaming of a Holy Night’ at the Queen’s Cinema on the 5th of December.The audience were first a little

subdued, perhaps on account of the sudden change in the weather, a cold snap after what had been an unusually mild No-vember. But Graham’s innovative pres-entation of the Christmas Story in song and narration, soon warmed the listeners’ hearts and their applause and appreciation grew with each song as the per-formance neared the interval. The superb support from the choir, which has been practis-ing for some weeks under the

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Christian Mission trust

GRAHAM KENDRICK LIVE!

musical direction of Christian Santos, did much to amplify the atmosphere of joy and celebra-tion, bringing the true meaning to Christmas.The event was attended by a wide cross-section of society with lots of young people and families too. One young lad, told ‘Upon this Rock’ that he had never been to an event like this before and that he thought it was ‘Really good’. After the interval Phillipa Hanna led with a truly moving

testimony, telling us how her life had been turned around as she had come closer to Jesus. It was inspirational to listen to her and hear how she expressed her journey with her touching songs and accomplished guitar playing.During the second half of the evening Graham introduced the charity Compassion, with a video presentation on a large screen to illustrate a case history of one boy, and how his life had been improved after being spon-

sored. There were also images of other children who had been sponsored and other children supported by the charity and a heartfelt appeal to those present to see if they could help. Then more music and song, with the audience now well warmed up, and joining in with the band and choir, they particularly en-joyed ‘Rejoice, Rejoice, God is now with us!’ and it would not surprise me if this did not find its way onto the repertoire of a few prayer meetings in the local

Christian community.After Graham had brought the crowd to their feet they did not want to sit down again, so caught up were they in the hear-warming lyrics and contempo-rary beat. A standing ovation earned them another round of their favourite song, before, fi-nally, everyone departed laugh-ing and happy, into the cold De-cember air. You can find out more about the work of Compassion at www.com-passion.org

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Joanne goes to GhanatiMe for the shrine angela sargent

MAJESTY

At a separate event also held at the Queen’s Cinema last month

and also under the banner of the Christian Mission Trust, Christians from all denomi-nations were invited to pray and worship together. “It was truly wonderful to stand side by side with fellow Christians of

other denominaitions and find we were all able to pray and praise the Lord together in this way” said one participant. The audience certainly seemed to agree, as they raised the roof on the cinema, enthusiastically responding to the excellent lo-cal music ministry.

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“Today’s society is becoming more and more materialistic and I find myself getting frustrated by this.”

Joanne goes to Ghana

Joanne Barabich was talking to me on warm sunny morning as she

outlined her plans and hopes for her forthcoming journey to Ghana. She has been recruited by Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) an international development charity that works through experienced volunteers living and working as equals alongside local parties. It is the largest independent (non governmental) volunteer-sending organisation in the world whose motto is Sharing Skills, Changing Lives. Joanne told me how she got interested and why she has made a commitment to this project. “The VSO made its first appearance in Gibraltar in August 2009, at an Ocean Village open day and was represented by the Kusuma Trust”. I had to stop her right there, the Kusuma Trust? This is a charitable trust founded by Indian Dr. Soma Pujari and her husband Anurag Dikshit in early 2007, and is a registered Gibraltar charity (No; 196) which provides financial backing to a broad range of pioneering humanitarian and educational projects. They believe in a dedicated approach to education and parental support as key catalysts for development. Their sense of social responsibility has driven them to take steps towards changing the fortunes of society’s underprivileged. So, back to the open day and what got Joanne interested? “I had often thought about doing

voluntary work and as a supply teacher had just ended a one year’s contract at St. Anne’s middle school, so the timing was just right. Quite frankly”, and she spoke in this vein all through our chat, “as a supply teacher I had spent two years waiting for the phone to ring in the mornings and decided no more waiting for the phone to ring, I need a bit more control of my life.” Bravo, but Gibraltar’s loss is set to become Ghana’s gain as this intrepid 33 year old gets ready to leave friends and family behind for the next couple of years. “Of course this is a wrench which I will feel greatly but my family are supportive”, she assured me. I was curious to learn how she has been preparing for this potentially life changing experience. “I discovered that VSO has two age groups for development working, e.g. a six months placement for non professionals, 18-25 years, perfect for a Gap year, and one/two year placements for skilled professionals over the age of 25, no prizes for guessing which one I was placed in”, she smiled broadly, and her ebullience was barely contained as she continued. “At the open day I was able to complete the application form there and then, it can be done on-line but this gave me the chance to chat, ask questions etc, and I can tell you I spent the rest of that day in a fever of excitement at the chance of this fabulous opportunity”. Then on Gibraltar’s national day (Sept 10th) I received the news that my application was

