This is Justo Flores, one of the Delegados de la Palabra of our parish’s church in Malagua, a community of Curarén. The name of the church is Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (Sacred Heart of Jesus).
Delegados like Justo have special education in liturgy and administration. They conduct Liturgies of the Word on Thursdays and Sundays in the absence of a priest, baptize babies in danger of death, visit the sick, care for the physical facilities of their community’s church, ensure there are catechists for faith formation, conduct novenas following deaths in the community, lead funeral services outside of Mass, and a myriad of other duties. These men and women are the official representative of the Catholic Church in their communities. Without them, the Church in Honduras would be in very poor shape. In our parish, San Francisco de Asís, we have about 87 churches with 4 priests, many of the churches being a 2-hour drive away. Needless to say, Masses in many of the places are few and far between.