Holy Week & Easter Part II

Triduum

Holy Week culminates in the Paschal Triduum, the three days commemorating the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Christ. It begins with the liturgy on the evening of Maundy Thursday.

Mass of the Lord's Supper

During the evening of Holy Thursday, Karen and I joined the parishioners of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus for the celebration by the Vicar General of the Lord's Supper.  This was the only one Mass, at which the whole community and priest of the parish participated. This was a very joyful Mass, as we recall the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the priesthood.  And after a long time, we once again heard the bells rung and the Gloria sung.  After the Communion Prayer, there was no final blessing because the Mass will not end until after the resurrection mass is celebrated. The Holy Eucharist was carried in procession through the Church and then transferred into a place of reposition. The Church remained open until midnight for adoration. Because of space limitations, adoration was scheduled for each of the different groups, e.g., the Gonjas, the Dagaaba, etc.  It was an invitation to silent and prolonged adoration of the wondrous sacrament instituted by Jesus on that day. After mid-night on Holy Thursday, the adoration concluded without solemnity since the day of the Lord's Passion had already begun.

Washing of Feet

The Holy Thursday liturgy also commemorated Jesus’ symbolic act of the washing of the feet of his disciples to show that he had come to serve and that they were to do the same – serve others in humble love. The Vicar removed his vestments, wore his apron, and proceeded to wash the feet of the volunteer elderly, the youth, the women, and men of the parish.  He challenged everyone to be ready to wash the feet of others, i.e., be of service to others.

Good Friday

Good Friday morning, the devotees flocked to the Church for the final Stations of the Cross.  The Church doors were opened again at 3:00 p.m. for the Black Friday Liturgy. The Cathedral altar was completely bare, with no cloths, candles nor cross. The cross at the center of the Church was also covered. The service was divided into three parts: Liturgy of the Word, Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion. For the Veneration of the Cross, we knelt on both knees in front of the cross and said a short prayer in lieu of the customary kissing of the cross.  This was to comply with the Covid protocols in place.

Holy Saturday/Easter Vigil

Holy Saturday was the quietest day of the entire Church year, a day with no liturgical function. Although we were still in mourning, there was much preparation during this day to prepare for Easter. It is during the night between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday that the Easter Vigil is celebrated. The service began around ten o'clock, in order that the solemn Vigil Mass may start at midnight.  Unfortunately, Karen and I were not able to attend the Vigil Mass, but I am sure it was a joyous celebration welcoming the new members of the universal Church.

Holy Week & Easter Part I

In my last blog I shared that the Church is truly universal. The Catholic Church is not just an association of different particular Churches.  It is rooted in a variety of cultures with a myriad of external expressions. This couldn’t be more apparent than in the liturgical celebration of the Paschal mystery I experienced in the community of the Diocese of Damongo in Ghana. Let me share with you some of the highlights.

Lenten Walk

The Holy Week celebration for the Diocese began a day earlier than what we are accustomed to.  On the Saturday before Palm Sunday, the youth of the parish and a few oldies like myself joined a Lenten Walk, a Stations of the Cross procession to a large hill.  The group met at the Old Cathedral for the First Station and worked its way through the streets of Damongo (about 1.5 miles walk) to the bottom of the hill where the 13^th Station was prayed.  Karen and I did not actually join the procession but went to the hill together with the men who carried the table, chairs, and other provisions for the day’s activities.  The Bishop must have known that we would slow down the group as they made their way to the top of the hill, so he requested Karen to drive the volunteers to the site. 

Our penance for the Holy Week actually began that day.  It was difficult for us and at some point, Karen and I were on our hands and knees as we climbed the hill.  Everything had been set-up by the time the group arrived for the 14^th Station.  As we sat down on the rocks and branches of trees for the Bishop’s recollection, it reminded me of what it might have been at Christ’s sermon on the mount.  