accepted and I was invited to an assessment day in London later that month, I was over the moon”, she added, superfluously I might add! This was followed by two four days residential courses at their (VSO) training centre in Birmingham which she thoroughly enjoyed, reinforcing her motivation and enthusiasm to be a part of this life-enriching experience, “It is not easy to stop me once I get going”. Ghana is an African country located on the Gulf of Guinea (on the Atlantic Ocean) only a few degrees north of the Equator making it a very warm place indeed. It has a diverse population of some 24 million whose official language is English and whose sports passion is football. The national team have qualified for the 2010 world cup, not exactly a world away, on the African continent in South Africa. The Greenwich Meridian passes through its city of Tema, and Ghana is the closest place geographically to the centre of the world. There is of course very much more to this fascinating country of flat plains, low hills and a low sandy shoreline, and I wish Joanne the joy of discovering it. Before that can become a reality she is busy raising funds as there is a £900

mandatory requirement for this non profit making organisation. “The money goes generally on people like me, not air fares, but I do get a very basic salary and the VSO can top up if necessary, I must say too that the VSO was the first company that I had come across that would take care of your expenses for getting abroad and give you a basic salary while on placement. Recruitment companies often charge high fees for their services”. At the time of our chat, (Nov 2009) local company Shell, Carboni& Jardim, Omrod Electricity and St. Anne’s middle school had helped sponsor her. Her departure date is next month, February 14th, so please contact her jbarabich@hotmail.com in case she has not reached her target and maybe you can help. “My friends always tell me, you’ll be ok, you do not need creature comforts”, she was answering a late question of mine, “I think that’s in my favour to take on this challenge”. She is the first Gibraltarian to blaze this particular trail so Joanne, Godspeed and keep safe.(She intends to blog on the VSO’s website once she has settled in. Look forward to that.) More about the Kusuma Trust: www.kusumatrust.org

tiMe for the shrine angela sargent

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Do you think that God plays an important role in your life, if so,

how? Are you searching for God in your life? These are the questions that ACTS asked our youth.Yet again we have had the pleasure of having ACTS back on our Rock. ACTS is an initiative started in Malta in 2001. They have kindly ex-tended their services to schools in Gibraltar as well as Sicily, France, England and Ireland. Every year a group of Maltese, mostly students or graduates, volunteer to take a gap year and join ACTS with the aim of helping young people discover God’s Love and bringing them

closer to the Catholic Church. As well as being an acronym for “Announcing Christ to Schools”, Acts is the book of the New Testament where we read of various initiatives of outreach by the first Christian communities.ACTS started outreach in Gibraltar on Thursday 3rd December, they have attended both Comprehensive Schools, Bayside and Westside, seeing school years 10 & 11 (14 to 16 year olds). In their Outreach they include dynamic talks, testimonies, video presentations and contemporary Christian music.The theme of the outreaches was ‘Search’. They asked our

youth some questions for them to ponder on. They also showed them a DVD that illustrates what man does to find love and acceptance, and how often we look in the wrong place such as drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, war, self-image and the occult. The video finishes with the crucifixion and resurrection demonstrating how God desires to be loved by man. One of them gives a testimony before finishing off with a reflec-tion leading them in prayer and encouraging them to give Jesus a chance. Although they only prayed for 5 minutes the youngsters were encouraged to maintain this on a daily basis as a means to building a relation-

ship with God.The session illustrates how human experiences and the Christian message are connect-ed, and therefore how building

What are you looking for in life?

