Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Iglesia viva
Cochabamba (Agenzia Fides) - Holy Thursday is the day when all over the world the Church solemnly remembers the institution of the sacrament of the Eucharist by Jesus. This year it was not possible to celebrate because of the coronavirus pandemic which imposed the closure of churches, but the faithful of Cochabamba were able to have a particular Eucharistic blessing.
Holding the ostensory firmly with the Blessed Sacrament with one hand and cell phone with the other, for live broadcast on a digital platform, Don Rolando Laime, from the parish of Cala Cala, flew over the city and its surroundings by helicopter, and imparted a form of blessing for the people of Cochabamba on this Holy Thursday.
The idea, as reported by the Episcopal Conference in its Iglesia viva website, emerged after Palm Sunday, in an attempt to celebrate Holy Week in some way, and consolidated with the support of individual people, by the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Labor, and the commander of the Air Cavalry of the Army (CAE), Lieutenant Colonel Jaime Cotrina, who led the air procession. Before leaving, the parish priest presided over a moment of prayer with the members of the CAE in the airport hangar, placing the image of their patron, the apostle Santiago, next to the Blessed Sacrament.
During the journey the lieutenant colonel held the image of the apostle and father Rolando the Blessed Sacrament. "It was exciting to see many people waving their handkerchiefs and even white sheets as the helicopter passed by", said Father Rolando. (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 11/4/2020)
