(ANS – San Pedro Carchá) – Last Sunday, October 21st , over a thousand young people gathered at the Tanchí village, belonging to the Salesian mission of San Pedro Carchá, to celebrate the canonization, officiated on that same day in Rome, of Kateri Tekakwitha, an indigenous young Canadian.

During a ceremony lasting 4 hours, from eight in the morning till noon, the boys from ten surrounding communities, close to the local church came to celebrate Mass in honour of the new Saint, to whom they are deeply attached by reason of her being a native like them.

The solemn Eucharistic celebration was preceded by dances, chants in honour of the young saint and depictions of scenes from her life, conceived and carried out by the young people themselves.

The soul of this colourful and festive celebration were the native religious of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Resurrection (Ranabeb li Waklijenaq), founded by the Salesian missionary Fr Jorge Puthenpura, originally from Kerala,  in India, who for more than forty years worked among the indigenous Qeqchí of Guatemala.

The ceremony represented a manifestation of attentive and vigorous Youth Ministry of the Sisters of the Resurrection which is part of a larger project, including family and pastoral commitment to human development.

The pastoral educational project sponsored by the Sisters of the Resurrection, which in those villages, guides indigenous communities, is symbolically called "Talita Kumi" (Maiden, arise), referring to the words that Jesus said performing the miracle of the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus (Mk 5.41). The project, originally intended only for young women, has recently begun to expand even to children and teens.

Thanks to this innovative project in indigenous communities animated by the sisters there is a climate of intense Christian life reminiscent of the primitive Churches, with small groups of families who gather around the Word of God and live in mutual service of each other.

Published 25/10/2012