Representación de la Pasión de Cristo del año 2017, en el atrio de la parroquia de San Andrés Apóstol. Foto: archivo.
Sofía Medeles.- Ni un solo acto de la representación religiosa de la Pasión de Cristo, se podrá realizar este año en la parroquia de San Andrés Apóstol, por órdenes del cura Javier García Orozco, quien justifica la prohibición aseverando que no cuenta con permiso de la Arquidiócesis de Guadalajara para los eventos, por motivos de sanidad.
Miembros del grupo Pasión de Cristo Ajijic señalaron que, al hablar con el sacerdote para ver el tema de los permisos, se les negó el atrio, debido a que, por motivos de protocolos sanitarios, no podían realizar ni viacrucis, ni procesiones, ni eventos dentro de la parroquia.
No solo se denegó la puesta en escena del Viernes Santo, sino también la entrada de Jesús a Jerusalén, el lavatorio de pies, el poema de la Virgen María a Jesucristo y la representación de la resurrección, además de las misas que tradicionalmente se celebran esos días en el atrio, y que este año, se harán dentro de la iglesia.
La prohibición del espacio provocó molestias en pobladores de Ajijic, debido a que en los más de 40 años realizándose la obra religiosa, nunca se había hecho fuera de la parroquia y que este año, por primera vez, estaría situada en la plaza principal, frente a la Capilla de Nuestra Señora del Rosario.
“El cura dice que es por seguridad de nosotros, pero si fuera así, porque hace las misas dentro del templo y no al aire libre. Por sus problemas personales que todos sabemos, está quitando las tradiciones del pueblo. No solo el viacrucis, si no otras, como cuando no deja entrar mariachi ni procesiones, y eso a muchos nos molesta y nos aleja”, comentó una entrevistada molesta.
Por su parte, integrantes del grupo Pasión de Cristo, aseguraron que no hay impedimento para realizar la escenificación, la cual se permitió en la plaza. Agradecen a los colaboradores, e informan que el acto será este viernes 15 de abril, en punto de las once de la mañana.
Este año, solo hubo tres representaciones: la del Domingo de Ramos, la Oración en el huerto que será el jueves 14 a las nueve de la noche, a pie de cerro de la calle Tempisque, y los juicios, crucifixión y recorrido rumbo al sepulcro, que culminará en el Centro Cultural.
La mesa de salud de Jalisco, desde hace aproximadamente un mes, dio luz verde a la realización de actividades y celebraciones religiosas de Semana Santa, este 2022, siempre y cuando se apeguen a los protocolos recomendados.
La Arquidiócesis de Guadalajara, por otro lado, pese a aún no haber girado un comunicado sobre las celebraciones eucarísticas en Jalisco, ya ha organizado cerca de 50 actividades artísticas y culturales en la Zona Metropolitana de Guadalajara, programadas entre el 8 al 22 de abril.
Los protocolos vigentes por parte de la Mesa de Salud Jalisco, desde el 17 de marzo hasta el 8 de mayo,son: 100 por ciento aforos de eventos, uso de cubrebocas en espacios cerrados y abiertos, se eliminó el requisito de presentar certificado de vacunación en establecimientos y eventos, retiro de filtros sanitarios exceptuando el gel antibacterial, etc.
Atrium of the parish of San Francisco de Asís
Jazmín Stengel.- The dramatic presentation of the Passion of Christ, which last took place in 2019, will be staged again this year in the atrium of the parish of St. Francis of Asis on Good Friday, April 15, starting at 7pm. The usual tour through the streets of the parish of St. Francis of Assisi will follow.
Following the usual route through the main streets of the municipal capital, until reaching the Tepehua neighborhood, where the crucifixion will be represented as in previous years.
The program of the Holy Week celebrations begins on Palm Sunday, April 10 at 1:30pm and 8:00 pm, the blessing of the palms and the solemn mass will take place. On that day, parishioners are asked to wear red.
Holy Thursday, April 14, will begin with Lauds at 8am, and at 7pm the ‘Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper’. The ‘Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament’ by the children from 8pm to 9:00 pm; for the youth from 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm; women from 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm; and men from 11:00 pm to 12:00 pm.
The Stations of the Cross will take place on Good Friday at the end of Lauds, starting at 9:00 am from the atrium of St. Francis of Asis Parish to the Chapel of Refuge as was previously customary.
After the staging of the Passion of Christ, the traditional ‘Rosary of Condolence’ will take place at approximately 8:00 pm. Therefore, the priests calculate that ‘The March of Silence’ will begin its journey around 9:00 pm., according to the program of activities for Holy Week of the parish of St. Francis of Asis in Chapala.
The following day, Saturday, April 16, only Lauds will be held in the morning and the Eucharist of the ‘Easter Vigil’ will be at 9pm. The priests invite the parishioners to attend Holy Saturday dressed in festive attire and to bring to the mass the candles and images they wish to bless during the ceremony.
