By Sr. Perlita Ponge

Our first Holy Week celebration in Pakistan started in Holy Thursday when Sister Maureen Donohoe and I arrived loasa Nagra, a Parkari Kohli village. We were greeted by the village elders and, after drinking a welcome glass of cold water, we went house to house to meet the villagers. The men were busy preparing a meal in huge pots while the women tidied up their homes.

The colorful clothes they wore stood out in sharp contrast to the dusty pants and mud walls of the houses. Outside each house was a mound of dried mud, we were told that grain is stored inside. One woman made a hole in one of then to demonstrate and to make sure we had understood.

As the sun went down, we sat with a group of women and children trying to communicate to us as best as they could through signs, here we had our first language class, picking up words from them and sharing in their delight when we pronounced them correctly.

As darkness fell, everyone gathered at the center on the village for supper. As we sat threw on the path beneath the starry sky and looked around, the feeding of the 5,000 seemed to be happening again as food was passed around and everyone of ate.

Since they didn’t have even a small chapel, the Mass was held in the open air, and young and old prayed together for some time. During the mass., sweets and flowers were offered as gifts and then distributed to everyone at the end. This was something new for us.

After the mass we walked in procession in the moonlight to a house where the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was to take new for us.

On Good Friday we went to a Punjabi community of workers in one of the sugar mills. Before the service we were asked to pray for a woman in the community who had died. We followed others to the house where we found men praying, and women crying and laminating. We were surprised to find that the woman had already been buried for some time. But then we were told the women don’t attend burials and they continue to grieve together long after the burial.

On Holy Saturday we stayed in the parish. The church was ablaze with colors. A small group came for the services. It was strange to be with just a dew people after having experienced the crowds during Holy Week in Peru and the Philippines.

Easter Sunday was quite a contrast, as many came dressed in every color imaginable. It was really a festive occasion. We were intrigued by the musical instruments and the beauty of the music and singing. Throughout the Mass, small children put rose garlands around Columban Fr, Denis Carter, the celebrant.

During the mass a man waked up to the altar, gave flowers to Fr. Denis and also placed a garland on the statue of our Lady. He noticed us and placed rose petals in our hands. He then threw flowers in the church. We discovered later that he was a Muslim, who had come to greet the people Easter. After the Mass everyone gathered and has a meal together.

This Easter we did indeed “sing a new song in a new culture” as we began a new life in mission. It was challenging surprising and life- giving.