Catholic Church at Chilean Base P.te Eduardo Frei

On: By: Floyd Larck, KK3Q

Catholic Church at Chilean Base P.te Eduardo Frei
(62°12’ South,  58°57’51” West)

Capilla base FreiChapel of  “Santa Maria Reina de la Paz” stands at Villa las Estrellas,  the most populated town of the South Shetlands , in the area where, the houses of personnel’s families are located, among the settlements of Eduardo Frei Base. Actually there are eight families with children living there; they are Regular Officers of Chilean Air Force, including the Chief of the base, Air Traffic Controllers of T.Te Rodolfo Marsh airport. These personnel and their families have  two years engagement, and live  at Villa las Estrellas.

The town, has also a school, an hospital , a Post Office and a bank.

 

The Chapel, is made by a large  metallic container, with electricity, heating system, voice amplifier  and inside, there are 12 pews which can locate  36 seated people.

Religious ceremonies are officiated from a  Deacon who lives  at the Base, and by priests, who are eventually  travelling around.
TNX Ricardo Verlasquez CE3HDI

When a Catholic  one … at the Italian Base MZS, Terra Nova Bay?

20/8/2007

On: By: Floyd Larck, KK3Q

Following our virtual Antarctic Exploration , in finding  signs of devotion and faith, we are mcmourladysnow.jpgtoday stopping by the:
Vince’s Cross  and “Our Lady of the Snows” Shrine.

 

Immediately above Scott’s Hut on a small knoll overlooking the bay is Vince’s Cross, a wooden cross erected in 1902 to commemorate Seaman George T. Vince, the first man to lose his life in McMurdo Sound, following a fall into the water from a steep, icy slope nearby during a blizzard. Vince cioss.jpg

Also above the hut is the Our Lady of the Snows Shrine, a Madonna statue that commemorates Richard T. Williams,
a Seabee tractor driver who drowned off Cape Royds near Ross Island, in
January 1956 when his D-8 Caterpillar (30- tons tractor) broke through
the sea ice. Near this shrine is a monument erected to commemorate Raymond T. Smith, a Navy petty officer killed during a ship unloading accident at McMurdo in February, 1982.

Pics by Alan Miller @ http://www.polartrec.com/node/228

 

TNX Alan Miller

28/07/2007

On: By: Floyd Larck, KK3Q

V2_CHIESA r.jpgLast June 26-2007 , Cuneocronaca (www.cuneocronaca.it), one of the important on-line newspaper from the North Western part of Italy, did report an interesting article about the Church in Antarctica. This is still our challenge and everybody can share this initiative with us. 
Two companies from Cuneo (Italy) BERTERO TECHNOLOGY & SAINT GOBAIN did offer to build and donate the church.
Capt. Kai G. Lehmann , on behalf of a German Company ANTARTIDA Polarreisen GmbH, Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse 59,

D-38440 Wolfsburg, Germany, did offer to donate transport facilities of the material, by air or ship to Antarctica.

A young italian artist Francesca Fogliacco did offer to paint the walls of the church for free.To read the article check:
http://www.cuneocronaca.it/news.asp?id=1360&typenews=primapagina

What is still missed to accomplish our mission, is the permission from PNRA (Italian Antarctic Dept)! To support our goal, you can write a letter or a mail, addressed to: 

 

Ing. ANTONINO CUCINOTTA, Direzione Generale ENEA CR CasacciaLogo PNRA.jpg

PNRA ANTAR-SCI, Via Anguillarese, 301

00060 S.Maria di Galeria (RM) e-mail direzione@consorzio.pnra.it

Or to: Segreteria di Stato Vaticano

Palazzo Apostolico Vaticano,

Città del Vaticano 00120, Vatican State

and or to: Osservatore Romano , Vatican newspaper : ornet@ossrom.va

Radio Vaticana, Piazza Pia 3, 00120 Città del Vaticano

Vatican State sedoc@vatiradio.va

WAP, and you will join us with this dream!

