Our bishop began the year by visiting the Yulbá Community in the Cuilco Parish.

Over the past few years, this New Years visit has been a tradition.

The community expressed to the bishop its promise to continue working fervently to carry out the mission that Jesus entrusted to the apostles.

Father Pedro Martínez, the pastor of this parish, accompanied the bishop.

Right:  Brother Fausto, the community leader, holding the book of the Gospel for Father Pedro for the proclamation of the Gospel.

The Yulbá Community has grown a lot, so it is building a larger church.

After the celebration of the Eucharist, the faithful remained in the church to plan the construction work, which is to begin February 2.  The new building will be in the same location, but will have twice the capacity of the present building.

At midday, the bishop made his first visit to the Chilcal Community, also in the Cuilco Parish.

In order to receive the bishop, the young people in the community prepared a series of special activities, among them the construction of an arch made of balloons and the symbolic cutting of the ribbon.

The Chilcal Community has grown a lot. It is well organized, and the members are enthusiastic, especially those who participate in the music and young people ministries.

During the homily the bishop unfolded the implications of the mystery of the Incarnation and Motherhood of Mary.

The People of God paid close attention to the homily and participated actively in the whole celebration.

A large percentage of the faithful present came forward to receive communion.

In the afternoon, Monsignor Eduardo presided at the Eucharistic celebration in the central seat of the Inspiración del Espíritu Santo Parish, in downtown Cuilco.

On the occasion, the Confirmation of some of the faithful, who had been thoroughly prepared, was administered.

The faithful participated in the celebration with great joy and renewed their commitment to continue working in the New Year to live fully the Catholic Church that the Lord founded when he sent the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

At the end, Father Pedro, in the name of the entire parish, thanked the bishop for the New Years Day visit.

For his part, the bishop congratulated Father Pedro and all the servants and the community in general for the renewal of their commitment. He urged them to go on working for the Kingdom of God, each day with more and more enthusiasm.

On Monday, January 2, the Deanery of West Huehuetenango took place in the Jacaltenango center. 

This deanery includes the municipalities of Jacaltenango, Concepción, and San Antonio Huista.

The event began with the news of successes and concerns, reported in succession by the community representatives.

Right:  The leader of the Tzisbaj Community reporting on his community.

During the instruction period, the bishop illustrated the characteristics of our mission, which correspond fully to what the Lord entrusted to the apostles after the Resurrection.

The faithful accepted the commitment to work for the complete renewal of personal, family, and community life.

A special moment was the presentation by brother Ramón, President of the Pastoral Council, of a request for the creation of a Renewed Catholic Parish in the area surrounding Jacaltenango.

March 30 was set as the date on which, following the next deanery, the parish will be created.

In the afternoon, the bishop visited the Chejbal Community, in the area below Jacaltenango.

A crowd of the faithful waited for the bishop at the entrance to the community and accompanied him to the church.

In view of the number participating, the Eucharist was celebrated in the small plaza in front of the church.

The faithful were spiritually prepared for the celebration.

That meant that the participation in the sacrament of Reconciliation, with which the celebration began, was massive and deeply devout.

The music ministry was also thoroughly prepared. Its members decided to install all their equipment at an elevated place beside the altar.

Their skill enabled them to energize the liturgy with appropriate and well-rehearsed songs.

Father Santos Acosta, the pastor in this area, accompanied the bishop throughout the pastoral visit in the Jacaltenango area.

Left:  Father Santos in the foreground, distributing communion to the People of God.

In the evening, the bishop visited for the second time the Buxup Commujnity, also in Jacaltenango.

This community only began at the end of 2010, at that time consisting of fifteen families.

Today there are more than sixty, and more new families are continuously being added.

The community has already bought a lot for its church building.

It is located at the top of a hill in the center of the community. It was formerly a Maya ceremonial center. Now the Lord has chosen to change it into the center from which the Catholic Church that Christ founded and which was born on Pentecost will radiate the light of the Gospel and take to everyone the love and reconciliation of the Kingdom.

During the homily the bishop explained, in the light of readings prescribed for the liturgy of the day, in detail the characteristics of the evangelical work that we do.

The Buxup communion ministers had been installed a few days before when the bishop visited the Tzisbaj Community to administer Confirmations.  They participated fully in the celebration, presenting in the name of the People of God the offerings of bread and wine.

