IHM Associates Help Celebrate Holy Week

Wednesday of Holy Week at 5:30 a.m. a crowd of young people, residents of the IHM House of Studies, some IHM Associates and parishioners met at the Sisters' house to begin the Way of the Cross. The journey throughout the surrounding neighborhood begins on Wednesday because three of the Stations planned by the Sisters take place at local schools. In the accompanying photo, Sister Eileen Egan and long-time IHM Associate Delfina Hualla Condori pray in the St. Rose chapel the 5th station at the police headquarters where they are joined by many of the police officers. Juana Puma Valeriano who is preparing to be an Associate is pictured at the 11th station held in a storefront near the sisters' house. The 14th station was planned to take place at the neighborhood clinic. Delfina was also in charge of organizing the 10th station at her Pumacuhua High School.

On Holy Thursday, IHM Associate Casilda Morocho Huahuatico joined Delfina and Juana with a few parishioners to decorate the tabernacle for the evening mass and prepare the flowers for Easter. Irene Espirilla, who is preparing to be an Associate, participated in the washing of the feet at the mass that evening. The sisters are using a program in Spanish put together by Sisters Mary Elaine Anderson and Donna Korba. There are six women being prepared to join the IHM Associate program at present.

Catechesis for the Catechists from the *Campo

Fifty-seven Quechua speaking catechists, men and women, from the mountain communities surrounding the city of Sicuani met Sister Eileen for a three day conference on the Sacraments. Eileen has been organizing these conferences for years. The classes were taught by three teams of Quechua speaking teachers who used huge charts to help the catechists learn how to teach their parishioners about the sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion, and Confirmation. Eileen, Mary Elaine and Sister Peg Conaboy, SSJ, had prepared these charts years ago. One person from each parish received the set of charts. They had to be colored which the people enjoyed doing. Each evening Ancilla gave each one a wooden cross with paper figures of Jesus crucified which each one used to paint the figure of Jesus and then creatively decorate their cross. At the closing mass, Bishop Pedro Bustamante Lopez blessed each of the catechists and their crosses.

*campo-mountain community