Today I went to the church and began cleaning out the sacristy. Together with a sister, I worked the whole afternoon and got through only about two thirds of it. Now that I have gotten a better look at things, I also have a better idea of how desperate a condition things are in here.

Of the things needed for Mass, I am lacking almost everything. It seems that in the past the priests have simply brought with them what they needed from the other parish, and so the few things that are here are mostly old and damaged. Of all the things that I could need, the one thing that I do have is a chalice – it is in need of some small repairs, but is, in general, a very beautiful chalice. I truly thank God for it. I wish the paten was in as good a condition, but unfortunately the gold is mostly gone and the base metal is corroded.

I have no cruets for the water or wine since I immediately threw away what was there. They were absolutely horrible and half broken, having been glued back together several times. On top of that, there was a whole biology lab growing in the bottom of the one for wine – there are limits to simplicity! For now, I am borrowing from one of the other parishes that our priests tend to.

The same holds true for vestments. After going through the entire sacristy, I now have exactly one vestment – a pre-Vatican II red one with matching pall. The previous priest only used stoles and so he never even ventured to open the drawers where the vestments were stored, knowing that they were mostly beyond use. We went through every one of them and the most common word said was, ‘disgusting’. All of them were covered in mold, and in many we found maggots or nests of spider eggs. As such, as with the cruets, I am currently borrowing from another parish.

As for liturgical books, well, I found some…but I don’t think Latin is the vernacular language of Uruguay, nor is the Tridentine rite very common here. All I have is a missal and a book for baptism. For now I am using the Uruguayan equivalent of a Magnificat for readings, and will have to borrow anything else. I have heard that the Paulines have a book store in Montevideo where I can hopefully buy some of the books that are missing.

As for all of the cloths used for the Mass, I do have some. Last week I already took everything there was and bleached and washed it. After sorting through it all, I had to get rid of many due to mold, bad stains and many, many holes. All told, I have about six of everything, which is enough as a start but far from sufficient. One of the parts I did not get to yet is the drawer with the altar cloths. I only looked in briefly but did not have the time or stomach left to go through it. My guess is that there will be almost nothing useful.

I did make one very consoling find: a beautiful monstrance. It only stands about a foot tall, but is truly beautiful. One of the sisters spent a half a day cleaning it, and it is now truly wonderful. Some parts will need to be re-gilded, but I am more than happy to have it. Then next step is to start adoration in the parish…

Other than these things, just about everything else you could imagine a parish needing is missing. I have no humeral veils, no palls at all (other than the one red one), and none of the other things you would expect to find. I have not found a thurible yet, though one is rumored to be somewhere. In any event, there is certainly no incense for it, nor coals. I have a few old and chipped vases for flowers and a few old half-broken candle stands, but nothing you would be willing to buy in a garage sale. I have no bells (other than the main church bell that is), no working microphone, no altar cross, and no processional cross.

Oh, one other thing that is missing: furniture! The cabinets and wardrobes of the sacristy are severely damaged from the many termites who have found a home there. The pieces are mismatched and not altogether suitable for a sacristy. For example, I have no place to store our chalice. It has been left sitting out over the last years. So, now, to prevent it from filling up with falling plaster and countless insects, I keep it in a plastic grocery bag on the countertop – not the most worthy or reverent place.

The most tragic thing of all is that I have no proper tabernacle. There is one in the church, of course, but all it is is a few pieces of particle board screwed together with a rather modern painting done on the front in oil paint – hardly worthy for the king of kings! At least at first look you don’t see its true nature and the inside has been lined with cloth, but still…