On Tuesday, January 3, the Deanery of Northwest Huehuetenango took place in the Guaxacaná Community, Nentón.

Faithful members from most of the communities participated, and each of the representatives explained the current situation of his or her community.

There was considerable conversation about the work to be done in 2012 in order to make the mission work effective.

It was agreed that one of the projects this year would be to establish a continuous missionary presence in the area. Brother Edwin Telón will be charged along with other faithful to lead the missionary evangelism.

Education was also discussed.

At the end the necessity was seen of monthly instruction specifically for catechists, liturgy leaders, and those charged with holding seminars on life in the Holy Spirit.

Seminarian José Alfredo Hernández, the Academic Coordinator of DETYM Huehuetenango accepted the responsibility of coordinating the education process.

After midday, the Eucharist was celebrated with the Guaxacaná Community.  The community was joyful because in recent weeks four new families from various congregations have joined it.  This prompted the faithful to renew their missionary commitment, which in fact they have maintained for a long time.

Left:  In the name of the whole People of God, the communion ministers presented the gifts for the Eucharistic celebration.

In the afternoon of January 3, the bishop presided at the Eucharist with the Trinidad Community, also in the municipality of Nentón.

This community has had difficulties. However, at present it seems to be experiencing a time of deep hopefulness, not only because several families have joined the community, but also because its members feel called to commit themselves to carry out the evangelizing mission.

During the homily the bishop urged the faithful not to let their projects be ideas only but, strengthened by the blessings that the Lord has given them, concrete in an efficacious commitment.

On Wednesday, January 4, the Deanery of North Huehuetenango took place in Santa Cruz Barillas.

 

All the communities of Santa Cruz Barillas and of San Mateo Ixtatán took part.

This is the deanery with the most members. There are about 45,000 in Santa Cruz Barillas. In San Mateo Ixtatán, following the strong growth of the existing communities and the addition of numerous new communities, the number is approaching 15,000.

A hundred delegates participated in the meeting.

In Barillas, the parish is organized into six pastoral centers. Each representative of a center made a report on what is going on in that center.

In San Mateo there are three pastoral centers: in the city, in the west above the city and in area below the north.

In addition there were delegates from the Nucá area and other villages, which will be established as a Renewed Catholic Parish on January 6.

During the instruction period, there was ample time for raising concerns and questions on different topics.

One of the concerns of the faithful, which is also found in other areas, had to do with the Baptism of children. On the basis of Holy Scripture, the bishop explained that this practice is well established and the sacrament has been administered to infants since the earliest times of the church.

The commitment was made to continue to go deeper into the various topics that are often wrongly interpreted today in some religious circles.

Right:  The faithful raising their hands to commit themselves actively to the mission effort that we have begun and whose goal is to take everywhere the Catholic Church that was born on Pentecost, so that the work, methods, and efficacy of each of our communities may be modeled after the Church in the first years of Christianity.

In the afternoon of January 4, the bishop visited the Cuatro Caminos Community.

This community made a covenant with us just last year. It has already grown substantiallly and includes many families among its active members.

When the community began, the faithful built a temporary church in which the celebration took place. However, thanks to everyone’s efforts, they have acquired a piece of land on which they are planning to build a permanent church.

The bishop’s arrival was prepared by instructing thoroughly seven young men and women to receive the sacrament of Confirmation.

During the bishop’s visit, there was also the installation of the brother who has been chosen by the community to serve as communion minister and trained by those responsible. Father Hugo Patzán, the pastor of the Glorificación de Santa María Catholic Parish, Barillas, accompanied the bishop.

On Thursday morning, January 5, Monsignor Eduardo came to the La Florida Community, also in the municipality of Barillas.

Those responsible had prepared a group of the faithful to receive the sacrament of Confirmation.

The community has a spacious church, which holds about two thousand people, built in the style of an auditorium.

Recently, thanks to the work of several leaders, it has experienced considerable growth.

The sacrament of Confirmation was received by several of the faithful who recently joined the community, thereby ratifying their admission into the church. It implied the commitment to work actively in witnessing to the Gospel.

Left:  Those confirmed praying on their knees while the bishop administered the sacrament:  “Father, may these your children produce by their witness the same fruit that was produced through the first proclamation of the Gospel.”

