Rev. Charles Cortinovis  
        (Haga click aquí para español)                  

Dear St. Ambrose parishioners,

                 Thank you for your prayers for my safe travels here in Honduras.  I am writing to you from Tegucigalpa, the capital of the country.  There are two other priests here from the Archdiocese of Washington who are part of the same program that is sponsored by the archdiocese.  The three of us meet up for Spanish classes for about four hours a day during the week, and then are part of the parish life afterwards in the parishes where we are staying.

                For example, this past Saturday I was able to concelebrate at a bilingual wedding that just happened to be occurring that weekend, where the groom was from Detroit and the bride from Honduras.  On Sunday, I celebrated Mass in one of the parish chapels, heard confessions for about four hours during the other Sunday Masses, baptized two babies and gave the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick to another parishioner.  It was a full day, and a good day.  The fact that a priest from Washington can be exercising ministry in Spanish in Honduras is a beautiful testament to the universality of the Church.  The people here have been friendly to me (and tell me that they can understand my Spanish!) and the priests have also been welcoming.

                There are challenges that are part of daily life here that do not exist in the United States, which I will share at some point with you. I am impressed with the faith and devotion of the people here, and am thankful for the opportunity to further get to know the people and culture of Honduras following up on my visit here last year.  I return on July 19th in the evening, and ask for your continued prayers for each of us here and for our safe return.  I hope that you have been enjoying some time of rest this summer, and I look forward to being back home and seeing you next weekend.
 
Your servant in the Lord,
                                              Father Charles Cortinovis