Holy Cross Associates share Lenten traditions

IC photo/Laura Vallejo

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The Utah Holy Cross Associates held a special Zoom session with their counterparts in Monterrey, Mexico during their Feb. 10 quarterly meeting.

SALT LAKE CITY — Faith and fellowship was, as usual, part of the Utah Holy Cross Associates quarterly meeting on Feb. 10, but that day it came with a twist: a Zoom session with the Holy Cross Associates in Monterrey, Mexico.

Holy Cross Associates are “called to embrace the heritage and charisms of Holy Cross, and commit to live them out every day, in their work, their ministry and their daily life,” according to the Holy Cross Ministries web page.

In Utah, the Associates are lay men and women who, despite being from different cultures and ways of living and speaking different languages, “form relationships with each other and with vowed religious colleagues through association and sharing in the spirituality, hospitality, mission and family spirit of Holy Cross,” states https://holycrossassociates.org.

The Feb. 10 Zoom meeting was an opportunity for the groups in Salt Lake and Monterrey to share their Lenten traditions with each other.

“This is something new that we wanted to do, to share with our associates throughout the world,” said Jakelinne Capella-Aponte, one of the Associates who led the meeting hand in hand with Holy Cross Sr. Veronica Fajardo. The meeting was translated into English and Spanish so that all present understood as they shared their diverse ways of celebrating Lent according to their cultures.

“Sharing the different Lenten traditions that each person has was a very rich experience,” Capella-Aponte said.

Cate O’Hare Adams, one of the Associates in Utah, attended Catholic schools from first grade through college, so she went to Mass most mornings during the Lenten season, she recalled. “That was my Lenten practice for a long time, and I think it really transformed me. As I grew older I became part of the catechumens, either as a sponsor or as a teacher, and working with them as part of their transformation – it transforms you, too.”

For Teresa Gonzales, another Associate, sharing Lenten traditions took her back to her childhood in Colombia.

“When I was little I didn’t like to celebrate Holy Week because back then our grandparents used to tell us to sit down all the time during Holy Friday; we could not stand up or run anywhere because if we did, we were going to be transformed into fishes,” Gonzales said, and everyone laughed. “But as I grew older and attended the processions there, I started to understand the real meaning [of Lent], the fraternal love that Jesus had and has for all of us. That encouraged me to serve.”

The meeting also included prayer and fellowship.

Holy Cross Associates embrace the heritage and charisms of the Congregation of Holy Cross, and commit to growing spiritually and ministering to all the people of God, according to https://holycrossassociates.org.

“We develop lots of collaborative relationships, by sharing the Congregation of Holy Cross ministry with the Church, the world and with everyone,” added Sr. Fajardo, who ministers in Park City.

The Holy Cross Associates in Utah is accepting new members. Those interested in learning more may call Sr. Fajardo at 385-257-2442.