Christmas in Al-Asad
I received the email below forwarded from a friend. I didn't have any communication with Father Kane unil I got his e-mail below, since then I've e-mail him and we are going to try and get together if we happen to cross paths. I've known Father Kane when I was in the 867th Quartermaster Battalion in Lincoln.
This is from Father Kane: (a few of his pictures follow)
"Belated Merry Christmas! As you can imagine it has been a busy few weeks. I thought you might like to hear a little about what Christmas is like here in Iraq.
We had the opportunity to prepare for and celebrate Christmas in the same part of the world that the shepherds did 2000 years ago. We are only several hundred miles away from the birthplace of Jesus, for many here it is probably the closest they will ever come. A soldier said to me in amazement a couple of days before Christmas, as he looked up in the sky, that those are the same stars that the Wise Men looked at, the same stars that were above the manger in Bethlehem.
This year we were free from the commercialization of Christmas, the last minute shopping spree and rush did not happen here. There was very little wrapping to do and, for most, Christmas cards went only to the few whose addresses were remembered by heart. Instead, what weighed on the hearts of all here was what they did not have, their families and friends. I did not hear one person say that they wished they got this or that, they just wished to be with the people they love.
The absence of "stuff" can make it easier for people to see why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. All our services were attended by large numbers of people.
It is interesting to see that even some of the Muslims here on the base have decorated their little areas where they work; they see that there is something special that we celebrate.
Christmas trees are scarce here, several "fresh cut" trees were shipped here to decorate common areas. I think there is a reason no one was allowed to smoke within 50 feet of them. It is amazing how a simple smell like pine can bring back a rush of memories. There are also some creative Christmas trees on base including a 10 foot tall "tree" made from water bottles, Christmas lights and garland.
One highlight of this time of year is the mail call and the arrival of care packages and Christmas cards. On average it seemed to take about 10 days for a piece of mail to leave the states and arrive in our mail room. Pretty good considering we are some 7.000 miles away. Not only did packages come from family and friends, but from complete strangers as well. There are so many generous people out there who support us. As a Chaplain I was a conduit for some of those packages. I received a shipment of 24 care packages that had a 1.5 foot artificial tree, colored lights, garland, little ornaments, a calling card, a portable CD player with batteries, a Christmas music CD, and a pair of socks. This all fit into a box that was about 8 inches by 8 inches! They were sent by a group called "Military Mom in Action" for service members who did not receive much or any mail. They brightened a few people's day.
The lines for the phones here also have been longer, some people will wait in line for one or two hours just to have a 20 minute phone call with their family. Sometimes you will see the line at least 75 yards long at 11pm. No matter how far a person is away from home, or how little it may feel like Christmas, a few Christmas songs and hymns can change that for a little while. On the 17th of December the Chaplains had a "Lessons & Carols" service at the base theater we use for a chapel. Between the congregation and choir singing favorite Christmas songs there were Christmas readings from scripture. It was moving for many in the theater. A tough mechanic came up to me after it was over with red eyes and said he did not know how there could have been a dry eye in the place.
We received a few visitors in the week before Christmas here on base that also kept things exciting. Vice President Dick Cheney arrived under high security and secrecy to meet with an airplane hanger full of Soldiers and Marines. He awarded the Bronze Star to two Marines who risked their lives to save fellow Marines. He was not here very long, but those who got to see him were happy to have had the opportunity. I did not get to see him. The Nebraska contingency at the base was excited to have Congressman Tom Osborne visit that week as well. He came with a Congressional delegation and spent several hours with us visiting our offices and workplaces and having lunch with some of the junior enlisted soldiers. I think we had him autograph every piece of Nebraska paraphernalia in Iraq, which he happily did! The weather here started to remind everyone of Christmas. We will not get any snow here, but we are all happy that we were issued cold weather gear. Christmas day was probably in the mid 50's; yesterday it was 28 degrees at 7am.
This is a large base and we had quite a few Masses here, including a midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. There was a choir for the main Masses at the theater and a large stable was built by the carpenters to have on the stage. We had Mass on the 24th and 25th wherever people were at work, so if they could not come to a main location, we took Mass to them. I am sure Erik could give my Christmas homily by heart after hearing it so many times. I had three Masses outdoors on Christmas Eve. The young Marines sang using their cadence voices and perfected Silent Night. At one Mass, not long after Mass was over they were loading into their vehicles to go on a raid to find a suspected weapons cache. What a change of pace.
There was a young soldier after another Mass who stood at a distance and watched me bless Rosaries that people were pulling out of their pockets. When everyone was gone he reached into his pocket and pulled out a carefully folded color picture of an ultrasound of his first child. He held it out and asked me to bless that picture and say a prayer for his wife and child. His child is due in several months, he told me he will still be here in Iraq. Jesus' birth can be a reminder of many different things for everyone. That is a glimpse of what our Christmas was like. It is one Erik and I will never forget. Thank you for your continued prayers. I often remind everyone at Mass that even though they may feel like they are alone there are so many people they will never meet praying for them and thinking about them. I wish I could reply to each of your e-mails, even though I can't I appreciate hearing from you.
As we work here, and we celebrate the birth of the "Prince of Peace" we are surrounded by war and yet there is so much good happening here. People are returning to the practice of their faith, they are wanting to learn more about the Catholic Church and they are growing in their faith. A week does not go by that some young Marine or Soldier comes into my office and says that he wants to become Catholic or wants to go to confession and has not been in years. When I ask him why or what brought him I no longer try to guess what he is going to say because it is always different. It is one of the blessings of being a priest in Iraq, seeing God at work in the desert. "
God Bless,
Fr. Kane
This is from Father Kane: (a few of his pictures follow)
"Belated Merry Christmas! As you can imagine it has been a busy few weeks. I thought you might like to hear a little about what Christmas is like here in Iraq.