Among those attending the celebration was the father of Father Hugo who, along with his wife, had come to visit their son, the pastor. Originally from Pacul in the municipality of Santiago Sacatepéquez, in the Department of Sacatepéquez, they made the long trip to Barillas, expressing their solidarity with Father Hugo’s ministry.

In the afternoon of January 5, it was the turn of the Quetzal Community in the west of Barillas to host the bishop.

Left:  Father Hugo requesting the administration of the sacrament of Confirmation for about forty of the faithful, who had been thoroughly prepared.

In the homily the bishop instructed those who received the sacrament concerning the commitments that they are accepting upon receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit: living and working as the Apostles lived and worked.

In response to the homily, the faithful expressed their acceptance of the commitment and promised to do all possible to be fully faithful to the gift that would be given them.

“Servant of God, you are marked with the sign of the Cross and anointed with the chrism of salvation that in you the gift of the Holy Spirit may be confirmed.”

After the Eucharist, the confirmands prayed piously, asking the Lord for the strength to carry out faithfully the mission that had been entrusted to them.

January 6 was of special importance for the communities organized into the Renewed Catholic community in Nucá, located in the extreme southwest of the municipality of Barillas: it was not only the thirty-second anniversary of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit but, after several years of careful pastoral and organizational work, it was the day on which under the leadership of Father Marcos Caicedo it was to be proclaimed as the Renewed Catholic Parish of La Epifanía.

After Father Hugo finished proclaiming the Gospel, the bishop blessed the People of God with the Book of the Gospels.

After the homily and the reading of the request for the creation of the parish, read by Father Marcos Caicedo, while the coordinators of the various councils proceeded to sign the request in public, the bishop read the decree creating the parish.

After reading the decree, he delivered it to brother Andrés, president of the Parish Council, who joyfully presented it to the People of God, gathered for the celebration.

For Monsignor Eduardo’s visit, Father Marcos had prepared a group of young people to receive the sacrament of Confirmation.

Left:  The bishop doing the preparatory epiclesis, before beginning the chrismation.

In addition to Father Marcos Caicedo, who has been the pastor of the Center and now Parish, Father Hugo, pastor in Santa Cruz Barillas and Father Fredy Mux, pastor in Santa Eulalia, participated in the celebration because their parishes are adjacent to the new one.

The number of the faithful participating was multitudinous. The celebrations of preparation had begun the preceding day and would last through the next day, when the anniversary of Radio Nueva Vida was to be celebrated.

Likewise the participation in Communion was enormous. It was a sign of the community’s preparation for being the center of a vibrant, well-organized community, ready to proclaim the Gospel and carry out effectively the mission that Jesus entrusted to the apostles.

On the afternoon of January 6, the bishop visited the Coyá Community in the municipality of San Miguel Acatán.

The faithful participated in good number and received Monsignor Eduardo affectionately and joyfully.

Brother Marcos, coordinator of the San Miguel Pastoral Center, which is part of the Los Santos Arcángeles Parish, whose seat is in San Rafael la Independencia, was chosen to proclaim the first reading, which was taken from the first letter of the apostle St. John.

After the homily, two young men received the sacrament of Confirmation, having committed themselves to live and proclaim the gospel as the apostles had.

The mood was deeply prayerful. The entire People of God felt called to the commitment to live the Church as it was in the first days of Christianity.

In the evening of January 6, it was the turn of the Cololaj Community. The principal reason was the installation of brother Francisco as communion minister.

Left:  Brother Francisco, in the extreme right, in prayer.

Right: The request for the installation being made by brother Juan Tomás, coordinator of the community.

After the installation the bishop presented brother Francisco to the community. Full of humility, he was visibly moved by the charge he had received.

During the ritual of Peace, the entire community ratified their choice of the new minister, coming up and greeting him effusively.

On  Saturday, January 7, the Deanery of Central Huehuetenango was celebrated in the San Miguelito Church located in Santa Eulalia.

This deanery is formed of the parishes of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Soloma), Santa Eulalia, San José (eastern villages of Santa Eulalia) and Los Santos Arcángeles (San Rafael, San Miguel, and San Sebastián Coatán).

Each representative of the parishes or pastoral centers made a detailed report on the pastoral work in his or her area.

