New Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, La Ceiba

Young people gathered for the youth encounter at the new Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish (above and below).

June is the "Month of Youth" in Honduras, so there are many church activities related to young people at this time of the year. It's been a blessing for me to be a part of a number of them. This past Saturday, as part of the "Week of Evangelization" and preparation for the establishment of the new parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Inmaculado Corazón de María), there was a youth encounter for the young people of the parish and other nearby communities. It was organized together with the Catholic University Outreach (MCU: Misión Católica Universitaria), and was attended by about 75 youth. The encounter included songs, skits and talks on the themes for the Month of Youth based on the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist. The evening ended with a very beautiful Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration.

A skit about Jesus rescuing a young man trapped by the seven deadly sins.

A group photo in the church after the Holy Hour.

The next day the parish church was packed, with several hundred more people participating from outsisde, for the formal establishment of the parish and the installation of the new pastor, Fr. René Flores Pineda. It was an extremely beautiful and joyful celebration, and a sign of the lively faith and spiritual growth taking place in the new Diocese of La Ceiba. A few highlights from the inauguration Mass are included in the video above.