In my home in Guatemala, Holy Week doesn’t start on the calendar, it begins with a scent. My mom always says her favorite childhood memory of Holy Week, Semana Santa, is the smell of corozo and incense. It’s a fragrance found in streets adorned in purple and visits to church with family. That memory lives in her, and now, it lives in me.

When I asked her what Holy Week meant to her growing up, she said it was a time of preparation for Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection. Her voice became firmer as she added: “Faith is the most important thing. It’s a gift from God. Without it, we wouldn’t believe in any of this.”

For the last 18 years, my mom has prepared an altar in front of our home every Good Friday. It’s part of the neighborhood Via Crucis, one of the 14 Stations of the Cross. She decorates it with pine needles, flowers, candles, an image of the Virgin, and one of Jesus. It’s a quiet, sacred act of community that brings together devotion, memory, and beauty.

“During Lent and Holy Week, we also fast, not just from food, but from anything that takes us away from what’s truly important,” my mom told me: “Fasting now means giving up what doesn’t help you or please God.”

We pray more, visit the sick, and prepare traditional meals like sweet chickpeas and fish, foods that are only made this time of year.

As she shared all of this, I couldn’t help but think of the processions in Antigua, Guatemala. The air is heavy with incense and reverence, and the streets come alive with color.

Jacaranda trees, those iconic purple blossoms, quietly announce Lent in Guatemala and frame many of the streets where the processions pass. They’re such a quiet, natural symbol of the season here. People spend hours creating carpets made of dyed sawdust, pine, and flowers, only to have them walked over by solemn processions carrying centuries-old images of Christ and the Virgin Mary. You hear drums and brass, feel the rhythm in your chest, and walk in silence, shoulder to shoulder with strangers united by faith.

I’m moved by the way these traditions bring people together, how they invite reflection, generosity, and connection across generations. For my mom, it’s a time of deep faith. For me, it’s a time to listen, to remember, and to appreciate the beauty of a culture that holds space for both mourning and renewal.

Renate’s story is the second of three Weekend Reflections that celebrate the Resurrection of Christ in the communities that you support.

International Samaritan is a Christ-centered organization built on Catholic Social Teaching. Our mission is to walk hand-in-hand with people who live and work in the garbage dumps of developing nations to help them break out of poverty.

We provide holistic scholarships for students from kindergarten through college, and we’re currently supporting 950 scholars in Central America, the Caribbean, and East Africa.

Would your church or school group like to partner and travel with us? Learn about our Learn, Serve, Grow program.

Empower our scholars to change their lives. Become a monthly supporter.

Renate Krings, International Program Manager, Guatemala

As our International Program Manager, Renate leads global partnerships and coordinates the Learn, Serve, Grow program. Based in Guatemala, she brings a strong background in design, social entrepreneurship, and cross-cultural collaboration. Her unique expertise leverages the strengths of young people in the U.S. and in the communities served by International Samaritan. Renate received her Bachelor’s degree in Product Design from the Universidad Rafael Landívar.