Afterwards the bishop led an instruction period that addressed the fact that each of the parishes and communities had promised to work to reflect, in the most appropriate way, the style of life and ministry that, according to the book of Acts, characterized the first Christian communities.

At the end of the meeting, the bishop explained to the participants the form, used since the time of the great ecumenical councils, of making the sign of the cross: with the thumb and first two fingers joined to symbolize the confession of the Holy Trinity and the ring and baby fingers bent to symbolize the confession of true humanity and true humanity of Jesus Christ.

On Sunday, January 8, in the San Lucas Seminary, Monsignor Eduardo presided at the Eucharistic celebration, attended by members of his family, to mark the eighty-third anniversary of the birth of his mother, Doña Anna Oestmann de Aguirre.

The celebration began with the administration of individual Absolution and the sacrament of Reconciliation.

Left:  those participating in the sacrament of Reconciliation, coming forward to receive Absolution.

During the homily in the liturgy celebrating the Epiphany of the Lord, the bishop stressed the importance of living with the openness of the wise men from the east in order to be aware of the manifestations of the Lord and to be able to recognize his presence in the midst of all aspects of life.

With the Eucharistic Communion, which implies the reaffirmation of the communion of the saints, the celebration reached its culmination.

From January 9 through 12 the full ICERGUA Presbytery and representatives of the Presbyteries of Mexico and Venezuela took place at the San Lucas seminary.

Our bishop, Monsignor Eduardo, was, as is the custom, responsible for facilitating the exercises.  The spiritual theme revolved around the calling, spirituality, and mission of the apostle.

The theme of the instructional sessions was the elements that constituted the Church and sacramental practice of the first days of Christianity.

The meditations, whose basic theme is in the attached document, were carried out in the chapel in the face of the Most Holy Sacrament and was followed by a time of personal prayer.

The instruction periods were held in the seminary classrooms.

The session in which the structure and content of the Ordinary of the Divine Liturgy was reviewed with minute care was particularly important.

It was decided to implement small changes in the liturgy: in the intercession, in addition to praying for the bishop of Rome, with which the prayer begins at present, will be the words, “and for other bishops, pastors, ministers and servants, who in their faithfulness to the truth promote the catholic and apostolic faith.”

Besides this, after the Our Father and Liberate us, Lord, in the place of the present greeting, the Trinity greeting will be introduced, “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of the Father and the Communion of the Holy Spirit be with you.”

On the last day and before the concluding Eucharist celebration, the bishop gave each of the presbyters the tunic and chasuble-stole that will be used for the celebration of the Eucharist and other sacraments.

After putting on these robes, but before the celebration, several of the brothers posed for some photographs.

Left:  Next to the bishop are the members of the Presbyterial Council: Fathers Santos Acosta Sol, Rigoberto Upún and Francisco Simón.

Right:  With the bishop are the delegates from Mexico who participated in the retreat: Fathers Mario Antonio López and Jesús Nicolás Gómez, Vicar General of ICREM (Renewed Catholic Church of Mexico).

Left:  With the bishop is Father José Roberto Aguirre Lima, organizer of ICERVE (Renewed Catholic Ecumenical Church of Venezuela) and its Vicar General.

Right:  From left to right: Fathers Pedro Martínez, Orlando López, Denis Obando, Marco Tulio Calderón, Marcos Caicedo, Felipe Corimanya, Mario López, José Hernández, Herberth Urrutia, Santos Acosta, Rigoberto Upún, the bishop, Francisco Simón, Gildardo Ramírez, Hugo Patzán, Nicolás Gómez, Yaider Jiménez, José Roberto Aguirre, Juan Moisés Mendoza, Fredi Mux, Bernabé Mateo, and Fredy González. Father José Níñez had had to leave a few minutes before for a pastoral obligation.

The liturgy used the entire Old Catholic Orthodox rite. It had been approved for the regular liturgies of ICERGUA, although the version now in use is still provisional, as liturgical expressions are being perfected and other changes in small details may be required.

The general mood of the exercises was one of listening to the Lord and trying to respond wholly to the call and mission that the Lord gives us.

There were some difficult moments, but these served to deepen more fully the ecclesial communion, identity, and sense of our mission.

In light of the liturgical readings, the bishop summed up in the homily the lines that have run through the Exercises.

