Two months and counting

Well, two months have now past since I have been in this parish, and after a few weeks of not writing, I thought it was time again add a little update. It is in some ways surprising to me that it has already been two months, and at the same time I feel like it has been much longer. The past weeks have certainly kept me busy and have again introduced me to new elements of being a parish priest.

On the one hand I have had my share of difficulties to face in the past week or two with problems in the school and with some of the kids preparing for first communion. I have been busy dealing with the problem itself, but above all it has kept me on my knees. Aside from my obvious lack of experience in affronting some of these problems, I anyways believe that in many of the difficulties we face, God has to provide the solution. And so I pray. I act when necessary and take the steps required, but above all I pray.

On the other hand, I have had some very beautiful experiences as well. The other day I had a Mass in an outlying zone of the parish for the first time. I can’t really call it a village even as there is no center to speak of – it is just a zone or a region that belongs to my parish and consists of various farms and ranches. The Mass was as a conclusion for the year of catechism classes but was open to everyone who wanted to attend. Since there is not even a chapel in the area, the mass was held in a hall or, more accurately said, a glorified shed attached to a public school there.

I can’t say how pleasantly surprised I was when more than fifty people showed up for Mass. The people there are so very simple and open, not to mention thankful. They told me that this was the first Mass that they have had there in more than 6 years! What is most saddening about that is that the majority of these people are farmhands or cowboys who have no real means of transit to arrive at the main village or who frequently have to work during the times of Masses. As a result, I can’t imagine when many of them were last at Mass. I was so moved by their situation that I immediately offered to celebrate a Christmas Mass for them as well. It will be the first that they have ever had. In the future I would like to see if I can’t find some place where we can regularly have Masses and so start to build a true Christian community there.

One other nice thing about that visit was the children themselves. Of all of the children that I have met so far, they are by far the most open and “pure”, having been preserved from so many negative influences of the world. They are radiant and joyful. Since the Mass was on the 6^th of December, the feast of St. Nicholas, I introduced them also to the European traditions of St. Nick and gave them all a small bag of candy. The joy of such a small thing was heartwarming.