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Show SAINT CHRISTOPH ER'S MISSION TO TH E NAVAJO, BLUFF, UTAH AFTERwGHRI STl.IAS POST SCR.I_PT- --TO- _.N . -EW-S-L-EI TT-E--R -- MIDJ ANUARY, 1951 --" , -.. I. .' ' ! / '" 1TNID.IZRABLE delays have prevented getting the Newsletter VIi;' to you hitherto, so we are appending this Fost Script to t "l bring you up to date •••• CHRISTMAS was a joyous if I wearying day. The log church, first used last Spring I · on Palm Sunday, housed a la~ge Christmas congregation; r"':;"'~~:.·~·~t many dhristian Navajos, and many pagans were present. ~ome of the latter for the first tim~ in their lives. After the last Mass~ the Navajos started their family fir.es in various plaoes! and the women began ma~ing thei~ bread with the flour, baking powd~r and salt which we dist~ibutea. Then all formed in line--same three hundred or more--and each received a paper plate heaped with elk meat and beans. For the first time we were able to supply adequate , meat for our Navajo guests--and you may be ·su:('e there was no interference from the Game 'Wardenl11 Lat8r, the presents which you, our friends, sent us were distributed. We regret the necessity of , askiI).g the Navajos to form queues to ~et presents, but we have been unable to devise any dignified and efficient substitute--as it was, it' -took us until dark, and many had long di stances to go •.• Father Botelho returned to Montezuma Creek in t$.me to have a Holy Innocents t Day party for the children of th.e San Juan Bauti sta SeAf>el; ~¢ ~(j v1sit- ramill.e~ 1:tl hi" remc.te territory QefQr~ the re-opening of scho,ol aft·~p vacatien ••• . N1W/ ~EAR " . ~: DAY ~'G)agh.t, 'U..s OUT fit:'st s-erio\,ls snow; we wepe s~ ~· • . te.ful f(lr. th.:~ lll,&i s,t-\.W$ t.h.~t· we· did 1).0':1;. fr'0:,t, ov~~ ~e J>.eaessaI"y delay at ()W' t,~~p toO ~t~en.~, V.al1$~ . ~·nd' b,~yon9.~ 'l't;l~ ' foll~w1.n~ d~y se~e.~ 4P.t~~ rf'Q:f . i.~.~v;,~~ ~4 e,g~~~l1\~ N.-;9.AA.~~t ,~~ R\;lth Patepson accompanied ,~. t1s1HeF $1'1 this' Nf ssi~n. We visi ted nearly all our Catechumen tamilies·-every one of Which lived ip a place different tram that where we had last visited them--and we said Mass and held instructions in marty hoghans throughout the area, even to Piute Farms, on the SaIl Juan River well to the north of Oljato. A m.ine . is be1ng worked there, and the engineers have improvea the trail we broke last year-" so that travel is comparatively simple now •• , UEJ\NTIEE .. the da11-y round at the Ulssion goes on; school attendance holds up, med1ca~ treatment is ~!ven to many who apply tor help. The l'ebu11t; East 'wing is ~Q!lplete, even to electric wiring and all cells occupied; work is start1ng on a new and tar more Qqequate school building whio~ will have rOOm for S4Ppli'es and ~tQWlS a~ well as st4d~nts ~nd teaohers. ~~w,ton , D~r~ing, to our great regret and loss, has left to offer his services to the Army Intellieence, in vlhich he served during World 1.:Var II; we look forward to ', 'j;he coming of Cecil Gordon tonards the end of this month, whose arrival will brin8 the number of our staff members back to . nine. "!e , ~re in ,corrGspondence with several other persons who are thinking seriQus1y o.f taking an active part in the life and work of st. Christopher·"s . ., : ' '. |