BOOK 2

Rabiznaz The Red Colobus Monkey
and
THE JEWEL FROM SPAIN
IN GOA DOURADO - SEQUEL

ISBN NUMBER.....
ISBN 978-0-991-8058-1-5.


		Introduction by Brian Joseph Dunn Most Reverend Bishop of Antigonish I am grateful for the opportunity of writing an introduction to Rabiznez the Red Colobus Monkey and the Jewel from Spain, by Yvette Marie Louise de Souza-Muise – a fictional story which features a reunion between two friends. Their adventure in Goa brings them to the discovery of the Jewel from Spain, namely, St. Francis Xavier. The book provides an insight into the Xavier home of the 1500s in Spain and traces his journey to Goa and the far East where he died as he gave witness to the faith he received and preached. The book ends with a reflection on the tradition that is found in St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. This book emerges as a result of the faith of the author who has a desire to pass on faith to young people. Her work as a teacher and with a children’s choir at St. Ninian’s Cathedral for fortytwo years gave her an appreciation of the desire of young people to know and love the faith. The author draws on her experience of growing up in Goa and her travels to her homeland to weave a story that inspires, as it informs the reader of the background to the Jesuit missionary, Francis Xavier, S.J. This book portrays a person of faith, who has that desire for people, especially young people to know and love the faith. Inspired by the call of Jesus to “go and make disciples of all nations” and the call of Pope Francis to young people to “go change the world; lead wholesome lives; be a disciple of Jesus”, Yvette was lead to share her faith through this particular book, a sequel to Rabiznez the Red Colobus Monkey and the Crystal Orb of Light in Zanzibar. She shares her faith: “It is important to understand that one’s heart, is capable of receiving all that is good and wholesome in this world, and is also filled with the capacity for expressing unconditional love, at birth. Jesus’ Heart was so filled with unconditional love that all those who embrace His love and teachings also become via their hearts [...] a light that can overcome darkness. Let us therefore make life a wonderful journey filled with unconditional Love!!” (p. 14). While the book touches on some of the beliefs of world religions, it primarily presents the history of Christianity, especially as it began in Goa with St. Thomas the Apostle in 70 AD and continued with St. Francis Xavier in the 1500s. She speaks of the home life of St. Francis Xavier and how he learned various prayers that are still part of a young person’s life today. Francis was also moved by stories of the scriptures and how people like Moses and Jesus taught certain lessons that are essential to the life of faith. The story of St. Francis Xavier’s call and his desire to go to India come to life as the reader enters into the heart of St. Francis and discovers the story of his life. The book also presents some of the devotion that exists in Goa today. Through pictures of Bom Jesus Basilica, where the relics of St. Francis Xavier reside and where there is an exposition of the relics of St. Francis every ten years, the book shows how the people of Goa continue their devotion to St. Francis Xavier even today. Through this book, we meet a woman who gives generous witness to her faith and has an intense desire to pass on her faith to others. The book reveals a person who is convinced of certain truths connected to her faith and to the values that are important for a life of joy and faith. She does this in a way that can be an inspiring witness to her readers. May all who read this book be given a new appreciation of the importance of passing on faith to those in our everyday lives, especially the young. May they also come to a new appreciation of the example of St. Francis Xavier as a saint for our day. Brian Joseph Dunn Bishop of Antigonish

My dearest Family and Friends,

Greetings from Cloud 69 !

After a storm-induced cancellation on 29th January, my Book Launch was successfully accomplished on Friday....and as I wrote to a dear friend, that I was" going for broke" on the rescheduled date 12th February, and to" wish me luck," .......for if the weatherman had forced me to cancel/postpone once more, that would have been the end of the Book Launch ... I would not reschedule.

Despite the mountains of snow everywhere and very limited parking space around the Library where I had the Launch, my dearest friends from town came to see my Book, and that gave me lots of courage.

Mike and I left home at 4.30pm to set up the room for the Book Launch. I had a wonderful team working with us. My dear friend whom I call Dynamo Betty Farrell looked after the kitchen, getting the reception tables ready, whilst true teacher Jimmy, Mike's brother and his wife Chris also teacher par excellence, together with their most pleasant exchange student from Germany, took over the rearranging of tables and chairs and setting Rabiznaz and his friends in their familiar abode in a make-shift tree complete with foliagead mini lights. Chris certainly has an artistic eye as well.

