One of the things that makes being a priest in the far-flung mountain parish of San Francisco de Asís very interesting is never knowing exactly what tasks will be waiting for me when I go to celebrate a Mass. Sometimes, for example, I will be asked to walk in the woods to anoint a very ill person in a remote shack. Other times, I will be asked to baptize infants, children, teens, or adults. Sometimes, I’ll be asked to celebrate Reconciliation or First Communions. Almost always, I expect to be asked to bless water or other objects. And sometimes, I am asked to bless houses.
In the above photo, we see some folks at their new house in Saracarán, a mountain community of the municipality of Reitoca. This community, also known as Cafetales, is about an hour-and-a-half drive from the pueblo of Reitoca. The people of this house helped me bless the house by dipping branches in holy water and sprinkling the house’s walls and floors.
The name of the church of Cafetales/Saracarán is Inmaculada Concepción.