Noticias ICERGUA |
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NEWS: FEBRUARY DE 2009 |
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FEBRUARY NEWS:
THE BISHOP’S TRAVELS, AND MORE
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As we begin the February News we have to ask for your indulgence in two matters:
1. The first is the absence of photographs. Owing to technical problems with the camera, the photos documenting the various activities were lost.
2. The second is that we have not yet received information from the various deaneries by the deadline, so we have to be content with retracing our bishop’s travels.
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February 7-8. CALIFORNIA VISIT |
Responding to inquiries posed by some of the communities located in California that consist of brothers and sisters whose family roots are in Guatemala and are part of our church, the bishop went to California during the first week of February. He celebrated the Eucharist in two of the communities and on Sunday the 8th in morning he met with the directors of the four communities that are interested in establishing an alliance with ICERGUA.
Since it was a first contact, a follow-up meeting was set for the month of March to see which communities are prepared to establish the alliance and be able to serve as the base for establishing an ICERGUA mission in California.
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| February 11. BLESSING THE ANTIGUA CENTER OF SPECIAL EDUCATION |
On the morning of Wednesday February 11, the bishop blessed the Center of Special Education located in San Felipe, Antigua Guatemala. The Center cares for 34 special children. It works through volunteer service, and ICERGUA has accepted the responsibility for the chapel at the Center. This will involve attending spiritually and sacramentally to the parents of the children at the Center as well as the children themselves.
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| February 12. PROFESSION OF PADRE SILAS |
On Thursday the 12th during a solemn celebration of the Eucharist, the bishop, responding to an inquiry presented by Father Silas Ferreira, received his first vows and his commitment to live the Gospel precepts with radicality. As a visible sign of his consecration, Father Silas will from now on wear a habit. Brother Manlio Escobar, coordinator of the Catholic Apostolate María and his wife were the sponsors. ICERGUA maintains openness to welcome and channel special inquiries of its members that stir them to live with greater radicality their life of following the Lord and giving witness to the Gospel.
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| February 13. MASS AT CHUITZANCHAJ AND PAJOMEL |
On Friday the thirteenth in the afternoon the bishop visited the communities of Chuitzanchaj and Pajomel in the upland section of the municipality of Santa Cruz La Laguna. These communities are growing rapidly and its members are continuing with great enthusiasm to try to get mission activity in the surrounding area underway.
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| February 14. SEMINARIANS’ PASTORAL EXPERIENCE |
On February 14 the weekend pastoral work of the seminarians began. This year there are some new places for this work. For four seminarians the pastoral experience will consist of teaching in ESTYMLA, which this year will have an extension in Nebaj and another in Chajul, offering the diploma in Catechism and Life in the Spirit. The seminarians who will participate are Subdeacon Juan Moisés, Pedro, Marco Tulio and Armando. In the upper villages of Santa Cruz La Laguna Julian and Luis Fernando will work. Estuardo and Mauro will be working in the sections of Santa Cruz La Laguna that are near to the lake. In Mataquescuintla and La Esperanza, Jalapa, Nelson and Juan Gabriel will work. In Comlapa, Orlando. In San José Poaquil, Gliserio and Rubén. In Tzanixnam, Totonicapán, Ismael. In Los Guates, San Juan Sacatepéquez, Higinio and José Cucul. In San Juan Gascón, Antigua, José Hernández and Baltasar. In El Guayabel, Antigua, Julio and Jorge. In Vuelta Grande, Antigua, and Siquinalá, Escuintla, Mauricio and Josué. In Sacojito, Chinautla, Ambrosio and Eduardo. In Villa Nueva, Yaider. Other seminarians, for academic or personal reasons, do not yet have a specific pastoral assignment for weekends.
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| February 14. ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES IN HUEHUETENANGO |
During the morning of the fourteenth, the meeting of the delegates of Huehuetenango for the area covered by the South Deanery of Huehuetenango (which also includes San Marcos and Totonicapán) took place. The many representatives came from all the regions and parishes within the deanery.
The bishop addressed the delegates on the theme, “Eucharist and Life in the Communities.” The message aimed to deepen the sensibility of the Eucharistic celebration and awareness that celebrations done by ministers of the Word, with the distribution of the Communion are only a means of extending the Eucharistic celebration, and never a substitute for it.
On this occasion the scheduling of pastoral care for the deanery of the South Huehuetenango for March took place. Scheduling the other deaneries is done directly in the deaneries by the priests who are in charge of them.
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| February 14. VISIT TO LA VEGA DE COLOTENANGO |
On the afternoon of the 14th, the visit to the Community of “La Vega,” Comalapa, was carried out. Located about 45 kilometers from Huehuetenango at Km 10 on the Panamerican highway, the community is growing in a surprising way. The members have built a large, beautiful church. In addition, the missionary spirit of its members is driving the creation of new communities in the wards of the municipality. Their goal is to meet the requirements for being constituted as a parish. Given the speed and enthusiasm with which they are growing, they are not far from reaching their goal.
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| February 15. VISIT TO PAQUIX IN CHIANTLA |
On Sunday the 15th in the morning the bishop celebrated Eucharist in one of the communities located in the highlands of the Cuchumatanes at about 10,400 feet above sea level. The community was celebrating its anniversary. Some 1500 brothers and sisters participated in the celebration. In addition to the Eucharist, baptisms and marriages were also celebrated.
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| February 15. CELEBRACIÓN IN BRASILIA, HUEHUETENANGO |
Around midday the Community of Brasilia, located in Zone 7 of the city of Huehuetenango, had a celebration of First Communions.