Soon all the tables were covered with table cloths and framed enlarged pictures of art works from my Book set up around the room to enhance the atmosphere of what I called Little Goa, for the story in my Book was all about Goa ....... Dourado.

Very efficient, Elizabeth Glinz the Librarian, set up the sound system and her computer in readiness for showing my Book on screens on both ends of the room, accompanied by three songs ... MOLLBAIL DOU ... an old Goan Ballad, WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD: Sachmo's, and MALAIKA ... Swahili song from Zanzibar.Elizabeth had the Book scrolling page by page accompanied by the three songs prior to the presentation

which began at 7.15pm.

My dear friends, Sage Shirley MacDougall, Martien Bekkers retired science teacher who was filling in for his wife Janet, and Joanne Bekkers, manned the table with the Books. It was just fantastic to be surrounded by so much caring and loving assistance which I will never ever forget.

At 6.30pm, the people started arriving and it was so delightful to welcome my dearest friends there despite the cold wintry conditions outside. It was absolutely spectacular to see Bishop Brian Dunn arriving at my Book Launch just in time for the opening welcome at 7.10 pm, by my dear friend and confidant, Catherine MacNeil-MacDonald who introduced me with many most generous words.

You see, Catherine had been on this journey with me throughout my sojourn with my two Books and she certainly had been a true mentor and friend. She had also Emceed my first Book Launch in 2013, .... I couldn't have anyone else but her as Emcee.

After the introductions, it was my turn to speak. I remember welcoming everyone to little Goa, I remember thanking everyone who had helped me there, and also the many friends who sat in front of me waiting for me to tell them about my Book.

..... and then I froze .... I couldn't find the words to speak ....WHY??? I suppose it is because I had to make a split-second decision about what method I was going to use to present my Book. I could go along with the slide presentation and talk about all that was there in plain sight, or I could use my prepared speech which I had brought in case all else failed .... a Plan B if you will.

I told myself that everyone had seen the scrolling slide presentation of the entire Book at least a couple of times over before the presentation started, and I thought it might be boring if I started explaining every page...really boring ! So I opted for my prepared

speech which was a power point presentation... I'm proud to say that with help from Catherine and Elizabcth the techno-whizz-kids, I can report that it worked well, and I can say that I have now joined the new world of e-technology....who would have thought.

The highlight of my presentation was to introduce two very special kids from my St. Ninian's Choir, past, to the audience. Noel Fougere the boy with the golden voice my protege sang Louis Armstrong's WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD to complement the passage in my Book where I use Sachmo's song to ask the question .... Is it really a wonderful world .... for the children around the world ??? Noel proved that it is

indeed a wonderful world with his angelic rendition of Sachmo's song.

To end my presentation, in recalling Pope Francis' request to go teach all nations in answer to Jesus' edict to His Disciples, I asked Maria Farrell now second year student at St.F.X. University to sing GO YE AFAR GO TEACH ALL NATIONS... the Holy Ghost Fathers' Hymn that we had learnt as children in Zanzibar and which I had taught to my choir here at St. Ninian's.

I presented each of the kids....they'll always be my kids....../singers with a copy of my Book before signing off.

Now I really don't know whether I gave my Book , St. Francis Xavier, and Our Lord the credit I gave them in my Book, for my Book is all about St. F.X. and his calling to serve his/our Lord and Master Jesus. I guess the reader will have to read my Book to find the real treasure I speak of in the Title....namely " RABIZNAZ THE RED COLOBUS MONKEY AND THE JEWEL FROM SPAIN IN GOA DOURADO"... and more.

Bishop Brian had honoured me with a lovely introduction to my Book .... I am ever so proud .... I just hope my Book Launch did him credit in his wonderful introduction...actually, if I had read his introduction, that would have summed it all up perfectly .... you'll have to read it for yourself in my Book. Suffice it to say that I am

truly honoured and humbly proud.

After my presentation I signed Books and everyone had tea-coffee-soft drinks, and Goa Samosas, Goa sweet bread "Poje" , and Goa chocolate chip scones from my cuisine, accompanied by lovely fruit salad and cookies which Shirley had prepared for us.

And since we had to be out of the building by 9.00pm Maria and her friend Susan together with Jimmy and Chris and Lewis, and Mike packed up all the animals, and pictures etc and rearranged the room as per library requirements, and Betty and Joanne cleaned up the kitchen after everyone had had some repass. It was all so lovely.