A Penitential service followed the recollection with confessions made available for those who wanted it.  The culmination of the day’s event was the celebration of the Mass.  Going down the hill was scarier as we were worried that we would slip and just fall.  A seminarian and a few students were assigned to help us, and we made it.  It was an exhausting day but truly blessed.  Karen and I arrived home at 4:30 p.m. and woke up the next morning to get ready for the Palm Sunday Mass.

Palm Sunday

The Palm Sunday celebration began with the blessing of the Palms by the Bishop and a procession from the Agri school to the Cathedral, a distance of 1.4 kms.  As everyone processed into the Church drums were playing, parishioners were dancing and singing Hallelujah. It was a site to behold. Everyone was dressed in their finest.  The Cathedral was almost a sea of red that day.

Chrism Mass

We had the Chrism Mass on Wednesday.  All but one of the 38 priests of the Diocese were there for the renewal of their ordination vows and the blessing of the oils. This Mass celebrates the institution of the priesthood.  The Bishop also blessed and explained the (1) Oil of the Sick used for the anointing of the sick, (2) the oil of the Catechumen used for those catechumens who are preparing for the Easter Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist and (3) the Sacred Chrism used in the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Ordination of Priests, in the dedication of Churches and altars. These oils were received by the parish community at the Evening Mass of Thursday of the Lord’s Supper. For the Diocese of Ghana this year’s Chrism mass was very touching with the presence of a priest participating in his Chrism Mass for the first time. During the announcement before the final blessing, the young priest was introduced to the parishioners.  I was also briefly introduced to the community as the new missionary to serve the Diocese.  A luncheon was prepared by the Bishop for his priests, and Karen and I were invited.  This gave me an opportunity to meet the priests personally. 

Arrived Safely In Ghana

At last, I am in Ghana!  The trip to Damongo, Ghana was long and exhausting– 15.52 hour of actual air travel, 2 hours of land travel, 2.5 hours layover and about 4 hours of overall entry and exit process at two airports.

Upon arrival at Accra (first stop in my Ghana adventure), I was greeted with scorching temperatures that I am unaccustomed to.  The process of entering the country was long and cumbersome.  With 4 suitcases, a carry-on luggage, and a backpack, I was worried how I would manage.  But a lot of people must have been praying for me that day.  I had wheelchair assistance (due to a pulled muscle I suffered before I left) from the moment I stepped out of the plane.  Michael, the man assisting me, was probably the supervisor of the passenger assistance group and was given preferential treatment and we were breezing through all the required steps. He also took care of my luggage and requested the customs officer to no longer open a suitcase (apparently a regulation) because I would have to stand up. It was good to finally arrive at the Diocese guesthouse and stay in an air-conditioned room for the night. 

The air travel to Tamale took one hour but to board and deboard the plane, one has to walk through the tarmac to get to the plane.  This was alright but the flight was at 12 noon and the sun was really blazing hot.  Upon arrival in Tamale, a gentleman came to assist me.  His name was George, and he was actually not scheduled to work that day but our missionary in Damongo, Karen Hunka had arranged for him to come and help me.  I was expecting to see Karen and Headmistress Mary at the airport but was instead greeted by the Bishop of Damongo. He had excused himself from his meeting in Tamale to come to the airport.  This was truly a surprise and unexpected blessing.  The Bishop even took me to lunch at the Tamale Guesthouse restaurant. He had arranged for his driver to take me to Damongo as he was staying behind to continue with his activities at Tamale. The drive to Damongo took all of 2 hours and I was brought home to Karen’s house.

Karen is such a gracious host.  She took the day-off the following day to bring me to the Damongo market to get my phone and sim card.  She also took me to my first taste of Ghanian food. I had Banku, a cooked slightly fermented cassava dough and ground nut chicken stew eaten with your hands.  It was agreeable but different, but I am sure in time it would grow on me.

I stay at the St. Anne’s Girls High School compound with 30 students and some teachers.  It is a boarding school like all schools in Ghana.  I had the opportunity to join the ladies at their Friday Mass at 6 am and also their entertainment night on Saturday evening.  It was such a fun night with the ladies showcasing their singing and dancing prowess.

