Canine Acolyte

We were invited by our friend, Eileen (about the only English person we know round here), to a Mass at the chapel beside the English cemetery in Elvas. Which was slightly ironic, as the reason there is an English cemetery is that the English soldiers who died at the Battle of Albuera in 1611 couldn't be buried in Portuguese or Spanish cemeteries because they weren't Catholic.

The priest, Padre Jerónimo, was lovely. At one point, I was surprised to see him on his phone in the middle of the service - but he was finding the readings in English for those who didn't understand Portuguese, walked down and gave his phone to them. And the best bit was his dog, called Luca - the Padre sat on one chair behind the altar, and Luca sat on the other.

Six (maximum allowed at a table) of us had lunch together afterwards. Celia was the main organiser, an amazing woman who's lived on her own in a castle in Spain since her husband died forty years ago. And then a couple who got married in Lesotho - where Mike worked for three years; she and Mike knew a lot of folk in common. There was no lack of conversation.

Gratefuls:
- meeting wonderful new friends
- this lovely, welcoming priest, and his dog
- getting to know Eileen better on the journey