Jesus Lives-- in Toronto

I went to an Anglican Church on Sunday. It's a service all in Spanish, with Latino immigrants. I was one of the few white people there. I'd spoken with the priest on the phone, because there are a few stories I'm interested in doing.

What I didn't know this is what Father Hernan looked like. I wonder if he can give you a pass straight to Heaven? That's him in the middle of the picture, in case you couldn't tell.



It was a really interesting service. There's a painted mural at the front of the church, where in many churches there'd be a cross. Here, there was a cross painted on the mural. But the picture also included a Jesus figure (was it the real Jesus or the priest?) crossing a barb-wire fence border, with pictures of a US dollar bill and a Canadian maple leaf. Several others were also crossing the border along with the Jesus figure. Jesus the migrant.

The good priest also mentioned Oscar Romero several times. By the way, March 24th is the anniversary of the Salvadoran Archbishop's death. The process continues to have him named a saint. The Toronto priest is one of those pushing for that sainthood.



Now, I don't really know the differences between Cahtolicism and Anglicanism. And I didn't realize an Anglican church would seem so much like a Catholic one. For example, I didn't know that they had those kneeling things in Anglican churches. Everyone else was using them, so I felt like I had to, too. And the whole time I wondered if everyone could tell that I had never used one before. I did the kneeling but I couldn't go through with participating in their communion, where you go to the front, get bread from the priest and then go to a woman in church robes holding a glass of wine and you have to dip the bread in. What if mine would have fallen apart and left crumbs in the goblet or something? Or what if it fell out of my hand and I had to fish around for it in the wine? Nope, couldn't bring myself to take communion with all the possible accidents. Instead, I hurt my kneels with the kneeling. Even though those things are padded, they're really not comfortable.

A really good part of the service: when it ends. Not because I really wanted to leave. Oh no, it's worth staying. After the service, in the basement, they serve pupusas, horchata, platanos fritos with crema and other delicious things to eat.