Announcing Christ in Schools

Joanna

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Joanna

one’s life on and around a real relationship with Jesus achieves real and lasting results not only in the life of the individual but also extending to their family, friends and society in general. It was great to see some really positive feedback. There were some comments like:

“This has changed the way I think of things and I really want to be God’s friend”

“It has really helped me to understand God more” “This session has made me realise that religion is not just reading the bible and answer-ing questions about God, but it goes deeper and helps us to be happy and respectful towards others and ourselves.”I have had the privilege of spending a lot of time with the Maltese youth especially during the weekend. They stayed at the Europa Retreat Centre and have been in a retreat with our youngsters in preparation for Christmas. Our youth have truly benefited from spending time with other young people

who are dedicating their lives to God and setting an example to follow. ACTS were thrilled to have met Graham Kendrick and shared a few meals with him in the retreat centre. The team leader for this out-reach was Erika Spiteri Lucas Scorey. Erika serves Jesus Christ on a fulltime basis. It’s her second time here in Gibral-tar, as she was involved with ACTS on their previous visit. She commented ‘Gibraltarians are very welcoming, it’s like coming back home and it’s wonderful to be reunited with good friends’. I asked her what makes all this hard work worth-while, she replied ‘knowing that I am obeying Jesus, that I am living for God and not my-self, this is my ultimate motiva-tion. Through this organisation I can share with others what Jesus has done in my life.’ACTS are part of a community in Malta called Tabgha Founda-tion (Tabgha is an area situated on the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. It is the traditional site of the mira-cle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes (Mark 6:30-46) and the fourth resur-rection appearance of Jesus, the miraculous catch of fish (John 21:1-24)). This community consists of approximately 320 committed Catholics who share the same vision, ‘to share God’s love with a love starved world’. They gather to pray and they all serve in teams of service such as ACTS, a group of young couples, JAM children’s group (Jesus and Me), mercy teams,

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and also some dedicated to teenagers, amongst others. One of the most amazing fruits of this community is their Chris-tian band SALT, look out for an article on them in next month’s magazine.Erika and the team asked me to express their appreciation to all of the organisers and those who took care of them, very especially to Father Charlie Azzopardi for his outstanding hospitality.

If you would like to know more or to follow ACTS progress check out their web-site www.acts.org.mt

Clockwise: At Bayside, Final night Acts group photo, At Westside, Acts Grouop with Graham Kendrick, Acts with Yourth at the Retreat Centre.

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respeCting our Bodies angela sargent

Natural Family Planning

Ernie and Meghan Baillargeon breezed in to the Waterfront

restaurant like a breath of fresh air on what had turned out to be one of those surprise rainy days we had last month.Apropriately they chose a Hot Chocolate drink, and as it arrived, proceeded to tell me

all about their 6 day visit to Gibraltar, in between spoons full of whipped cream.They were here at Bishop Caruana’s invitation to speak to various groups in the Diocese about Natural Family PlanningNOT THE RHYTHM METHOD!If you thought you knew what

NFP is, think again, because this is not the old ‘Rhythm Method’ of generations ago, it is something new and very exciting.Ernie and Meghan were clearly passionate about their subject as they dug into the last of the hot chocolate, and I might say, appeared equally passionate about each other. They met in their Youth Prayer Group where they live in Cave Creek, near Pheonix, Arizona. They were married 6 years ago and 5 years ago they started teaching the ‘Sympto-Thermal Method of Family Planning “When we wanted to learn this stuff the only couple around who taught it were in their 70’s and we thought it would be great if some younger people could teach it.”explained Meghan, “So it became a natural progression

of our Youth Ministry work.” Meghan continues, “We’ve been so blessed, and now its so helpful to be the same age as the couples we talk to. Being so young, couples can relate more easily to hearing our story.”Ernie takes up the thread, “In our presentation we are showing couples a different option on how they can manage their fertility, we have such a contraceptive - geared society.” He explains, ‘Sometimes moms are routinely putting their teenage daughters on the pill, believing there is nothing they can do to stop them having sex.” “Whole generations of women have grown up since the 60’s when the Pill was introduced believing they would have freedom from their biology but now more studies coming out on the pill and its side effects showing direct correlation with breast cancer and introduction with the pill.” Now people want to be more aware of what they are putting in their bodies,” adds Meghan “There is the whole eco-friendly movement and NFP fits in with this, while Natural Family Planning is in line with the beliefs of the Catholic Church we find a wider interest than just Catholic people. We are finding a shift away from using these substances to something more

“Natural Family Planning can be used by any couple at any time during their reproductive life.”

Question: How do you think your bod-ies will mirror the image of God in your day-to-day married life? Example answers: Giving backrubs, patience, doing the dishes, kindness, changing nappies, and one other way...

