Church Around the World

There are several Catholics amongst the 2018 Camp Fi staff. There is one thing that united us every Sunday, even before I met the Malagasy staff, Mass. Bao invited me to join her for mass Sunday, and although I only understood a handful of words over the course of an hour and a half, I still managed to recognize the different parts of the service. There were more songs and the congregation sang with more gusto than the average church I’ve been to. Listening to the “Our Father” was awesome, it was almost a dance, everyone held hands and swayed back and forth to the song. I even knew one word: anaranao, (hallowed be thy name). I was also impressed at how packed the cathedral was, Bao and I got there about 5 minutes early and it was already packed, whereas in all the churches I’ve been to in the States and Europe, 80% of people arrive in those 5 minutes. I have never seen a church as packed as in Moramanga, back in the States or Europe unless it was Christmas, Ash Wednesday, or Easter. There was also a flight of 10 swallows flying above the crucifix and chirping happily. Overall it was a lovely experience, I saw a few familiar faces from the hotel staff and I can now say I have heard the mass given in five languages.