A South American holy week procession. Photo: canva.com/@peruphotoart
Holy Week is a special time for all of us, but in South American countries, it is a time of special devotion. In Chile, churches are packed out on Palm Sunday, and it is believed that the procession with palms in hand will protect against earthquakes. In Combapata in the Andes of Peru, Holy Thursday was the notable night when a truck would be sent to pick up people from the distant communities. Two people from each village would come in typical brightly coloured costumes and they would be the ones whose feet would be washed as Jesus washed his disciples’ feet in a sign of humble service.
Here at St Columbans in Lower Hutt, the Holy Week ceremonies were all celebrated with a large number of the Spanish speaking community filling our small chapel to overflowing. The majority are refugees from Colombia who have been helped by United Nations to flee from the persecution and instability in their country. But there are also families who have come as migrants from Chile, Peru, Mexico, Paraguay and Honduras.
In their countries, they are surrounded by public signs of their faith. The church is in a prominent position in the town plaza, bells are rung, processions are held on the major feasts, and shops are named after saints. I would buy nails from the Hardware shop of St Joseph and petrol from the Immaculate Conception! But in our largely secular society, the refugees and migrants miss such daily reminders of the presence of God in their lives. That is why it is so important for them to come together with people who understand their background and can share their common faith.
That is why Holy Week is such a special time: it is full of visible signs, such as foot-washing, the adoration of the Cross and the Easter fire, and then entering our darkened chapel with candles. In the ceremonies, many participate actively in the preparation, readings and music as they sing the songs they knew in their homeland to the accompaniment of guitars. They know that Jesus has risen not just in their heads but in their hearts as they hug each other with the greeting, ''Feliz Pascua.''
Fr Donald Hornsey lives and works in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
Related links
- Read more from the current Columban eBulletin
