Quadruple celebration in Monaco


It was a quadruple celebration at St Paul’s Monaco on Sunday 23 January: the parish patronal festival (the Conversion of St Paul), the confirmation of three candidates, the admission to Holy Communion of two young girls and the birthday of the parish priest, Fr Walter Raymond OGS (seen below with his cake, some younger parishioners and the parish dog, Sparky!)


St Paul's continues its outreach to the community with a thriving mothers and toddlers group which meets every Monday and Thursday. It has been going for 21 years and brings together a large number of mothers who can often find expatriate life to be lonely. There is also a growth in numbers of younger families in the congregation itself and the Sunday School is gaining strength. A January ski trip for the Sunday School has over 50 people signed up! The parish website can be found here.

During my pastoral visit I was able to enjoy one of the traditions in Monaco during this season: the Galette des Rois (Three Kings Cake). This special cake celebrates the Epiphany of course, but is now enjoyed throughout the month of January. A paper crown is given to the one who finds a fève in their piece of cake; quite by chance, I had a lucky slice. The little porcelain "bean" was inscribed with a cheeky saying in Monégasque, the ancient local language. Italian and French speakers should be able to decipher the meaning!



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