We’re living in rural Sri Lanka outside a tiny village named Mihintale. Most of the Sri Lankan population is Buddhist with small minorities of Muslims and Christians. I was pleasantly surprised to find St. Anthony’s, a small Catholic church in Mihintale, and made my first visit on Palm Sunday.
When I arrived, several people were decorating coconut palms with flowers, soon to be carried inside by the altar boys. The rest of us were handed palms as well.
After the mass, which involved an hour of mostly standing on our feet in the 90-degree chapel , a man named Michael taught me how to weave palms into crosses. I met several students from the university where I work, and chatted with many other warm, friendly folks.
