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Cubans offer homes as prayer houses to nurture faith, service
Submitted by jgehring on Wed, 08/20/2008 - 10:44am.
Story summary:
As a summer afternoon rainstorm brewed, nearly two dozen Cubans gathered on a friend's covered porch to celebrate Mass. Wooden chairs were lined up, row by row, to accommodate neighbors. A visiting priest turned a small table into an altar. Another man strummed the opening song on his guitar while a couple of horses rested on the nearby grass, languishing in the muggy heat. Liturgies at home have become a phenomenon in Cuba as the church slowly rebuilds communities of faith. They are a way of bringing Jesus into the barrio instead of expecting that people make their way to a church they might not have attended in decades -- or ever.
Cubans offer homes as prayer houses to nurture faith, service
Catholic News Service
8-20-08
Missionary homes began appearing in the 1990s as tensions started easing between the government and the Catholic Church. "Casas de mision" continued flourishing after Pope John Paul II made a historic visit to the island in 1998. Jesuit Father Robert Alonzo, pastor of Santa Catalina Parish, makes his way up the hill to Marishal's home on a compact motorcycle.
During the homily one Saturday afternoon, Father Alonzo talked about Jesus' cup of suffering, which the priest said was widely misunderstood by the apostles as they bickered among themselves for power."This is what is distinctive about being a Christian --- service," said the silver-haired priest as a few raindrops began to fall. "You all know that there are many ways to serve. Even giving an aspirin to a neighbor who comes by with a headache. That's a service. Allowing someone to take a 'guayaba' fruit from my tree so they can make a little juice drink. That's serving. All that I do to serve my brothers and sisters, to alleviate their situation, that is service."