Monday, July 30, 2007

A visit from our companion parish

The children at San Andrés painted a banner for our companion parish

Amy and Arrington Chambliss, Associate at St. Andrew´s, shared in the service


Our new bell was dedicated after the service

In mid-July, members of San Andrés shared a few packed, grace-filled days with members of our companion parish, St. Andrew's in Marblehead, Massachusetts. We visited some of the pilgrimage sites of San Salvador together, including the cathedral where Monseñor Romero is buried and the UCA, the Jesuit university which was the site of the 1989 massacre of six priests and two women; members of San Andrés were able to share some of their memories of El Salvador´s past with members of St. Andrew´s. We played, sang, made and ate pupusas, painted a beautiful new mural on the side of our building, and dedicated a bell donated by our companion parish at the end of an incredibly joyful, bilingual Eucharist. We also re-told the story of this relationship, which goes back more than 15 years, re-kindled friendships between church members, and re-affirmed our companionship, a commitment between members of our two parishes to continue walking beside each other, as sisters and brothers, despite our very different backgrounds.

The mural takes form! Romana, Dulany, and Judy prepare pupusas

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Goings-On at San Andrés


Amy celebrated her first wedding, of church members Jhoni and Alejandro, who have been together for 10 years. Being "accompanied" rather than married is very common in El Salvador, because of the cost of a wedding.

Children's sermon at Pentecost


Shelley, Amy's mom, hosted a t-shirt painting workshop for the women and children at San Andrés while she was here, at their request

















The reining 'Queen of the Flowers' for San Andrés School led the parade of this years´candidates

A messy desk is a sign of... well, something good we hope.

Don Adrian Landaverde, a patriarch of the church, passed away this year. This is the altar that remained for 9 days in the family home after the wake (during which over 300 people filled the small house and surrounding neighborhood) and funeral.