Easter in Simanjiro

The Christian faith is anchored on mysteries. They are 1) The Holy Trinity, 2) The Incarnation, 3) The Pascal Mystery, and 4) the Holy Eucharist. Easter is the most significant period in Christians’ history and life. It is the period when we commemorate, relive, and celebrate the Pascal Mystery, which encompasses the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of all humanity.

Christian denominations mark these events differently according to their interpretation of the scriptures and the traditions handed on for centuries. However, the core of the event remains that the death and the resurrection of Jesus gave birth to a new way of life called Christian life.

Here in Simanjiro SVD Parish, due to the vastness of the Parish, the priests cannot reach all the stations, especially during the triduum. However, our good catechists lead the communities in these liturgies. A few weeks before the catechists and the priests meet to prepare thoroughly for these events, especially from the Palm Sunday to Easter Vigil.

With 24 stations, getting palms, and candles can be expensive. For this reason, we have devised our candle-making machine that helps us to cut the cost of buying candles from the shop. We have also planted palms in the parish compound which we cut and prepare for the catechists to collect a few days before.

This year we had several events. 1) Easter conference for secondary school students which started on Holy Wednesday to Easter Sunday, 2) Small Christian Communities singing competition to mark 50 years of these communities in AMECEA (Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa) region 1974-2024.

3) On Easter Monday we had a Mass for the physically and mentally challenged and the aged. This is a day when we bring them together to pray and sensitize the community about the rights of these members of our community. In the Maasai culture, being handicapped was viewed as a curse from the gods, and many who were born so were abandoned. Therefore, many who have handicapped members in their families hide them. Because of a lack of awareness, many handicapped people face a lot of challenges, and their rights are violated. There is no official organization to champion their rights. As a Parish, we have established Easter Monday as a day to recognize them unite them, listen to them, and find a way to have them represented in the general society. This Easter we gathered 51 of them.

We also encouraged their kin to give them opportunities to work at home and participate in social events including taking them along to worship. Many can do different things with proper training and contribute to their own upkeep. The major challenge is that the community believes that a handicapped person cannot do anything and should stay indoors.

We also used the occasion to recognize and encourage the members of the families who take care of them and gave them tips on how to do it better. A lot of education is required on how to take care of the handicapped so that they can live dignified lives.