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respeCting our Bodies angela sargent

Natural Family Planning

natural.” Ernie continues “People don’t know that there is an alternative. All the money is in the pharmaceutical companies, and it is hard to get the message out there, there is no money in this, no product to sell, so no advertising budget. We are going against the stream.” “But it is clear when you look at our society we’re going the wrong way” says Meghan. “Divorce rates are rising, if you look at the numbers since the 60’s you can see the pattern, abortions are increasing at an alarming rate and couples living together before marriage has increased ten-fold. There is obviously something wrong with the direction we are going in and people are starting to realize it.”WHAT IS NFP?“NFP is a couple orientated method, it works when both partners get involved and share the information and decisions, If you can talk about your fertility on a daily basis you can talk about anything, like finances or anything.” explains Meghan, “It is as effective if not more so than other types of birth control.” NFP courses are to start in Gibraltar in the near future. Another couple, Cindy & Mike Leonard are coming to Gibraltar in the Spring to train people to become NFL instructors.

The course comprises an introductory session of 2 hours followed by 3 classes of 2 hours over 6 weeks, 8 hours in total. Before couples start on the course Ernie and Meghan often encounter an understandable shyness to come along, they try to persuade people that the time, a total of 8 hours over a 6 week period, is a small sacrifice for a good marriage. They suggest it’s like taking out a kind of insurance policy against marriage failure.‘But,” Meghan laughs, “once you start you find it’s not a

sacrifice because it’s so fun and interesting.” She says, “Its amazing, finding out how your body really works, and couples find themselves in a group with other like-minded individuals.”“When we speak to young people what we are showing them is how to develop a relationship; that they can control their fertility and that they should not to be scared that they are going to have loads of kids.” said Ernie, “Its about giving them the ability to make decisions together and in confidence. And

also they understand, when the time is right, when to try for a baby because they understand the best time to conceive.”I felt Ernie and Meghan were painting a wonderful new world where couples have respect for one another, and feel in control of their fertility; where marriages are strong and lasting; families stay together, and where lives are destroyed less often by the scourge of cancer. As we parted, I was filled with hope for a bright new future.

...God made us and our bodies to be a visible sign of His presence in the world. We mirror God in our relationship as husband and wife and we especially speak about God with our bodies in the marital union!

The Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Sexuality, by means of which man and woman give themselves to one another through the acts which are proper and exclusive to spouses, is not something simply biological, but concerns the innermost being of the human person as such. It is realized in a truly human way only if it is an integral part of the love by which a man and woman commit themselves totally to one another until death.” (Catechism 2361- Familiaris Consortio)

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WalsinghaM ruth rees

Once again the King’s Chapel Singers were in entertainment mood during the 2009 Autumn Festival as they performed at the King’s Chapel here on the Rock.With their Director

Wayne Smith as always in ebullient

mood on piano and under Chris Music’s enthuastic baton they were in Christmas mood too.They set a rousing pace with soaring voices exulting in Glory Honour, and Beautiful Child, (Gloria in Excelsis Deo). It was a fitting start to a varied and entertaining evening. I was lulled by Air on a G String; Bach’s 1717-1723 composition which was rendered as it should be, an intertwining of harmony and melody on violin by Francis Imossi and Wayne on piano.

“On my darkest days, I can think of Him in prayer”, this Joy Webb song of comforting inspiration really took me back to the sixties when I remembered her as the lead singer in a UK musical group when she was a member of the Salvation Army. I listened to this pop group as they achieved chart success with “It’s an open secret,(I love my Saviour so). Philip Borg swept us away with his “On this night of a thousand stars”, sung with great passion and expression. I particularly loved the two spirituals, Wade in the Water and Steal Away. I learned later that Wade in the Water is one of

many stirring songs or spiritu-als, as slave songs were known. Slaves were not taught to read or write and these songs provided a means of coded verbal commu-nication which only the slaves understood. No code was needed to enjoy Chris Music’s solo on Euphonium, (A sweet voiced instrument) as he transported us to his Geordie stamping ground with a bouncy, toe tapping ride to Blaydon Races. There was more, “The Calpe Rowing Club” by Amelia Tudory was a lively skip o’er the ocean wave, and the pleasant evening ended with a selection of songs from Les Miserables, the best

