Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Happy Easter! Alleluia Christ is Risen!

Hello everyone and Happy Easter! I am so sorry for not being able to update since my last post: Christmas/New Year post! I am starting to feel like a Catholic who only shows up to church on Christmas and Easter so I hope to post more for you now that I have time. The last three months have been very busy! I was especially busy in February at the DBVTC when the principal was away (to go home) for a few weeks and I was left in charge of admissions and opening week. Overall, I learned a lot about myself when I had to run the school alone. I can happily say that I was successful in admitting a great batch of new students (who will hopefully one day be great technicians) and I successfully indoctrinated them into our system!

So this post is all about Easter and the Holy Week! Easter is one of my favorite times of the year because I get to see joy and hope for peace at the resurrection of Jesus Christ! It was quite interesting to observe how Easter is done in South Sudan. One thing I got out of my experience was the extra joy and happiness I felt in Gumbo when Lent was over and we as a community could finally say Alleluia!

Palm Sunday

In Gumbo, we started Holy Week with a great Palm Sunday Mass! Palm Sunday was very busy and crowded! We only had one mass and so the church was crowded and packed! It was especially fun to see the people process with their palms and Sunday best! It was also nice to see the children make really cool cross designs with their palms. I was so fortunate and blessed to see the faithfulness of the people in Gumbo, where they would go through extreme measures to go to the one and only Palm Sunday mass at the parish. I reflect upon my own life and how spoiled I was at home to be able pick and chose which mass I could go to in my own convenience. I also found that in making it just one mass on Palm Sunday, the parish highlights the importance of such a mass. I hope to take this message of faithfulness with me wherever go. 

Start of the Palm Sunday Procession!

Great crowd!

The crowd was solemn during the Palm Sunday procession.

Some of the boys during the Palm Sunday procession

Arrival at the church on Palm Sunday! This girl looks happy to have made it!

Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday was a time to remember the last supper of the Lord and I was especially interested to see the washing of the feet. Once again, there was only one mass in the evening on Holy Thursday and once again, the church was crowded and packed. I am so amazed by the people and their faithfulness that I hope to see at home one day the churches crowded and packed with the faithful like what I saw here in South Sudan. The mass was a beautiful mass, where 12 local parishioners got their feet washed. I did not have a great view of the feet washing because I chose to sit in the back of the church to allow one of the local people to sit in my place (which had a great view) so I apologize for not having great pictures of the event.


Large Crowd on Holy Thursday!

Start of Holy Thursday Mass!
 

After mass, the Holy Eucharist was placed in a beautifully designed public tabernacle shrine for the adoration, which was led by various parish groups in shifts, the last one being at 9:30pm by the religious community (which, although I am not religious, I was a part of). Being the last shift in adoration was great and spiritually invigorating because I was surrounded by religious men and women who decided to dedicate their lives to God and to spreading His word in the missions, also in being the last, there is something spiritually special about being the last one to close the church at night!

Start of adoration on Holy Thursday night!

Beautiful Tabernacle Shrine!

I am so amazed by the faith of the people in Gumbo!


Good Friday

To me, Good Friday in Gumbo was one of the most beautiful events for Holy Week in Gumbo because we had the way of the cross with a procession through Gumbo village and into the church. The route through the village was quite long because the road was rough and the heat from sun was extremely hot, causing many of us to wonder if we were sharing the suffering that Jesus had when he was carrying His cross to Calvary. It was very interesting to be a part of setting up the sound system on top of a pick-up truck, head to the staring point by car and walking back by foot, while stopping 14 times and praying for each station of the cross.

I helped set up the "mobile sound system"!

Start of the Good Friday Procession!

"We adore You O Christ and we praise You."

"Take up your cross and follow Me"

Good Friday Procession through Gumbo Village!

We would stop 14 times during the procession to pray the Stations of the Cross.

We didn't stop until we reached the church!

After arriving at the church and doing the last station, we took a short break and returned to the church to do the veneration of the cross and communion service.  I was so touched by the beautiful ceremony and how the people revered the cross. The cross was venerated and then there was a communion service.

Venerating the cross on Good Friday!

I was so honored to see such a beautiful service!

