Our Church Camp Chapel at Seven Springs, Vancouver Island

Well, this doesn't have much to do with Egeria, (or does it!) but I thought our camp chapel was beautiful. I didn't get a night shot this year -- with those fairy lights shining, mingling with stars and sparks from the campfire -- but I'm sure someone has some . . .My youngest daughter Bridget (now 13 months) was baptized here in the summer of 2007 by our dear friend and fellow Victoria priest, Fr Kosta Kaltsides. According to the laws of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, that makes Bridget Greek. Ha ha. Well, her middle name is Antigone, so that works out.

I have a photo of her nearly getting offed my those bells in the left corner. I was so focussed on getting a nice picture of her with the bells (than which she is not larger, and between two of which she was) that I didn't notice that they had begun to swing more and more, and those things are heavy. I suddenly realized what was happening, dropped the camera and nabbed her at the last second. Oops.

Okay, here's an amazing passage from Egeria's Travels. Straightforward -- she apparently was not much of a stylist-- but what she says is just amazing.

. . .in Capernaum the house of the prince of the apostles has been made into a church, with its original walls still standing. It is where the Lord healed the paralytic. There is also the synagogue where the Lord cured a man possessed by the devil. The way in is up many stairs, and it is made of dressed stone.

Not far away from there are some stone steps where the Lord stood.

And in the same place by the sea is a grassy field with plenty of hay and many palm trees. By them are seven springs, each flowing strongly. And this is the field where the Lord fed the people with the five loaves and the two fishes. In fact the stone on which the Lord placed the bread has now been made into an altar.

The footnote, citing Prof. Schneider, says that this stone is 'probably the one presently under the altar in the fifth-century Church of the Multiplying '. It also notes that six of the seven springs exist today but are now dry.