4 Lively Vespers Service

Presvytera had tried to gently warn me, but nothing could have prepared me for the deafening sound of 30 teenage boys singing lustily (Byzantine chant in Spanish) at the very top of their lungs.  As the sound reverberated through the sultry tropical evening air I felt a surge of excitement.  It wasn't exactly a pleasant sound, a number of the young voices were finding their own key to sing in, but the sheer volume was quite impressive.  It reminded me of the common practice in Colombian grade schools of having the kids all read aloud at the same time, not in unison, but rather each at his own pace.

These orphan boys sing the Vespers service every evening before supper, and they get up early to sing the Matins service before their breakfast.  There is one boy assigned to ring the bell to wake the others at the appropriate time.  They sing the services without requiring any grown-up supervision, but if they see a priest in attendance, they grab him and insist that he serve, handing him the censer and books at the appropriate times and showing him what to read.

Mother Inez has done a good job of teaching the Orthodox services to the orphan boys who she sends to live with Fr. Andres when they are ready for high school.  They live in ramshackle dorm rooms which are in such a poor state of repair it almost looks like they are living in ruins.  Still, they keep their living quarters relatively clean (as a mother of boys, I was impressed), and always seem to have clean clothes for school and for services.  They each do their own laundry.

Some of the boys are quite friendly, but others, although polite, seem withdrawn.  I suspect many of them have been through difficult experiences.

Somehow, Fr Andres finds the money to feed all of these growing boys, and also is giving  them a high school education.  They are fortunate to have him to care for them.

I was encouraged by the enthusiasm with which these kids sing their prayers.