Things are getting slowly ahead

On: By: Floyd Larck, KK3Q

Church 1.jpg

la Guardia 2.jpgOur Church in Antarctica and its connected activities, are getting ahead even slowly.
Mons. Marco Bagnara from La Guardia’s Sactuary has written another chapter of this story on la Guardia Bulletin of March 2007.
Our Church in Antarctica should be built at the Italian Base MZS and it will be dedicated to the Virgin of La Guardia , who have already over 300 Sanctuaries in the world.la Guardia 1.jpgOur Church in Antarctica is a proposal arising in the year 2003 and WAP is trying to do his best to enlarge the share of this initiative.
Stay with us, we love Antarctica, the
studies and researches , the peace and the hard job done by personnel ….
but we also wish to remind that, such a treasure, is given us by LORD.
It will be emotioning to se a little church over there in a place so
remote and insulated which belongs as well to the creation of God;
that’s why we strongly believe that a Church over there is the best touch of our love to Him. 

WAP non only science … not only Hams or QSLs!
TNX IZ1GJK, Maurizio Gentile

Church in Antarctica

On: By: Gianni Varetto

The idea and project to build a Church in Antarctica did start in the year 2003 after having seen that just few Bases down there have their own Church for personnel and researchers. Some of them are: US Mc Murdo Base, Chilean P.te Frei Base, Russian Bellinghausen base,  Bulgarian St. Klimend Ohridski Base. and sone Argentine’s Stations.  Italian Base Mario Zucchelli Station which guests about 120-160 people does not have a site to feed spiritual needs of its personnel.

I did start to involve authorities, politics, media (newspapers and TV) and of course the PNRA (National Antarctic Research Program, which is the authority that holds responsibility and jurisdiction of the Italian installations and research programs in Antarctica), to sensitize the pubblic opinion and the institutions about this matter.

Bureaucracy is a huge problem, particularly in Italy and of course, we are still working in trying to convince PNRA to give the authorization. Also we  did involve the Vatican through the official channels such as The Secretary of State Vatican  and CEI Italian Episcopal Conference .

After a national TV interview, we have been called by Italian Companies who have offered to build and donate the Churc:: Saint Gobain and Bertero Technology located in the city of Cuneo in the North west part of Italy have developped bio materials for building industry and both Companies did offer to join together in building and pack the Church in a container ready to be shipped to Terra Nova bay in Antarctica where the Italian base is located.
Unfortunately every thing was jusr a great purpose …permission is not been given,  but we are still fighting to make the dream  a reality

Our Church in Antarctica, a great offer by “Antarctica Polarreisen GmbH”

On: By: Floyd Larck, KK3Q

Church Banner.jpgAnother  step on the long way to build our Church in Antarctica

 

I’m happy to share the following information with all our supporters.
Capt. Kai G. Lehmann from ANTARTIDA Polarreisen GmbH has just written us:
Capt.Kai wrote:
dear Gianni,
If you want to build your church in Antarctica, we would be glad to offer transport facility by plane or ship.
I
will donate transport facilities by air or ship. You can se from our
web site, what we are doing. Whenever you are ready you just let me know
with best regardsAntartida GMBH.jpg,
Capt. Kai G. Lehmann
Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse 59
D-38440 Wolfsburg
Tel. +49 5361 8480688
mobile. +49 174 5158447

Just pay a visit to http://www.antartida.de and you will discover more !
Thanks immensely to Capt. Kai for such a GREAT offer!

 

The idea and project to build a Church in Antarctica did start in the year 2003 after having seen that just 4 bases down there have their own Church for personnel and researchers:
1. US Mc Murdo Base
2. Chilean P.te Frei Base
3. Russian Bellinghausen base
4. Bulgarian St. Klimend Ohridski Base.
Italian
base Mario Zucchelli Station which locates about 120-160 people does
not have nothing to feed spiritual needs of its personnel.