We had the opportunity to prepare for and celebrate Christmas in the same part of the world that the shepherds did 2000 years ago. We are only several hundred miles away from the birthplace of Jesus, for many here it is probably the closest they will ever come. A soldier said to me in amazement a couple of days before Christmas, as he looked up in the sky, that those are the same stars that the Wise Men looked at, the same stars that were above the manger in Bethlehem.
This year we were free from the commercialization of Christmas, the last minute shopping spree and rush did not happen here. There was very little wrapping to do and, for most, Christmas cards went only to the few whose addresses were remembered by heart. Instead, what weighed on the hearts of all here was what they did not have, their families and friends. I did not hear one person say that they wished they got this or that, they just wished to be with the people they love.
The absence of "stuff" can make it easier for people to see why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. All our services were attended by large numbers of people.
It is interesting to see that even some of the Muslims here on the base have decorated their little areas where they work; they see that there is something special that we celebrate.
Christmas trees are scarce here, several "fresh cut" trees were shipped here to decorate common areas. I think there is a reason no one was allowed to smoke within 50 feet of them. It is amazing how a simple smell like pine can bring back a rush of memories. There are also some creative Christmas trees on base including a 10 foot tall "tree" made from water bottles, Christmas lights and garland.
One highlight of this time of year is the mail call and the arrival of care packages and Christmas cards. On average it seemed to take about 10 days for a piece of mail to leave the states and arrive in our mail room. Pretty good considering we are some 7.000 miles away. Not only did packages come from family and friends, but from complete strangers as well. There are so many generous people out there who support us. As a Chaplain I was a conduit for some of those packages. I received a shipment of 24 care packages that had a 1.5 foot artificial tree, colored lights, garland, little ornaments, a calling card, a portable CD player with batteries, a Christmas music CD, and a pair of socks. This all fit into a box that was about 8 inches by 8 inches! They were sent by a group called "Military Mom in Action" for service members who did not receive much or any mail. They brightened a few people's day.
The lines for the phones here also have been longer, some people will wait in line for one or two hours just to have a 20 minute phone call with their family. Sometimes you will see the line at least 75 yards long at 11pm. No matter how far a person is away from home, or how little it may feel like Christmas, a few Christmas songs and hymns can change that for a little while. On the 17th of December the Chaplains had a "Lessons & Carols" service at the base theater we use for a chapel. Between the congregation and choir singing favorite Christmas songs there were Christmas readings from scripture. It was moving for many in the theater. A tough mechanic came up to me after it was over with red eyes and said he did not know how there could have been a dry eye in the place.
We received a few visitors in the week before Christmas here on base that also kept things exciting. Vice President Dick Cheney arrived under high security and secrecy to meet with an airplane hanger full of Soldiers and Marines. He awarded the Bronze Star to two Marines who risked their lives to save fellow Marines. He was not here very long, but those who got to see him were happy to have had the opportunity. I did not get to see him. The Nebraska contingency at the base was excited to have Congressman Tom Osborne visit that week as well. He came with a Congressional delegation and spent several hours with us visiting our offices and workplaces and having lunch with some of the junior enlisted soldiers. I think we had him autograph every piece of Nebraska paraphernalia in Iraq, which he happily did! The weather here started to remind everyone of Christmas. We will not get any snow here, but we are all happy that we were issued cold weather gear. Christmas day was probably in the mid 50's; yesterday it was 28 degrees at 7am.
This is a large base and we had quite a few Masses here, including a midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. There was a choir for the main Masses at the theater and a large stable was built by the carpenters to have on the stage. We had Mass on the 24th and 25th wherever people were at work, so if they could not come to a main location, we took Mass to them. I am sure Erik could give my Christmas homily by heart after hearing it so many times. I had three Masses outdoors on Christmas Eve. The young Marines sang using their cadence voices and perfected Silent Night. At one Mass, not long after Mass was over they were loading into their vehicles to go on a raid to find a suspected weapons cache. What a change of pace.
There was a young soldier after another Mass who stood at a distance and watched me bless Rosaries that people were pulling out of their pockets. When everyone was gone he reached into his pocket and pulled out a carefully folded color picture of an ultrasound of his first child. He held it out and asked me to bless that picture and say a prayer for his wife and child. His child is due in several months, he told me he will still be here in Iraq. Jesus' birth can be a reminder of many different things for everyone. That is a glimpse of what our Christmas was like. It is one Erik and I will never forget. Thank you for your continued prayers. I often remind everyone at Mass that even though they may feel like they are alone there are so many people they will never meet praying for them and thinking about them. I wish I could reply to each of your e-mails, even though I can't I appreciate hearing from you.
As we work here, and we celebrate the birth of the "Prince of Peace" we are surrounded by war and yet there is so much good happening here. People are returning to the practice of their faith, they are wanting to learn more about the Catholic Church and they are growing in their faith. A week does not go by that some young Marine or Soldier comes into my office and says that he wants to become Catholic or wants to go to confession and has not been in years. When I ask him why or what brought him I no longer try to guess what he is going to say because it is always different. It is one of the blessings of being a priest in Iraq, seeing God at work in the desert. "
God Bless,
Fr. Kane
posted by J.R. Brown at 8:16 PM
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