It is Monday, August 29, 2022. 6 PM. The El Divino Niño parish church in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico, overflows with people. The walls are adorned with garlands; the pews with white roses. Many faithful are given a place in front of the church main door under a canvas; others line up along the building side seeking for refuge from the rain under the roof eaves. But, here, rain is never unwelcomed; it is a sign of blessing. People have gathered for the ordination of deacon Ansoni Camacho Cruz, Consolata Missionary.
He is one of the five children of Omar Camacho and Dora Maria Cruz.
A united family; known by everybody in the parish. Don Omar works with heavy duty machines. For the occasion, Doña Dora Maria and her daughters wear the colorful flowery blouses and skirts characteristic of Chiapas. Men have on elegant leather shoes. The grandchildren are more casual; each one with …its cellphone.
Msgr. Fabio Martinez Castilla, the archbishop of Tuxtla, together with a dozen of priests, get ready for the celebration in the nearside parish hall. Before him, with his parents as first witnesses, Ansoni emits his profession of faith.
A cloud of altar servers, dressed in red and white, lead the procession towards the church. The archbishop is welcomed by the faithful clapping their hands. He is accompanied by Fr. Peter Ssekajugo, the new Superior of the Consolata Missionaries in Messico, Canada and USA, by Fr. Paolo Fedrigoni, his predecessor, and by Fr. Luis Jimenez, Patrick Murunga Waiganjo and Clovis Audet, the Consolata missionaries who serve at El Divino Niño. Other Consolatas, Fr. Ramon Lazaro Esnaola and Patrick Irungu Mungai, have come from Guadalajara; Fr. Alvaro Palacios Arregui from New Jersey. At the right hand of the bishop stand some diocesan priests: among them, Fr. José Luis, the first priest from this parish, in charge of the office for clergy at diocesan level. Today, Ansoni will be the second.
Ansoni lays on the altar the book of the Gospels, upon which he made his profession of faith some minutes ago, and goes to sit between his parents. With them, and all the present, he listens to the Word of God addressed to all. The Gospel is proclaimed by Fr. Mungai, who today remembers his eight years of priesthood. Called, Ansoni approaches the altar. Fr. Paolo introduces him to the bishop. “Ansoni has grown up in this very parish, more precisely in the ‘Capilla de San Felipe’, all those here in church before you know him” – he says to the bishop. He did his philosophy at Guadalajara, novitiate in Argentina and theology at Nairobi. He exercised his diaconate in the mission of Matiri, Kenya. He assures the bishop that all the reports about him are positive. He is worthy to be ordained a priest.
In his homily, the bishop exhorts Ansoni to be a happy priest, with Christ’s perfume, always available and near to all his sheep. He is glad that Ansoni has joined a missionary institute, because the Church has to be an outreaching community, he adds. He expresses the joy that the presence of missionaries in his diocese has brought about a missionary priest from his flock.
At the ordination moment itself, the litanies of the Saints are splendidly sung by the choir – it is the choir of the Capilla de San Felipe, proud to have been chosen to sing at the first Mass of one from their community! As soon as he is ordained, Ansoni is clothed by Fr. Luis Jimenez – his pastor – with the chasuble handed to him by Ansoni’s parents. When the bishop embraces him, everyone bursts into a prolonged applause.
At the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, couples in traditional dresses take gifts of every kind to the altar: baskets of fruits – mangoes, grapes, peaches, figs, bananas; bags of beans, corn and nuts; bread, cookies, milk and …a bottle of wine.
After Communion, Fr. Peter, on behalf of the Consolata Missionaries, expresses words of gratitude, for ordaining a new priest for our institute, to Msgr. Fabio, a true missionary bishop, who, as a priest, worked for ten years in Angola. He thanks the priests, the Religious and all the faithful present for joining in this extraordinary moment of joy. A reciprocal gift – he says – “we have given you a renewed awareness of the universal mission of the Church, and you have given us a new priest”. People applaud with enthusiasm at his confession that he was happy when he was chosen as the Consolata Superior of Canada, USA and Mexico, because that has given him the opportunity to visit Chiapas again!
After the Ave Maria, movingly played by a young violinist of the choir, Ansoni expresses the overwhelming sentiments filling his heart with a warm word of thanks to everybody. People cheer at him. He is destined to Kenya. He will be there in November. All will accompany him with their prayer.
While, in the hall, the priests, the Religious and Ansoni’s family are dished out food prepared by some gastronomic school students, volunteers for the occasion, all around the church, people are served mandazi with local fruit or vegetable juice.
A band is playing Chiapas music. Traditional dancers move frantically at the rythm. Inside the church, a long line of people queue up before Father Ansoni to receive a first priestly blessing from him. The heat is heavy. Two altar boys stand beside him: one to hold the various gifts Ansoni receives; the other with a cloth that Ansoni uses to wipe off the perspiration from his face.
These blessings last for two hours and half, without interruption!
Our wish is that the blessing Ansoni has received today may last with the same intensity for all his priestly life!