Remembering the suffering of our Lord on Good Friday.


Holy Saturday

For me, as a volunteer at the parish, Holy Saturday was a very busy and stressful day! Tensions were really high when we found out that the Archbishop of Juba wanted to celebrate Easter Vigil Mass with us at the parish. The time was shifted an hour earlier, and as the person in charge of setting up the sound system, I had to work really fast to get it done on time. Despite falling a bit short, I managed to have everything ready exactly on time (although I would have loved to have finished earlier)! I was then in charge of controlling the mixer board and sound during the Holy Saturday Mass.

Despite being very busy, I was able to enjoy a little bit of the festivities. Looking out into the crowd of people with their candles lit, and then having a front-row view of the archbishop celebrating mass, I could not stop but wonder how lucky I am to be in South Sudan and experience the welcoming of Easter in such a fashion! Yes, I was very stressed and very busy during the festivities, but I also had to remind myself to really take in the moment and not consume myself with the work
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Photo Credit: Italian Volunteer Margaret Dragone!


Thank you Margaret for taking such beautiful pictures of the Holy Saturday Vigil Mass!


Since I was busy setting up and running the sound, Margaret took pictures for me. Thanks again Margaret!

Holy Saturday Easter Vigil Mass with Archbishop Paulino Lukudu Loro the Archbishop of Juba

When it came time to sing the Alleluia, the choir let out a joyful sound of praise, as the rest of the faithful cheerfully sang along, shouting and praising with joy that the Lord has been risen! I felt a great joy (different from the joy I felt at Christmas). After the first Alleluia, the choir could not stop singing Alleluia and the people could not stop shouting Alleluia throughout the mass!

My view at my work station, it is just marvelous! 

Happy Easter from Fr. Joseph Can SDB, The pre-novices at Gumbo and the SLM Volunteers!

After all was said and done, I was so fortunate to serve the people. James, a fellow volunteer from Kenya, told me that although I did not fully enjoy the mass because I was busy working, the joy I felt was the joy of serving and helping the people hear the service clearly! For that, although not at the time and in hindsight, I am blessed and grateful for the opportunity to serve the people!

Easter Sunday

My site partner and fellow volunteer Michael and I decided that it would be our tradition to go out to mass at the village or outstation during big holiday celebrations. Last time we went to Nisithu for Christmas, this time we decided to go to Mori for Easter morning mass. Mori is a beautiful village next to the Nile River. The village church was a very beautiful church that had a structure that reminded me more of a church at home than the parish church. The people were such great and generous people and the children were very social. The children in Mori talked to Michael and me a lot and wanted to get to know us. They were not shy and played some games with us (mainly them running away from us, like a form of tag). Michael and I noticed that the church was mainly filled with women and children (although there were some men present). The mood was joyful yet reserved, it seemed the people in Mori were very polite and very honored to have guests. That morning 35 babies were baptized into the church, and I was so honored to be present for such a joyous occasion! It is not everyday that you get to see 35 babies being baptized all at once in the village!

St. Dominic Savio community, such a beautiful church structure in Mori!


Although they look serious, the children in Mori were very friendly!


The church was quite crowded at Easter morning mass!

Getting to see 35 baptisms at Easter morning mass!


The village/outstation of Mori after Easter morning mass!

I have to say that finishing Easter in the village was the best way to do it because I got to see the humble yet beautiful celebration of people celebrating mass. Furthermore, I am so glad I got to experience Holy Week and Easter in South Sudan, where although there is civil war and civil unrest, the faithful still exude a feeling of joy (which I can't explain but it is a different joy from the joy I felt at Christmas)! Like how I felt during Christmas, I can only imagine the joy of the people when there is peace in South Sudan, please, continue to pray for my mission and more importantly, please continue to pray for peace in South Sudan.


Happy Easter from me to you! (I know these boys look serious, but they were so friendly!) Once again, Happy Easter everyone! Please continue to pray for peace in South Sudan!

1 comment:

  1. Good to hear from you again, Nick, and better to hear how much you're doing and enjoying your mission and finding blessings everywhere. May the Lord make your mission fruitful for both you and the people around you. God bless!

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