Sister Rina Flores from Lambaré, tells us about the deeply moving and engaging experience of the Itinerant Youth Easter:

Hello, I am Rina Flores, a Sister of the Charity of Saint Jeanne Antida Thouret. I am Bolivian.

As a child, I had a very special experience: I took part, together with my mother, in what she called Easter Saturday. On that journey we encountered many unexpected events; it was the first time I had taken part in such a grand celebration.

From that memory right up to today, I have come to realise that Easter is not just a single moment, but a time of preparation.

During my formation in the novitiate, I discovered Holy Week, the whole liturgy that is observed and, above all, the faith of a people who live out their devotion according to tradition.

Today, as a Junior Sister, I live out my mission alongside my sisters Immaculata and Noemi in Lambaré, one of the communities we have in Asunción, Paraguay. Our community is located in the parish of San Juan.

My experience of living Holy Week in Paraguay begins with the celebration of Palm Sunday, which represents Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Many people take part with joy:

whole families await God’s blessing, and that blessing comes through the palms. Then, they take that sign home with them, as a way of receiving God’s grace in daily life.

The itinerant Youth Easter

As part of our mission to accompany young people towards Confirmation, this year we organised an Itinerant Youth Easter. The parish is large, comprising around six chapels. We began Holy Week with Palm Sunday in one of them, the chapel of Merciful Jesus. Further down is the Santa Juana Antida Centre.

The area is simple, but particularly vulnerable. There we experienced a very beautiful sign: the presence of many young people preparing to confirm their faith. Together with Jesus, they will walk a path to discover and live out their vocation with courage.

The Youth Easter is a distinctive feature of Paraguay that has deeply touched me in my life experience.

Sister Rina Flores – St John’s Parish – Lambaré