Ours was a delightful brief friendship between an old Mexican Roman Catholic Bishop, and a Canadian Anglican priest, with a fierce love for Guatemala. Don Sam came to Vancouver for about two weeks in June of 2006. He stayed at the St. James' clergy house, and at the High Mass on Sunday, said he was amazed, not so much to see a woman celebrate Mass, but to see that we did it all eastward, facing the altar and God, not the people, and that we still wore maniples and amices.
Don Sam, consecrated bishop of San Cristobal de las Casas in 1960, had a 40 year episcopal ministry in that region, among its majority Maya community. During these decades he, in his own words, allowed himself to be converted by his Maya faithful. The result was a dynamic lively diocese, with a thriving and deeply local, indigenous Christian identity.
In the early 1980s, 250,000 Guatemalans fled the genocide in their country, tumbling into Chiapas. Don Sam met them at the border -- short and stout, wearing gum boots, he stood before the ravenous Guatemalan army in pursuit. Later, in 1994, with the uprising of the Zapatista revolution, Don Sam intervened, and prevented the Mexican army from causing major bloodshed, and later served on the peace negotiation process.
The conch is blown for the last time, and the younger priests gather around his coffin and carry him inside the cathedral for burial. We, his friends stagger away, find a quiet place to break bread and to continue to reweave this tragically rent garment of our lives. Miraculously, it will be possible, we will go on, the work is not yet done. Abuelo, Grandfather, jTatic Samuel. Well done, God's servant.
In the early 1980s, 250,000 Guatemalans fled the genocide in their country, tumbling into Chiapas. Don Sam met them at the border -- short and stout, wearing gum boots, he stood before the ravenous Guatemalan army in pursuit. Later, in 1994, with the uprising of the Zapatista revolution, Don Sam intervened, and prevented the Mexican army from causing major bloodshed, and later served on the peace negotiation process.
The conch is blown for the last time, and the younger priests gather around his coffin and carry him inside the cathedral for burial. We, his friends stagger away, find a quiet place to break bread and to continue to reweave this tragically rent garment of our lives. Miraculously, it will be possible, we will go on, the work is not yet done. Abuelo, Grandfather, jTatic Samuel. Well done, God's servant.
Descansa en paz (Rest in Peace).
(On Monday, January 24th, 2011 Bishop Samuel Ruiz Garcia, retired Roman Catholic Bishop of Chiapas , Mexico
See the March, 2011 Issue of the Diocesan paper, Topic for the full article.
To read Emilie's complete blog posting of January 27th, Click the link.