I did start to involve authorities, politics, media (newspapers and TV) and of course the PNRA (the National Antarctic Research Program, which is the authority having responsibility and jurisdiction on the Italian installations and research programs in Antarctica), to sensitize the pubblic opinion and the institutions about this matter.

Bureaucracy is a huge problem, particularly in Italy and of course, we are still working in trying to convince PNRA to give the authorization.
Also we have involved the Vatican through the official channels such as The Secretary of State Vatican (Mons. Tarcisio Bertone) and CEI Italian Episcopal Conference (Mons. Angelo Bagnasco).

After my last national TV interview, I have been called by Italian Companies who have offered to build and donate the church.
In fact,  2 Companies in Italy did offer to build the Church in Antarctica.
They are: Saint Gobain and Bertero Technologies located in the city of Cuneo in the North West part of Italy.
They have developed bio-materials for building industry and both
Companies did offer to join together in building and pack the Church in a
container ready to be shipped to Terra Nova bay in Antarctica where the Italian base is located.
Unfortunately every thing is actually still pending as permission is not been given yet!

A little piece of history …

On: By: Floyd Larck, KK3Q

Church pic.jpg

 As the readers know, WAP is trying since 2003 to get the permission to donate and build a little Church in Antarctica at the Italian base MZS.

It’s a spiritual need for the personnel at the Base, but also a tuch of glory and devotion to Lord.
The story of the Italian Base in Antartica his well recalled by Prof. Luciano Blasi (Amateur Radio operator IØJBL) one of the first Italians in Antarctica following of Italian scientific Missions since 1986.
Luciano did tell me that at Terra Nova Bay, there is a “Madonnina” inserted in the cliff, a gesture of faith and celestial respect, that it deserves of being known.
Luciano did say to me that:
…… the Alpines, when the head of the operations was the former-colonel (now retired General) Mauro Spreafico, did make a small altar under a full of rocks spur where a little statue of the Virgin (Madonnina in Italian language) have been located, so that people from the Base was usual to gather in prayer in front of Her. 

Others have told me that the Madonnina is still there and nobody has never touched it.
I knew then, from Mrs. Rita Bartolomei (that was responsible of the communication at Dome C Base, but for years has worked to BTN/MZS) that on Sunday, in the only space of rest, there have been organized groups of prayer where, who wanted, could join and do it.
I did catch up Rita Bartolomei via email in December 2004,and she had written to me that as far as the Madonnina inserted in the cliff to BTN/MZS concern, she can confirms that it is still there.
Madonnina a BTN.jpgThe Lieut. Col. Angelo Romito Meteorologist from the IAF, just returned from XXII the Italian Expedition to Terra Nova Bay-MZS, did send me a photograph of that full of rocks spur, where the alpines built a niche and its small altar .
They are happy that the Madonnina is
still there, and are sure that in such a cold and dispersed place, She
will pour out moments of serenity to whom, there at the Base, it has
need. In the year 2003 we have begun this sort of campaign to sensitize
the people about to our idea to construct a church over there in Antarctica.
The way is still long to go because moving bureaucracies is not an easy
way. We are sure that with the aid of the providence we will succeed in
achieving this great dream.
Help us to materialize a dream, that’s what we are looking for.

 

Building a Catholic Chapel in Antarctica

On: By: Floyd Larck, KK3Q

… still our top Challenge

Church pic.jpg

Chasers and readers should be aware that since 2003, WAP has launched the idea of building a Catholic Chapel in Antarctica at Italian Base Mario Zucchelli on Terra Nova Bay , under the motto:

A Catholic Church in Antarctica … a Challenge from WAP.
Several magazines and newspapers have already published articles and picture about it and this let us hoping well.
On the WAP web site www.waponline.it , there is a special dedicated section , called “Church in Antarctica” where coming to read about what has been already done on this specific field in Antarctica.
We are working in several direction, and we are involving Institutions (and not only….) which have granted us their help in order to perform the ever best goal down there in the ice where, in spite of what is commonly thought … someone is living there!

 

WAP, our passion lives here!  Stay with us…. and  enjoy it