Fate is on my side. When I arrive at the office of the parish house to ask for a conversation with padre Cesar, I’m asked to sit down and soon after that I’m told he will see me soon. And although here ‘soon’ can easily extend to a long time, I only need to wait for a few minutes.
The purpose of the conversation is to ask him whether he would be willing to bless our home next Monday at 10 a.m, during an event in which we will celebrate the anniversary of our home and our recent move to a new house. This is a common practice in Nicaragua.
Padre Cesar has not been the priest of the cathedral for long and he only knows me from my visits to the church. But he is interested and although he has to leave Juigalpa at 9 a.m that Monday and therefore will not be able to be part of our anniversary celebrations, he proposes that he can bless the home at 8 am that day. Later in the day I let him know by phone that the Ruach Board has agreed to this.
The blessing
Monday morning padre Cesar leads a short liturgical ritual attended by residents of the home and the employees. He first blesses all of us, and then he walks in and around the house to sprinkle the rooms and areas with water while singing: “Lord, bless this home”. Daniel and I accompany padre Cesar on his journey while the others wait for us in the sitting room. We end the ceremony with a prayer.
Fortunately there is still time for a cup of coffee and a chat. Padre Cesar is impressed with our work and says he intends to promote our work elsewhere. That feels like an extra blessing. We end the occasion in good time, a special beginning of a special day, the first anniversary of our home!