Holy Week with the People of Honduras

Palm Sunday Procession "Israel del Norte"

As vocation director, I do not work in any particular parish. As a priest therefore, on weekends I serve
wherever I am needed, covering for priests who are ill, or have other obligations and cannot preside over
the masses in their parishes. However, during Christmas and Holy Week there aren't too many pastors who are away from their parishes so I have little to do in the way of sacramental ministry. Which frees me up for other things. In Comayagüela, Honduras, at the parish of San Maximiliano Kolbe, three priest-friars, a deacon and another friar, are responsible for a huge area (the largest parish in Honduras.) Besides the primary church, the parish is comprised of 16 other chapels, or templos, (a couple of which are quite far away.) Which means there is plenty of work to do. So I flew down before Palm Sunday and worked all of Holy Week and through Easter Tuesday.

You may remember the recent coup in Honduras, and all the political unrest. Things are still pretty shaky here. Even before the coup Honduras was the 2nd poorest nation in the western hemisphere (behind Haiti), and the economy has worsened, which, of course, means crime is on the rise and even in my ten days, there was one parishioner killed through violence. A week before I came, a professor, who was critical of the state, also was killed. However, I always felt pretty safe in my time. Partly because the parishioners never let me walk home alone!

Vía Cruces - Jesus is flogged

I worked principally with two templos, called Fatima and Israel del norte. They are both pretty small, each holding comfortably about sixty people, although we often had quite more than that. Neither templo had a tabernacle, or could afford the basic things for mass, so I always packed a backpack with chalice, ciborium, bread and wine, and all the other “necessary” items. When you're working with the poor, it's amazing how much you can do with so little! I couldn't help but think about all the things that people in the US get upset about when our liturgies aren't perfect. Down there, you realize quickly that it is the faith, the hunger for Christ, that makes a liturgy work, not the decorations! The two templos were relatively close to one another, so we share the Palm Sunday liturgy, beginning at Fatima with the blessing of palms, and celebrating the mass at Israel del Norte.

Jesus Falls for the 3rd Time

At various times during Holy Week, I visited the homebound to bring Communion, hear confessions, and offer the Sacrament of the Sick. The area is very hilly, and even when the Templos are relatively close, most don't have cars (and there is nowhere to park anyway!) so many cannot make it to mass. It was an amazing experience visiting people living on the side of a hill in a little wooden shack, who are so incredibly hospitable and grateful for your presence! Penance services at the Templos were also very well received. I spent as much as 2 ½ hours at a stretch offering a Sacrament that they don't often have the
opportunity to receive.

The Crucifixion

Holy Thursday I attended the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral in Suyapa. I don't know how they do things where you are (I've always been covering daily mass for a pastor who went, so I haven't been to a Chrism mass in the States in years,) but in Honduras I felt like a rock star! The Cathedral was packed, when the priests processed in there was applause and screaming and people with big signs for their particular pastors (Yay Father Pepe!) In fact a central theme of my homily at Templo Fatima during the Mass of the Lord's Supper, was the contrast between that and the humble servant model of Christ in the Gospel that evening.

Easter Celebration at the Friary

For Good Friday, both templos had services at the same time, so I chose to be with Fatima again for their Vía Cruces “Way of the Cross” followed by the veneration of the cross. There was no communion service (because they don't have tabernacles!) Due to a baptism, I was needed at another templo for the Easter Vigil, so each of them just had liturgies of the Word, which lasted from 7 PM until midnight! This shows how much just being in the presence of the Church means to them. Fortunately I was able to celebrate two masses on Sunday, one in each site.

Holy Chrism Mass in Suyapa Cathedral

Easter Monday I was able to host at the friary a small celebration with the Delegados de la Palabra (Delegates of the Word - lay people who organize each community) of both Templos. I think I introduced a few new food items for them (they'd never seen Tortellini before,) but we had a great time and it was nice to do something for the people who had done so much for me.

Visiting the Homebound of Templo Israel

I love what I do as vocation director, and certainly love the life I live (including our creature comforts like hot showers and air conditioning!) But Francis had it so right when it was his identification with the poor where he found most the presence of Christ. It is so humbling to be able to serve His children, and then have them falling over themselves to thank me, worrying about me, giving me little gifts (and a very nice clock!), when they couldn't possibly know how much more I am receiving from them.

"Do not Kill" A bumper sticker on the Templo
Door in Fatima. Imagine living where it is felt
necessary to advertise this basic commandment!

Easter Sunday Templo Fatima

I hope the Risen Lord was present for you all. He certainly was for me!

(Sources of text and all related images on webpage and homepage: Friar Paul Schloemer.)