known and most performed musical worldwide in the last twenty years or more. It still runs in London’s West End. This may have been the end of a truly delightful evening of music but for the choir, there is no time to rest on their deserved laurels. They were preparing for a Christ-mas concert and the release of a fourteen track CD. The funds raised from these will help fund their July California Tour this year. I chatted to Wayne about this exciting venture and he told me how it had come about. “Last year, the Village Voices Chorale , a family group came to visit us, loved our hospitality and invited us to visit them in California”. He was clearly delighted at this prospect. Over the past five years the choir members have swelled from a modest twelve to a satisfying sixty and twenty eight of these will make the Atlantic crossing for this twelve day tour. The members are busy fund- raising and Wayne felt they may give a concert every month in the lead up to their departure though he acknowledged this puts a taxing commitment on the choir. They sang Westlife’s “You Raise me up, (so I can stand on mountains), an energising senti-

One November EveningfroM the 2009 autuMn festival anne Mesilio

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WalsinghaM ruth rees

One November Evening

ment which should carry them through their round of concerts at such venues as the renowned Grace Cathedral in San Francis-co. This is a soaring neo-gothic structure that “hosts a vibrant and inclusive Episcopalian congrega-tion and shelters many notable works of medieval-style art”, and was completed in 1964. Curious, I “Googled” it and my browse was rewarded with stunning pictures which would whet the

appetite any day. Carmel Mission evokes a by-gone era as it sits behind adobe walls in a most beautiful area along California’s coast. It was abandoned in 1863 but restored in 1931. On day five of their tour they will sing at the 12.30pm Mass there. They will also visit Los Angeles and sing in concert in Los Olivares.It is not all work and the choir members will have free time for

sightseeing such places as the Redwood forest whose trees are giants at 300-350 feet tall and the oldest is reputed to be over 3,000 years old. To me that has WOW factor. Santa Barbara, the Reagan Library and for those young at heart, the Disney land theme park awaits a visit. Wayne is the driving force

behind this talented choir, he has overcome a difficult time with illness and his fighting spirit is alive and well. He is eagerly looking forward to this trip so please look out for concert dates to support the venture. I wish them all good success and look forward to hearing all about it on their return.

froM the 2009 autuMn festival anne Mesilio

WEEKDAY MASSES AT THE SHRINE

Bishop Caruana is now regularly celebrating Mass at the Shrine of

Our Lady of Europe on Satur-days at mid-day. And on Wednesday evenings at 7.15pm Fr. Charlie Azzopardi will be saying mass there.The Shrine is now live online at ourladyofeurope.net. At the time of writing over 12,000 viewings had been recorded on the Live TV page, which speaks well of the popularity of the Shrine and the devotion to Our Lady of Europe, not just in Gibraltar, but worldwide. The Shrine is an important historical monument and a vital chalice for

the culture and beliefs of the people of Gibraltar. The Shrine is a wonderful venue for private prayer as it is so peaceful, but it is also available as a venue for Prayer Groups to hold meetings. To access the live images on the website, once the home web page opens, click on the last menu item (Live Webcam)

and you will be taken to another web page where a small screen appears. Click on the play button inside the screen and live trans-mission begins. There is a rich treasury of historical detail in the small museum which forms part of the complex. There you can follow the history of the Shrine from 1309 when Gibraltar was captured from Moslem rule, when Ferdinand IV of Spain consecrated the whole of Europe to Our Lady right down to the present day, including the 700th Anniversary Celebrations of that prophetic event.

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On the 12th December 2009, Gibraltar joined in with other cities around the world to hold our own ‘350’ candlelit vigil outside the Governor’s Residence.

Tommy Finlayson posted the following report on the 350.org website

describing the events around

the Gibraltar Environmental Group’s Candlelit Vigil event. “What a lucky coincidence,” wrote Tommy, “just as we were

setting up for the vigil, news broke that Miss Gibraltar had won the Miss World pageant. A carnival atmosphere then erupt-ed! The masses came out on the streets. Passing cars waved flags and beeped their horns. By 6pm, more than 80 people had gathered around, tea lights had already been lit spelling out 350. The Bishop of Gibraltar then read out a declaration. Oth-ers also spoke and shared their thoughts.After the speeches, more tea lights and a large map of the world was created, encircled by children. The scouts sang a song. More and more people joined in. The organisers were very pleased with the event, with plenty of opportunities to explain to passing onlookers what 350 was all about!”MORE ABOUT 350.ORG350.org is an international campaign dedicated to building