Finally, Easter will be celebrated in the Refugio Chapel with recreational activities, games and religious talks for the children given by the seminarians of the parish. On Monday, April 11, Tuesday, April 12 and Wednesday, April 13, at 10am for kids and at 5pm for youth and adolescents.
Translated by Christalle Dalsted
The cost per game for a local team can be 700 pesos already. Photo: Courtesy.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía (Jocotepec).- The fee for the use of the soccer fields in the municipality of Jocotepec will only increase by 50 pesos per game. The anticipated 1,000 peso increase was considered unfeasible for the league involved.
After the indignation caused by the rumor spread on social networks of an increase of up to one thousand pesos for the use of the sports facilities, the municipal president of Jocotepec, José Miguel Gómez López, met March 22, 2022, with the delegates of the inter-weekly soccer league to reach a resolution.
After negotiations, an agreement was reached to only increase the fee for the use of the fields by 50 pesos, according to one of the delegates, who preferred to remain anonymous.
As a result, the fee per game for using the field will be 200 pesos, up from 150 pesos. This does not include fees for referees.
The mayor decided not to increase the fee any further after meeting with the 16 delegates representing the 17 local teams, who described the conditions under which they run the league.
«He thought we were a municipal league, but once we explained to him that we are in fact a private league, he changed his mind,» said the interviewee.
The interviewee said that because the league is not for-profit, and is intended to be a sporting event for the purpose of «having fun and having a good time,» the mayor understood the importance of not making fees prohibitive. As it stands, the cost per game sometimes reaches 700 pesos with all the refereeing expenses; this amount is then divided among the team, which can total 18 members.
Even so, the interviewee explained, only about eight of the 18 typical team members can afford to contribute to the cost of the game, since many players «do not even have 20 pesos» to help with the expenses.
The delegate added that the increase of only 50 pesos was agreed upon after the delegates said that they would consider paying more if the municipality would provide proper maintenance of the fields.
Translated by Rebecca Zittle
The representation of the Stations of the Cross last took place in San Juan Cosalá in 2019. Photo: Miguel Cerna.
Alma Serrano(San Juan Cosalá).- The pandemic continues to erode the traditions of San Juan Cosalá. For the third consecutive year, the delegation will not carry out the Passion of Christ.
Covid-19 has interrupted the Passion since 2020. With the suspension, the support of the citizens was also diminished,” Gabriel Chávez Rameño, one of the organizers, told Laguna.
«When the pandemic began, there was a lack of economic and human resources, it has been hard to get people to support it. Since the pandemic began we have not been able to organize the Stations of the Cross, but hopefully, next year it will be done.»
The Passion of Christ had been carried out in San Juan Cosalá for 25 years, involving people of all ages and included locations such as the atrium of the parish, the streets Porfirio Díaz and Vicente Guerrero, as well as the hillsides where the crucifixion was re-enacted, which are now in the process of urbanization.
«They started to farm in areas where the Stations of the Cross were taking place, there is almost no economic support in town and we did not know in advance if due to Covid it was going to be viable. So a few months ago we decided that it was best to let it pass until next year, and see if there are people who want to get involved and commit themselves as organizers,» concluded Gabriel Chavez.
A week away from commemorating the Holy Days, Gabriel Chavez acknowledged that there are no favorable conditions to carry out the living representation, therefore it will be suspended for the third time.
Translated by Kerry Watson
Authorities of the Community Hospital of Jocotepec reported a downward trend in Covid-19 infections. Photo: Archive.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía (Jocotepec).- Although an influx of about 18 thousand people is expected during Holy Week and Easter in Jocotepec, medical authorities did not predict an increase in Covid-19 infections.
«The truth is that we do not see much danger for this holiday period, since the virus is not currently circulating. We anticipate a scenario similar to January, when the virus was active and yet parties were held,» informed a doctor from the Community Hospital of Jocotepec, who preferred to withhold his name.
As an example, during the month of March, the Hospital did not register a single positive case or hospitalization due to coronavirus.
However, the doctor indicated that in spite of the favorable downturn in the number of contagions in the municipality, the bigger picture of the effectiveness of the vaccination campaign in the last few weeks has been worrisome.
Participation recently has been almost «nil» within the community. Earlier in the campaign, approximately three- to four thousand doses were administered over a three-day period, whereas now only 500 doses were administered over two weeks.
For this reason, the doctor urged residents not to lower their guard and to complete the recommended schedule of vaccines. As of to date, the last day vaccinations will be available is Friday, April 8, and the Ministry of Health of Jalisco (SSJ) has not indicated when the campaign might continue.
As a result of the decrease in positive cases at the state level, the Jalisco Board of Health updated the public sanitary measures for Covid-19 on March 17, 2022: public establishments can return to one hundred percent capacity, and no prohibitions were issued for the holiday period.
Translated by Rebecca Zittle
The lakeside municipality ranked 11th in the state with 96 workers laid off; 56 of them casual and 40 permanent
Editor.– Chapala was placed on the list of the 20 municipalities with the greatest loss of formal employment in Jalisco during the month of March 2022. Formal employment jobs are those with IMSS-insured employees.
