Holy Week: Azande Mass for Greater Portland’s Sudanese Community Set for Cathedral on Easter Sunday

PORTLAND---An Azande Mass for members of Greater Portland’s Sudanese Community will be celebrated on Easter Sunday, April 9, at 2 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.

The Mass will be celebrated in English, Azande, and Arabic, and will feature traditional music and dancing. More than 200 people, most of them members of the Sudanese community, gather in the Cathedral for the Easter Sunday Mass each year.

Fr. Amandus Sway, AJ, a hospital chaplain serving at Maine Medical Center and Northern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland, will celebrate the Mass. Fr. Sway is a native of Tanzania who has served in Maine since 2016.

Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord, is also a time to celebrate new life coming into the Church and that is certainly evident at the Easter Sunday Azande Masses. Many years, over 20 people are baptized at the Mass.

A special Holy Week section includes Mass times and locations at all Maine parishes, listings of parish events, daily prayers and reflections, and many other resources. In addition, stories from many Masses and services and special messages throughout Holy Week will be posted on the diocesan website, the diocesan Facebook page, the diocesan Twitter page, the diocesan Instagram page, and on Bishop Deeley’s personal social media pages on Twitter and Instagram.