a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis-the solutions that science and justice demand. Their focus is on the number 350--as in parts per million, the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. But 350 is more than a number--it’s a symbol of where we need to head as a planet.WHAT WE CAN DOThe technology already exists to achieve these aims, it is up to us the people, to change the way we do things. Big business and politicians are already respond-ing to the call, but the change must come from the grass roots. One group who has consistently been at the forefront of research and development of environ-mentally friendly technology is Energy Replay. Earlier in December the produc-tion editor of Upon this Rock met up with Mr Gibraltar, alias Neil Llanelo, who is keen that everybody gets to try the Vectrix electric scooter. It’s the world’s first high-powered electric two-wheel vehicle designed spe-cifically to compete with large gasoline-powered scooters. Your production editor is always up for a challenge so she accepted

Zero Emissions TransportsteWards of the environMent free road test >>> free road test >>> free drive>

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Zero Emissions TransportsteWards of the environMent free road test >>> free road test >>> free drive>

the offer of a road test! With some trepidation she donned a helmet and took the handlebars of the heavy looking vehicle, but needn’t have worried, the low centre of gravity makes it easy to handle. Immediately the difference is tangible, between this maxi-scooter and a similar petrol bike, it is of course almost totally SILENT! And there is no lack of acceleration, that old myth of electric vehicles being sluggish has certainly been busted on this baby! She boasts a torque equivalent to a Honda CBR 600!By the time I was getting the hang of the alternative twist forward braking system I was already back at the Energy Re-play base in New Harbours with a big grin on my face! FREE ROAD TESTBy my own choice I had gone for a very short run, but Energy Replay are offering anyone a Free Road Test, just give them a call to see for yourself how this beast can eat up the miles, without consuming the planet.The Vectrix MAXI-Scooter is the perfect solution for urban commuters. Its top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) and fast ac-celeration make it easy and safe to manoeuvre in heavy traffic. The onboard charger plugs into any standard electrical outlet to quickly charge the batteries. Parking is a breeze with the slow-speed reverse function.Vectrix uses innovative zero-emission technology to offer a clean, quiet, and much-needed alternative to existing gasoline-powered, two-wheel vehicles.

SPECOutstanding Performance• Fast - A top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).• Rapid Acceleration - 0-80 km/h (50 mph) in 6.8 seconds.• Extended Range - Up to 110 km (68 miles) on a single charge.• Stop and Go with One Hand - Simply twist the throttle for instant acceleration, and twist it forward to slow down smoothly and safely. During braking, the patented regenerative braking system (DAaRT™) redirects en-ergy back into the battery pack, which helps to extend the range..• Quick to Charge - The on-board charger plugs into any standard 110/220V power outlet and recharges the battery pack (80% charge) in just two hours.• Mobile phones and other electronic devices can be charged from the integrated 12-volt

power outlet.Environmentally Friendly• Zero Emissions - The Vectrix maxi-scooter is emission free, whereas gasoline scooters can produce up to ten times the pol-lution of the average automobile.• Minimal Maintenance - Many of the key components of the MAXI-Scooter are sealed and maintenance free. You’ll never have to change oil or replace filters again.

• Long Battery Life - The Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery pack has an estimated life of up to 10 years based on 8,000 km (5,000 miles) per year.Call Steve or Neil at ENERGY REPLAY for your Free Road Test: 200 45840More about the Vectrix: www.vectrix.com More about 350.org: www.350.org More about Environmental Safety Group www.esg-gib.net

Neil Llanelo wants everybody to try the Vectix, for he is convinced of her power to convert the masses.

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Sarah Cumming on a mission from God

Sarah Cumming received her calling from God when she was just 18 years old! She couldn’t have had a clearer calling as she received it by phone! If only it were that clear for all of us. Chris Pitaluga, the chairman of the Christian Mission Teams called to speak to her father about something totally unrelated. She happened to pick up the phone and there and then, he had the great idea of encouraging Sarah to join a Kerygma Team in Holland. Kerygma Team is a branch of the Inter-confessional lay-

missions organisation Youth With A Mission. Kerygma Teams serve parishes and other Catholic groups in the areas of evangelisation, mercy ministries and training. In addition, KT offers short and long-term mission opportunities in the Catholic World, as well as in areas where people have not yet heard the Gospel.Despite suffering from ME for the previous 3 years, she courageously accepted. Two weeks after that phone call she was in Holland. She initially studied whilst doing other