It was clear to everyone that our mission as ordained ministers and as a Church is to be completely identified with the mission entrusted to the apostles by the Lord and with the life of the early Church. From this serious, objective perspective, above which there is no appeal and which applies to anyone who wants to maintain a fully Catholic identity, we see that we must exert ourselves to continue our personal conversions and carry forward the organization and revitalization of our communities and with the evangelizing mission.

An especially moving moment of the celebration was the praying of the Our Father and its final acclamation, “Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory forever, Lord.”

The exercises ended with lunch, which, like all the other meals, was shared with unadorned cordiality in the Seminary dining room.

During the retreat, the dates for the other meetings of the Presbytery were set:  the Chrismal Mass, the July and September meetings, and the Vespers of the Church’s anniversary, which, God willing, will be celebrated October 27 in the San Lucas Seminary.

On Saturday afternoon, January 14, within the frame of the monthly trip Monsignor Eduardo makes to the Renewed Catholic parish of San Miguel Arcángel in Los Angeles, California, the radio program, “Boldly Win Souls for Christ,” was broadcast from what is known as Studio Three and which comes from Radio Nueva Vida in Nucá.

On this occasion, the program had two special features. First, many of the faithful participated physically in the broadcast. They had come not only to show their solidarity but also to pose questions and ask for clarifications on some theological themes.  Second, was the participation of members of different places who were following the broadcast by means of internet or radio.

In late afternoon, the Parish Eucharist was celebrated in the Parish See.

The bishop was especially happy to see the renewed promise that the faithful had made to make parish function effectively as a parish and to take note that the various services proper to a parish were being organized—catechism, education, and so on.

During the homily the bishop urged the People of God to live the faith as a true calling, based on the experience of which the Lord told us and invited us to be his witnesses in the world.

Brothers Francisco and Pedro, recently installed as Communion Ministers, presented the People’s offering for the sacrifice.

The mood of the celebration was festive and enthusiastic. At the end, several participants, such as the girl in the photograph at right, came forward to greet the bishop.

On Saturday, January 14, as always on the bishop’s visits to the California communities, he celebrated the Eucharist with the Pacto Divino Community.

The bishop found the faithful very excited, active in a number of projects for the New Year, which gave him immense joy.

In the homily the bishop stressed the importance that every Renewed Catholic be aware of the calling to be a prophet and, in order to fulfill this calling, be in continuous communion with the Lord.

In the evening the bishop visited the Restauración en el Espíritu Santo Community. The celebration of the Eucharist concluded the first part of a vigil that was to go on until midnight.

In conversation with the bishop, the faithful expressed their joy for the arrival of some faithful who have joined the community as completely committed members.

Before taking his leave, the bishop encouraged all the people to persevere in their commitment, and he invited them as temples of the Holy Spirit and prophets of the Lord to promise to give witness actively to the Gospel in the midst of every aspect of their lives.

The meeting of the Los Angeles branch of DETYM was extremely positive. More than fifty faithful participated.

In the last meeting it had been agreed that for the January 15 meeting the theme would be open for participants’ questions and concerns.

Perhaps that was the reason why so many faithful came.

The first topic taken up was the text of Matthew 16:18, which was explained in accord with the many witnesses to this passage of scripture and the teachings of the Fathers of the Church.

After that, a series of questions came up that had to do with means of communications and other things.

They all expressed satisfaction with the session.

God willing, the next session will be Sunday, February 12.

The theme then will be nature of the primacy of the Apostle Peter according to the Scriptures and a study of the roots of the primacy of Rome and Constantinople.

In this way the faithful are reinforcing their faith, being based in the Holy Scripture and in the study of the history of the Church and the teachings of the Church Fathers.

Instruction ended with the celebration of the Eucharist for the participants.

The liturgical music was in charge of the ministry that accompanied the celebration with marimba, well prepared and solemnly performed.

In light of the liturgical readings, the bishop reminded the participants that as temples of the Holy Spirit, we are called to live a life of service to God and witness to the Gospel in all the world.

The presentation of the gifts of the community for the Eucharistic celebration was in charge of the Communion Ministers, Brothers Pedro and Matías.

The committed, devout, and sizeable participation in the Holy Communion was an unmistakable sign of the substantial growth that the Renewed Catholic Parish of San Miguel Arcángel is having.