According to information from the IMSS database, released by the Institute of Statistical and Geographic Information of the State (IIEG), the lakeside municipality ranked 11th in the state with 96 workers laid off; 56 of them casual and 40 permanent.
The list of municipalities with the greatest loss of employment during March was headed by Tlaquepaque with 238 fewer workers, followed by Tapalpa with 210, and San Gabriel with 192 formal jobs. Of the 125 municipalities, 57 of them, or 45.6 percent, registered job losses, totaling 2,569 dismissals.
In contrast, the three municipalities in the state that registered the most job increases were Zapopan with 4,841, Guadalajara with 1,979 and Tlajomulco de Zúñiga with 1,190 new IMSS-insured employees.
However, Jalisco had led the national jobs creation for the year with 12,154 new formal jobs, ranking first by contributing 18.8% of the total number of new jobs in the country.
Translated by Rebecca Zittle
The Chapala boardwalk is a tourist favorite during vacation season. Photo: Internet.
Jazmín Stengel(Chapala).- Chapala’s Operativo Municipal Alegres Vacaciones (City Operation for Happy Holidays) helps keep tourists safe. This year they will also ensure that merchants treat visitors well, said authorities during the presentation of the operation for Holy Week and Easter, April 9 to 24.
Coordinator of Economic Development José Luis Chávez Rivas will coordinate with officials from the Markets and Regulations departments to avoid harassment of tourists and unreasonable cost increases.
An official notice sent to the merchants of the Chapala boardwalk prohibiting bargaining says, “All suppliers must respect the prices, rates, guarantees, quantities, qualities, measures, interests, charges, terms, deadlines, dates, modalities, reservations and other conditions according to which the delivery of the good or provision of service was offered, obliged or agreed with the consumer, and under no circumstances will these goods or services be negotiated to any person. Therefore, they must clearly post their prices of the service they offer to tourists.”
Public Safety, Civil Protection, Firefighters, and Mobility departments will operate on a regular basis. The State Emergency institutions, Harbormaster, Civil Protection of Jalisco, Red Cross, State Police and Roads, will support them.
There will be 99 Public Safety officers, who in turn have 22 vehicles supervising the busiest areas of the municipality 24 hours a day. The boardwalks of Ajijic and the municipal capital will also be guarded. In Chapala, an information module will be installed near the offices of the Municipal Sports Commission on Francisco I. Madero Avenue.
Municipal Mobility will add more people during the season to control the main entrances and exits of the municipality and the borders with Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos, Jocotepec and Poncitlán.
The Director of Mobility, Moisés Ochoa Urquieta, wants to make Paseo Ramón Corona in Chapala a one-way street during Saints Week. That would force drivers onto González Gallo and Pepe Guízar Avenues, reducing crowds in downtown Chapala.
With six operational units, including two ambulances, Chapala’s Civil Protection and Fire Department will keep a close eye on the most accident-prone road points in the municipality. They will also monitor tourist-favored locations such as parks, boardwalks and forests.
In addition to working with all its staff and volunteers 24 hours a day, the Chapala Port Captaincy joined the supervision of the lakeshore, making available a state vessel. About 70 percent of Civil Protection and Fire Department personnel are emergency medical and rescue technicians.
Finally, Municipal President Alejandro Aguirre says he expects many tourists to generate even more problems with vital public services such as public sanitation, drinking water and garbage collection. Municipal Public Services Coordinator José Antonio Urzua Gracián will ensure that tourists visiting Chapala can take home the best memories of the “Little Corner of Love” as the city slogan goes.
President Aguirre Curiel says he expects two million tourists to visit the Chapala municipality during Holy Week and Easter. That’s why he launched the operation “Alegres Vacaciones en Chapala,” or Happy Holidays in Chapala.
During Holy Week in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, the Jalisco Secretariat of Tourism Jalisco registered more than 1.3 million visitors on the entire shore of Lake Chapala.
Translated by Mike Rogers
Dispensary of the Ajijic delegation. Photo: Archive.
Sofía Medeles(Ajijic).- A dispensary instituted by the Ajijic delegation has been providing people in need with their necessary medicines, according to Maximiano Macías Arceo, who is in charge of the office.
Macías Arceo explained that it is mainly Health Center patients and the elderly who come for medicines that include analgesics, anti-inflammatories, vitamins, some diabetes medicines, and supplies such as insulin syringes. Macías Arceo said that he collaborates with Health Center staff, who send their patients for medicine if their pharmacy is unable to provide them.
The delegation’s program is operating in cooperation with the NGO Social Networks Project and the Alégrate Foundation to provide controlled medicines for diabetic patients. In addition, a donated wheelchair and crutches can be loaned to anyone who needs them.
The dispensary is still receiving donations of non-expired and non-controlled medicines, which can be dropped off at the delegation across from the Ajijic plaza from 9 am to 3 pm. A medical prescription is required to acquire needed medicines.
Translated by MaryAnne Marble
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