duties such as working in the kitchen team and learning to evangelise. In 2005 she became a full-time lay catholic missionary with Kerygma Team Flanders in Belgium. She is enthusiastic and very committed to her vocation and God willing she hopes to serve as a lay missionary for many more years. Lay missionaries are different to religious missionaries they can get married and have a family. Sarah expressed ‘My time in Belgium brought out a desire to

work with families, especially those on the fringes of society and I would like to continue with this during my time in the Australian ministry. Most importantly I wish to encourage, support and champion others to seek and fulfil the plan God has for their lives, especially young people. My prayer is that they are well formed and find a new appreciation for the richness of their Catholic heritage and that they continue to fall deeper in love with

Sarah Cumming received her calling from God when she was just 18 years old!

Far side of the sea ... Psalm 139:9-10

“Sarah wants to see young Catholics gain a clear understanding of their God given purpose on the planet” Rob Clarke,Co Founder Kerygma Teams

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Sarah Cumming on a mission from GodChrist’ “Go and make disciples of all nations” Matthew 28:19. Sarah was involved to varying degrees with “Alternatives” one of the ministries of YWAM Belgium. “Alternatives”, is a Crisis Pregnancy Centre in the centre of Brussels, where women can receive free pregnancy tests and counselling. A “Mothers & Babies” group branched off from this ministry providing a safe and relaxed environment for discussions, coffee, counselling, and where they also receive clothing, food and anything else their baby might need. She also worked as part of a team to organise and lead retreats, Alpha courses and Christian Unity week projects for both young and adult groups.Sarah told us ‘When praying and discerning whether to return to the mission field, the verse ‘far side of the sea ...’ from Psalm 139:9-10 kept coming to me in prayer, this will be my motto in a way, I’ll be confident that God will use this time to teach me many things and I rejoice in the lessons being learnt in the process. I cannot wait to be led into the next stages and to be able to serve Christ in whatever and wherever He leads me’.Sarah returned to Gibraltar for a few years and has now embarked

on a new journey. She is now in Australia adapting to the new culture and learning the spiritual needs of those around her. This is no holiday; Sarah will be working hard to serve many new vocations as a result of World Youth Day 2008. These vocations need to be guided and nurtured. The Holy Father Benedict XVI said to the young people in Sydney WYD’08 ‘Do not be afraid to become holy missionaries like Saint Francis Xavier who travelled through the Far East proclaiming the Good News until every ounce of his strength was used up, or like Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus who was a missionary even though she never left the Carmelite convent. Both of these are “Patrons of the Missions”. Be prepared to put your life on the line in order to enlighten the world with the truth of Christ; to respond with love to hatred and disregard for life; to proclaim the hope of the risen Christ in every corner of the earth.’.She will form part of a team and live in a community. Sarah explained to us how important it is to her to form part of a team. She said that the support from one another enables them to move forward with a common vision. Rob Clarke (NZ) Co

Founder Kerygma Teams said “Sarah is a bundle of fun! She is direct, honest and has a passion to see young Catholics grow in their relationship with God. More than that, ... she wants to see young Catholics gain a clear understanding of their God given purpose on the planet! Sarah is a great team player and a brilliant administrator.” Kerygma Teams / Youth With A Mission, like many missionary organisations, is voluntary and each YWAM staff member, from the president to the base cook, is required to raise their own financial support for the term of service they have committed to. This helps to trust in God’s providence and allows missionaries to be detached from material things. Sarah said ‘this makes me accountable to everyone who has sponsored me and it has been a truly humbling experience putting myself out there’ and asked us to express her deep gratitude to each person who has supported her in prayer,

sponsorship, gifts, and in any other way.If you want to follow Sarah’s progress check out her website www.farsideofthesea.org and if you are interested in joining a Kerygma Team you will find all the necessary information at www.kteams.org, you never know, if we have a few vocations, God might provide the opportunity to start a Discipleship Training School in Gibraltar.Prayer for MissionariesWe adore you, Jesus our Shepherd and Saviour. And we praise and thank you for your living among us. We ask you to walk beside your missionaries as they seek to proclaim your Gospel. Cherish, guide, and strengthen them; help them to be patient when they meet frustrations, and encourage them when they are disappointed. Lead them, we beseech you, along the path you desire for them. For you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever. AMEN

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