On Sunday, I attended the Mass at the Cathedral.  Everything I heard about the length of the liturgy service was right.  It is rather long compared to our Masses in the USA.  That first Sunday Mass I attended was about 2.5 hours which according to local folks was short.  The liturgy was lively, a lot of singing and dancing.  Everyone stood up for the collection bringing their offering to the altar with some even dancing their way to the front.  The offering procession was also different in that after the host and wine are brought up to the priest at the altar, ladies and a few gentlemen would come to bring offerings of fruits, vegetable, bread, grains, water, etc.  It was a delight to witness.  The one thing I realized is that the Church is truly UNIVERSAL.

As I continue this journey and face challenges along the way like WIFI access, the heat and getting my morning cup of brewed coffee, milk, and other staples I am accustomed to, I just have to remind myself that I am now in the Savannah Region of Ghana.  I need to let go of the comforts of home so that I can be present for the people I will serve.

"It is important to realize that you cannot journey to a new place and at the same time stay where you are.”     - Matthew Kelley, Rediscover Jesus 

No Unforseen Detours

Life can change in a single moment.  This is not just the stuff seen in movies.  Our life can really change in an instant, for better or for worse.

All my bags were packed, ready to return to Los Angeles mid-January to get ready for my mission journey to Ghana and in an instant my plans had to change.  I will not be able to leave Manila until February 22.  For someone who thrives in making contingency strategies this was very difficult.   I was helpless to do anything – things were just not happening the way I had intended them. I finally made it to the Mission House in February and was scheduled to leave for Ghana on March 15. But again, this was not to be.  All these changes have been very challenging and has caused anxiety. 

However, looking back I can now say that there are no unforeseen detours. It was, in fact, for the better and not for the worse.  I know now that nothing is unplanned for, nothing left to chance. And there is nothing to fear, nothing to dread. Nothing to get upset about.  I am being taught the way of trust, surrender and hope. 

As I finally leave for Ghana tomorrow (3/22), I bring with me Thomas Merton’s A Prayer of Unknowing as a reminder that I do not journey alone – that it is in fact OUR PATH (Christ and mine) designed specifically for us.

 A Prayer of Unknowing By Thomas Merton

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that, if I do this, You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone. Amen.

– Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude, page 79.

Answering the Call to Mission

 

“Wherever you are and wherever you feel called to go, whatever you are doing and whatever you feel called to do next, choose something today that moves you in the direction of your dreams.”

                                                             From Matthew Kelly’s Book life is messy

I am Josie Cruz, a parishioner of St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal in Delano, California. I will be serving as a Lay Mission Helper missionary in the Diocese of Damongo, Ghana as an accountant in the Bishop’s office.

How did I get here? Five years ago, while attending the Los Angeles Religious (LA RELED) Conference in Anaheim, CA, I saw the LMH booth and approached it only wanting to find out what the “Lay” in the organization’s name meant. The staff were very gracious and answered my question and some more. I kept the brochure they gave and anytime I would look at it, I felt a slight nudge in the heart. But I resisted and refused to acknowledge this growing desire to pursue the missionary life.

Each year as I attended the LA RELED, I would purposely avoid the aisle where the LMH booth was located for fear that I would be swayed to join the group. I bargained with God that I was not ready and still had a few more things I had to accomplish.

A visiting priest came to our parish one Sunday and gave a homily on sacrifice and said that true sacrifice meant giving up what we had little of or giving up what we value most and that for me was time. The next Sunday, another priest came, and his sermon centered on the fiat of Mary and asked us to give our “yes” to God without conditions just like our Mother. These two talks really affected me. I knew that it was time for me to give my UNCONDITIONAL YES to the call of the missions.

I thought that it would be smooth sailing from here but I again I was tested. First, I had a tough time convincing my parish priest that I was mission ready.  Then came COVID-19 which delayed my formation for one year.

I am now in the mission house in Los Angeles for the formation program which began on August 23 this year. I will be commissioned on December 5, 2021, and I am excited to meet Christ in the people of Ghana next year.  With your prayers and God’s providence I know that I will complete my mission.