On Wednesday, January 18, Monsignor Eduardo, accompanied by seminarian Arturo Pedro and two new seminarians—José Manuel and Antonio Castro—climbed to the peak of the Acatenango volcano to celebrate the Eucharist, to give thanks for the blessings received, and to pray especially for the presbyters and seminarians of our Church.

The day was perfect and sunny, and the view of the chain of volcanoes was incomparable, as can be seen in the photograph at right.  It shows Arturo Pedro arriving at the Yepocapa peak during the ascent.

The brothers Antonio and José Manuel Castro, thrilled to celebrate their arrival at the peak of the Acatenango.

During the ascent, the first part of the Divine Office was recited. Then at the peak the Eucharist was celebrated, and finally at the midpoint of the descent, the Intermediary Hour of the Divine Office was recited.

Right:  Arturo Pedro, José Manuel Castro, the bishop, and Antonio Castro.

On Friday, January 20, Monsignor Eduardo visited the Chuitzanchaj Community. As always, the faithful were very excited and eager to strengthen their faith through participation in the Eucharist.

The liturgical festival of the martyred saints Fabián y Sebastián was celebrated on this day. In light of the biblical readings, the bishop offered them as models for the People of God.

In the Chuitzanchaj Community about 120 faithful participate in communion every week. The bishop attends to them only once a month. The other weeks the communion ministers do the celebration of the Word in order to assure the growth and sacramental strengthening of the faithful.

In the afternoon, Monsignor Eduardo presided at the celebration with the Pajomel Community, Santa Cruz La Laguna, Sololá.

The celebration began with the administration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Then, during the entire celebration the faithful participated actively in the various liturgical ministries.

In the homily, the bishop urged the faithful to continue working intensely toward spiritual

growth and witness to the Gospel.

In the evening of January 20, the bishop visited the Xolbé Community in the municipality of Sololá.

The celebration began with the administration of Reconciliation for all those who needed to come forward for it.

The community was deeply upset because a few days before a young man who had been extremely active in and generous to the community had suddenly died of a heart attack.

Special prayers were said for the deceased and all his family.

On the morning of January 21 Monsignor Eduardo had the first education session with the leaders of the San Sebastián H and Santa Bárbara Communities, Huehuetenango.

The meeting took place in Sujal, in a place adjacent to the home of brother Julián Sales.

This educational program, which is to take place every three months, aims to create a missionary commitment and to train the participants so that in the near future Renewed Catholic Parishes can be established in these areas.

About forty faithful participated in the program, and all expressed their pleasure for the beginning of their education, as well as their commitment to work more and more unstintingly in the growth of the communities and the expansion of the Church.

The meeting ended with a simple lunch, which the faithful of Sujal shared with all those in attendance.

On the afternoon of January 21, Monsignor Eduardo came to the Quiejolá Community in San Sebastián H.

With great joy it can be reported that great advances have been made in the construction of the church building and in the growth of the community since the last visit here.

Several hundred faithful participated in the celebration.

The celebration began with the administration of the sacrament of Reconciliation.

The bishop’s visit provided the opportunity for the Christian Initiation of about twenty children, who had been prepared for it. A large group received the confirmation of the gift of the Holy Spirit for missionary commitment, and one couple contracted marriage.

Twenty children were initiated into Christian life.

For all, as in the ancient church, the three sacraments of Christian Initiation were administered:  Baptism, Chrismation, and Communion.

Within the celebration a couple celebrated the sacrament of marriage.

The first to receive communion were those who had been baptized and Chrismated, as can be seen in the photograph at right.

During the celebration, eight of the faithful received solemn communion, having participated for the first time in the sacrament of Reconciliation.

On the morning of January 22, our bishop visited the Chochal Community, a part of the Renewed Catholic Parish “Renovación Carismática” of Chiantla, Huehuetenango.

During the homily the bishop had the opportunity to remind the faithful, in light of the Word of God, of the commitment that all Renewed Catholics have to carry out an authentic renewal in their personal and family life, as well as to witness to the Gospel everywhere.

At the end of the celebration, the bishop met with the directors of the community to discuss the various small problems that they have experienced and to remind them of the way they should confront and resolve these problems, following completely the directions that we find in the Gospels and the writings of St. Paul.