We needed two cars to get home .... and of course Jimmy and family did the honours in helping us out. You should have seen my living room floor that night.We left operation clean-up for the next day.

I hope everybody loves my Book as much as do I. So there, I've told my story and believe it or not, every reader of my Book is in the story as well . Read my Book and find out how !

So, with all my love to Susej for whom I wrote my two Books anyway, and to all of you, I'll sign off as they do in Goa, with a " DIEU BOREM KORUN "....GOD BLESS.

THANKS ONCE AGAIN ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL FRIENDS AND RELATIVES .... LOVE YA !

Yvette de Souza-Muise

[.... shadow of ..... Little Miss Ettie ....????... hopefully]

Speech by EMCEE CATHERINE MACNEIL MACDONALD at Yvette's Book Launch

Welcome to everyone, we are so pleased that you could be with us this evening to launch this extraordinary book by Yvette De Souza

Muise.

It is her 2nd volume involving Rabiznaz, an over 2000 year old gentle, Red Colobus monkey. This time we witness his reunion with his human friend, Ettie, who has invited Rabiznaz to visit her in her homeland of Goa Dourado (Golden Goa). You may recall that Ettie is the heroine of the first book, who is remarkable for her generosity of heart and uncompromising love of life.

Rabiznaz learns about Goa, and in particular about St. Francis Xavier, through a group of very personable and peaceable animals, who, we discover have overcome their natural antipathy towards each other because of their close friendship with Ettie, whose essential goodness has changed them.

These amazing animals boast among their number an excellent

historian and biographer of the life of St. Francis Xavier, and outstanding geographers, who help us fall in love with the sights and sounds of Goa. King Cobra, Mongoose, and Spanish Bat, are our guides. They are bound to become favourites with Rabiznaz fans.

This is a proudly faith based book, and with marvelous paintings and photographs, we will easily understand how a strong Christian upbringing fostered through generations of faithful forefathers and mothers, leaves what can only be described as a stamp on the Goan people - comparable to any other character trait in a person's DNA.

In a moment, Yvette will read excerpts from the book for your enjoyment. She will provide you with the background from which it arose, but in the meantime, I will tell you a little bit about the author.

Yvette is an educator. Through the years, she has taught both children and adults in Canada and abroad. She was educated in East Africa; at the University of Southampton in Great Britain; and at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish. Yvette is now retired from teaching at Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School, and after more than 40 years she has reluctantly withdrew from leading the children's choir. Yet, she has in no way slowed down. Currently, she brings her considerable talents and efforts to the presidency of St. Ninian's CWL, leading many worthwhile projects, including acting as Vice Chair of CARE'S fund-raising efforts to bring a Syrian Refugee Family to Antigonish.

Now, partly in response to requests for a 2nd book, but mostly to share her faith with her beloved children - and here I'm not just referring to her own 3 children and 6 grandchildren, but for all those who are young and optimistic of heart - Yvette has once again put pen to paper.

She never forgets that she is writing for young people. It's easy to envision parents and grandparents lovingly reading this tale to children, who will be drawn in by the wonderful story, and enthralled with the extraordinary illustrations beautifully rendered with vibrant colours and a striking attention to detail.

Congratulations Yvette, what a beautiful book! It is a compelling story, and one that challenges us to think about the bigger issues. I can only say that my interest was captivated and held to the end. You've once again created a treasure!

= = = = = = = = =

Catherine .......What a wonderful speech the import of which has doubly hit me as I read it for myself after hearing it at the launch. Thanks Catherine. You have more than made my day.
Thanks a million again. With much love and admiration, dear friend. Yvette

Dearest Yvette,

Congratulations on your Book Launch. I will be sending you a bankers draft payment for a copy of your book we are anxious to read.

Love
Benito & Betty

Well, my dear Friends,
The weatherman has spoken. My Book Launch which was scheduled for
this evening has been postponed due to the impending weather bomb.
The new Snow Date is :- FRIDAY 12th FEBRUARY AT THE LIBRARY AT
7.00PM. Hope you can make it then. So sorry.
Have a great day and stay safe.
Lots of love from Rabiznaz and the Jewel from Spain ....and me.
Yvette

PREVIEW OF MY BOOK