In spite of difficulties, the community continues to grow consistently, and its members identify themselves with and commit themselves to the Communion more and more.
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| February 16. MEETING WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE SAN JOSE ORATORIO |
During the evening of the 16th the bishop met for the first time with representatives of the “San José Oratorio” in a residence in Zone 16.
The Oratorio is a pastoral community, inspired by Father Herbert Urrutia.
Some 40 representatives were in attendance.
The goal of the meeting was to share a number of things about the identity, life and mission of ICERGUA.
Some of the participants witnessed to how much the meeting with ICERGUA had meant for them and how through it they were finding a way to rediscover the genuine meaning of the catholic faith and a way to develop an active communion with the Apostolic Tradition.
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| February 20. DEANERY OF THE VERAPACES AND PETÉN |
On Friday the 20th in the morning, the trimestral meeting of the Deanery of the North (the two Verapaces and Petén) took place. Delegates were present from the parishes and regions.
As at the Huehuetenango meeting the bishop’s address was on the theme of the Eucharist.
Many participants insisted on the urgency of having a short version of the book of readings, “The Church on the Move,” in the K’ekchí language. To the extent possible, means will be found to meet the request, given the importance that such an edition will have in responding to the deanery’s pastoral needs.
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| February 20. CONSTRUCTION OF THE MISSION CENTER OF THE NORTH |
Construction of the Mission Center for the North Deanery, located in Tomtem, Cobán, began in November, 2008. The construction of the walls is practically complete. Soon the roof will be begun and, God willing, within a few months the new building will be ready for the priests to move into. At he present, the seat of the Center is in rented spaces located in the vicinity where the new construction is going on.
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| February 21. ALLIANCE IN CHISEC |
After years of maturation and of suffering threats and persecutions, the brothers of the center of Chisec, Alta Verapaz formed an alliance with ICERGUA on Saturday the 21st of February. Some 300 brothers and sisters participated in the Eucharistic celebration, presided by the bishop. Some of them came from nearby communities. The community of Chisec has a community radio station, which broadcasts and stimulates the mission of ICERGUA. The communities of the municipality of Chisec are organizing to be ready to be constituted as a parish in the future.
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| February 21. VISIT TO SAN FERNANDO, SAYAJCHÉ, PETÉN |
On the afternoon of February 21, the bishop celebrated Mass in the community of San Fernando, Sayajché. San Fernando was chosen as the operational center of the communities located in the south of Sayajché and north of Chisec. These communities are also committed to become organized and to expand in order to meet the requirements previously established for becoming a parish.
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| February 22. CELEBRATION IN SANTO TOMÁS PURAHÚ |
On the morning of February 22 the bishop visited the community of Santo Tomás Purahú. This community, located about 20 kilometers north of the city of Cobán is characterized by its apostolic zeal and dynamism. The church is constructed on a beautiful hill, which dominates the entire panorama. Its current commitment is missionary action to develop new communities in the surrounding villages. |
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| February 22. MASS IN SAN JUAN CHAMELCO |
During the afternoon of the 22nd, Mass was celebrated in one of the communities of Juan Chamelco, located about three kilometers from the main city and ten from Cobán. About 150 brothers and sisters participated, and baptisms were celebrated in this, the first of the new communities of the municipality. Brother Avelino, leader of the communities in the municipality, is strongly committed to mission activity. In addition there was a blessing for the catechetical students who are preparing themselves to take the sacrament. |
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| February 27. MINISTERIAL INSTITUTIONS IN JAIBALITO, SOLOLÁ |
On January 31, the Community of Jaibalito, Santa Cruz La Laguna Sololá, had a moment of special transcendence, having received the permanent presence of the most holy sacrament in its church.
On that occasion the celebration was presided by Father Santos Acosta. The Eucharist celebration included a solemn procession with the holy sacrament from the shore of the lake to the church. However, they were still waiting to have the ministers of the communion who would be able to distribute it when the community meets and does not celebrate the Mass.
This was the reason for the visit that the bishop made on Friday, February 27, in the afternoon. Two brothers, elected by the community and educated by the seminarians, were installed to perform the distribution of the communion. With this installation the community is taking a further step in the process of consolidation.
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| February 21 and 28. THE ACADEMIC YEAR BEGINS FOR ESTYMLA |
The weekends of February 21-22 and 28- March 1 marked the start of the 2009 academic year for the School of Theology and Ministerial Education for the People of God (ESTYMLA, as per the initials of its Spanish name). Thirty-one new students participated, six more than started last year. In addition, those who had completed the first year and those who are studying for the Diploma in Theology and have to study for a total of three years were there to continue their work. We hope that in the future communities will elect and the deaneries ratify the election of candidates from the graduates of this school who are prepared to be ordained as “permanent deacons.” |
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| February 28. EUCHARIST CELEBRATIONS IN CONCEPCIÓN TUTUAPA, SAN MARCOS |
On the morning and midday of the 28th, the bishop celebrated the Eucharist in the two communities of ICERGUA in Concepción Tutuapa, San Marcos. In spite of the difficulties and persecution that the brothers and sisters in this area have suffered, the growth and consolidation of these communities was noteworthy.
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| February 28. ANIVERSARY IN CHINACÁ |
In the evening of February 28, on the celebration of the anniversary of the community of Chinacá, Huehuetenango, the bishop presided at the Eucharist in the church. The celebration was enlivened by the youth of the community. The participation was large, and the sanctifying presence of the Lord through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was experienced. |
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