Holy Week Celebration in San Cristóbal Parish, North Las Vegas: A Tradition of Faith and Reverence [2023 Update]

The San Cristóbal parish, located in North Las Vegas, began the celebration of Holy Week with the homily called Palm Sunday. The mass, held on Sunday, April 2, 2023, was officiated by the priest Miguel Rolland, parish administrator of the temple.

“This is the most important week for the Christian, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman faith, since we celebrate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, today we remember the messianic entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, where he was received as a king”, the priest told the faithful who gathered at the church located at the corner of Bruce and Tonopah, in North Las Vegas, at exactly two o’clock in the afternoon.

Due to the high influx to the celebration, two masses were held, the first officiated by the parochial vicar Mauricio Espino, who was assisted by Deacon Miguel Torres, and the second, by the priest Miguel Rolland, assisted by Deacon José Rodriguez.

It should be noted that there was an oral representation of The Passion of the Christ, in which Patricia “Paty” Gutiérrez, one of the most beloved personalities in the community, participated with great eloquence, since she has been a spokeswoman for many years for the office of the attorney Adam Kutner.

“We begin our Holy Week with ‘Palm Sunday’. Today’s celebration of Mass is full of contrasts. What begins with songs of triumph, quickly, very quickly, becomes a memory of the suffering of the Lord, his passion”, highlighted Father Rolland in the weekly bulletin, adding that “we began with the royal entrance to the city of King David (Jerusalem), which occurs in the most humble way, when Jesus, rides a donkey instead of the glamorous white horse of a mighty champion. The contrast is deep and clear. What begins with praise and applause, with Hosanna cries fit for a King, is really an entry into the mystery of his suffering, death and resurrection.”

The priest explained in the parish bulletin that the “Paschal Mystery” has its origin in the Hebrew word “Paschal” which means “to pass over”. He cited the story of the Passover lamb, found in the book of Exodus, chapter 12, when God leads Moses to free the Hebrew slaves from the Egyptian pharaoh.

“In English, the word ‘Easter’ simply means ‘spring’, but it still conveys the main idea of ​​being reborn, as well as ‘passing’ from darkness to light, from death to life As we enter this Holy Week with Christ May our participation in each solemn liturgy lead us to a deeper union with him and with each other,” Rolland concluded.