On Monday, January 23, the seminarians returned from vacation. This year the seminary has been blessed with a strong increase in those called.  It is expected that when all those who are anticipated arrive, there will be more than forty seminarians. At the moment, there are exactly forty: one in the year of Supervised Field Work  (EPS), three in the sixth year, five in fifth year, four in fourth year, three in the third, and eight in each of the second, first, and the preparatory years.

From Tuesday to Friday, January 24 to 27, all the seminarians and the bishop were at the Carmona Hacienda for four days of spiritual exercises in preparation for the year.

  With one accord the seminarians said it was a marvelous experience, a truly renewing meeting of heaven and earth.

One of the special moments of the retreat was the administration of the sacrament of Reconciliation.

Right:  The seminarians praying for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit for the pardon of their sins.

After the communal confession Father Juan Moisés, Vice Rector of the Seminary, as well as the bishop administered absolution for each seminarian who came forward.

Being in contact with nature and eating Passover meals helps to keep the experience the New Exodus alive in the midst of everyday life.

The bishop was responsible for directing the meditations and the instructions. The theme was, as always, the same as for the Presbyters’ Exercises.

On Sunday, January 29, Monsignor Eduardo went to the San Juan Comalapa Cathedral to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the covenant of the parish and also the fourth anniversary of the January 23, 2008, liberation from the extermination to which dark powers had wanted to subject the People of God.

As always the liturgy was splendidly prepared and each of the faithful who participated in each ministry did so with competence and dedication.

The choir that accompanied the celebration warrants special notice. It was a new choir, making its debut on this occasion. It sang beautifully in the classical style.

During the homily the bishop emphasized that every experience and all the manifestations of the presence of God confirm our having been chosen to live in the fullness of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church that the Lord founded on sending the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. But also it implies a serious commitment to work as the first Christians did and to live in the way they did.

The response of the People of God to the bishop’s words confirmed that they fully shared Monsignor Eduardo’s understanding of the situation and also that they accepted the commitment to live out to the fullest the mission for which the Lord has chosen us.

The participation of the faithful was massive. The spirit of the celebration was festive. And its culmination was participation in the Holy Communion.

At the end one of the members of the Texeles (women in a confraternity) received the insignias by which she is recognized as the person responsible for the women’s section of the Confraternity of the Conception.

In the photograph, Father Francisco, concelebrating with the bishop in the Eucharist, together with the bishop is praying over the sister that is receiving these insignias.

At the end of the Eucharist, the bishop greeted and received the greeting from many of the faithful who had participated in the celebration.

On January 29, forty-two faithful from Ahuachapán, El Salvador, came to the cathedral. They were delegates and representatives of the communities of Renovación Carismática, and wanted to learn about the cathedral, have a meeting with some of the faithful, and hear the bishop talk about the identity and mission of the Church.

The conversation lasted three hours.  The faithful had the opportunity to raise their questions, which the bishop answered with great pleasure, clarifying each of the concerns and questions that were raised.

Fathers Rigoberto Upún and Francisco Simón were present at the meeting. At the end, Father Rigoberto addressed those present and urged them to heed the call that the Lord has made to them and to live their Christian calling with joy.

Left:  At the end, the bishop giving a blessing to those present.

In the evening of January 29, a High Mass was celebrated in the Seminary for the official opening of the school year. Classes began on Monday, January 30.

Father Juan Moisés Mendoza, Vice Rector of the Seminary, proclaiming the Gospel.

During the homily the bishop emphasized the importance that each seminarian be committed to the work of total education that he can carry out our educational ideals, which consist of learning in an atmosphere of growing freedom and responsibility in order to mature wholly in the call that the Lord has given to each one.

On Tuesday, January 31, the bishop went to the María Auxiliadora Spirituality Center, located in La Ciénaga, San Raymundo, to preside at the celebration of the Eucharist with the sisters of the Nuestra Señora de la Preciosísima Sangre Home, which is directed by Sister Mary Faye Hellman.

During the homily the bishop, in light of the biblical readings, which recall the role of the various women in the history of salvation, dwelt on the opportunity and the responsibility that they have to commit themselves with all seriousness to their education, especially in the spiritual dimension, in order to be able also to contribute personally to what is manifest in our midst--the salvation that our Lord wants to give to everyone everywhere at all times.

Many sisters studying in the Home are members of our communities and some are sisters of seminarians.