One of the great insights that Madre Teresa gave to the Church was the deep undertanding that she had of the Body of Christ. She saw and taught others to see the presence of Christ in others - especially in the poor. She saw that as she served others she was serving the Lord. She knew that she touched the Body of Christ every day.
It is my own spiritual insight as well here that I am privledged to touch the Body of Christ each day. In loving the abused children of our school, stunbling through a conversation in broken languages or being with the poorest of the poor I see the presence of the Lord. It is within the poor that the Lord reveals Himself in a truly profound but mysterious way. It reveals to us each day the power and the glory of the Incarnation.
Please pray that each day I am able to keep in mind the presence and the glory of the Lord in others. By being present to them may I see and recognize the presence of the Lord.
Mass in La Costanera
incense is a very6 important symbol for the indiginous people
Two of Our Volunteers
Holly and Liz are with us for 6 weeks
Two of our Short Term Volunteers
Ryan and Liz
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Full House in Bolivia
No, I am not in a poker tournament here, the full house refers to the fact that we have 3 short term missioners living with us in Nueva Vera Cruz. Last week Holly, Ryan and Rocio arrived to work and live with us in the barrio. Holly is a 19 year old student from Notre Dame who is here to learn about the formation of barrios and communities and to practice her Quechua here in our barrios. Ryan is taking a year off from the Coast Guard Academy and will be here for 6 months and will be working with the kids in the school and in the barrio. Rocio is a friend of Pancho's from Spain who will be reconnecting with old friends in Bolivia and working with our Mother's Clubs. It certainly changes the dynamics of the house and the chapel with so many people around. The young people give us a lot of life and I enjoy it very much. I have always enjoyed working with the young and having them here makes me appreciate all that is happening here in our barrios.
Yesterday, after Mass we stopped by at a community meeting at La Liberdad, a new barrio we are trying to get in contact with. Holly and I were talking to one of men at the meeting and he asked us if we were married. Holly was very quick to say that we were not. I guess I need to say that I am the local priest a little quicker in the conversation.
Thanks for all your support and prayers over these months. Work is going well as I get a bit more into the lives of the barrios. The next big project looks like the building of a chapel up the hill for our barrios there. It should be interesting getting the land, donations for the constructione etc..
Please continue to keep my sister-in-law Judy in your prayers. She has a cyberknife operation this week for the remainder of the tumor in her brain and will continue with chemotherapy next week.
I will be back up north the last 2 weeks of August and the 1st week in September and hope to catch up with people then.
Thanks again for all your love and support.
Yesterday, after Mass we stopped by at a community meeting at La Liberdad, a new barrio we are trying to get in contact with. Holly and I were talking to one of men at the meeting and he asked us if we were married. Holly was very quick to say that we were not. I guess I need to say that I am the local priest a little quicker in the conversation.
Thanks for all your support and prayers over these months. Work is going well as I get a bit more into the lives of the barrios. The next big project looks like the building of a chapel up the hill for our barrios there. It should be interesting getting the land, donations for the constructione etc..
Please continue to keep my sister-in-law Judy in your prayers. She has a cyberknife operation this week for the remainder of the tumor in her brain and will continue with chemotherapy next week.
I will be back up north the last 2 weeks of August and the 1st week in September and hope to catch up with people then.
Thanks again for all your love and support.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Typical Sunday in Bolivia
Greetings from Cochabamba.
We had the joy of hosting John Reis this weekend. He is a theology professor at Carroll College in Montana and was exploring the possibility of bringing down students for an immersion experience here in the barrio. Since we are a likely place for folks to come visit we invited him out for the weekend. He came out on Saturday afternoon and we took a tour of the barrio of C'ara C'ara with Maryknoll Fr. Ken Moody. It is a barrio built around the city garbage dump which has been a source of great controversry here in the area because of the conflict of what it does to the environment and the financial stability that it gives to the barrios. Afterwards we had a quick dinner and then went to Santa Vera Cruz for a Marian fiesta with live music and dancing.
This morning we went up the hill to the barrios of La Rivera and Costa Nera for Mass which was followed by an OTB meeting. The OTB is the local barrio association which is a combo of Town Hall meeting and Town Council meeting. We have been asked to build a chapel in the barrios and are trying to get land donated to build it and are working with the OTBs to facilitate the process. With the changes in the Constitution and other local issues this may be quite the challenge but we hope that it works out.
Afterwards we went over the mountain to a place that has a wonderful overlook of the barrio. There was another OTB meeting going on and we went behind them to get a few photos for John to show his students back home. As we were there several young men came over to ask us who we were and what we were doing there since it was a closed meeting. While not exactly threatening it was clear they did not want us there. I explained we were just there for a photo but they were not impressed. After I said I was the priest from the barrio their attitude changed quickly and they welcomed us and introduced us to the President who invited us from front and asked me to address the folks and let them know what was going on with the Church. Afterwards the leaders asked us about the possibility of catechism classes for the kids and they asked me to come to an OTB meeting next week where we will discuss other possibiliites for work in their barrio of El Liberdad.
Just another typical Sunday morning in Bolivia.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support for our work here in Bolivia.
We had the joy of hosting John Reis this weekend. He is a theology professor at Carroll College in Montana and was exploring the possibility of bringing down students for an immersion experience here in the barrio. Since we are a likely place for folks to come visit we invited him out for the weekend. He came out on Saturday afternoon and we took a tour of the barrio of C'ara C'ara with Maryknoll Fr. Ken Moody. It is a barrio built around the city garbage dump which has been a source of great controversry here in the area because of the conflict of what it does to the environment and the financial stability that it gives to the barrios. Afterwards we had a quick dinner and then went to Santa Vera Cruz for a Marian fiesta with live music and dancing.
This morning we went up the hill to the barrios of La Rivera and Costa Nera for Mass which was followed by an OTB meeting. The OTB is the local barrio association which is a combo of Town Hall meeting and Town Council meeting. We have been asked to build a chapel in the barrios and are trying to get land donated to build it and are working with the OTBs to facilitate the process. With the changes in the Constitution and other local issues this may be quite the challenge but we hope that it works out.
Afterwards we went over the mountain to a place that has a wonderful overlook of the barrio. There was another OTB meeting going on and we went behind them to get a few photos for John to show his students back home. As we were there several young men came over to ask us who we were and what we were doing there since it was a closed meeting. While not exactly threatening it was clear they did not want us there. I explained we were just there for a photo but they were not impressed. After I said I was the priest from the barrio their attitude changed quickly and they welcomed us and introduced us to the President who invited us from front and asked me to address the folks and let them know what was going on with the Church. Afterwards the leaders asked us about the possibility of catechism classes for the kids and they asked me to come to an OTB meeting next week where we will discuss other possibiliites for work in their barrio of El Liberdad.
Just another typical Sunday morning in Bolivia.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support for our work here in Bolivia.
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View from the front of the chapel.
A sunset over the barrio
View of the courtyard of the chapel
One of the Kids in the Parish
One of the young girls in the parish school program
Kids from the School Program
Views of the Barrio
View from the front gate of the chapel.
The street in front of the chapel.
View from the side of the chapel.
The barrio of Nueva Vera Cruz
Recent Mass in La Rivera
Some of the residents of La Rivera gather at a private house for our Saturday night celebration
View of the barrio from the chapel
El Club de Mulheres
Some women from the barrio gather every Friday afternoon for the Women's CLub meeting.
Baptism of 3 Brothers and Sisters, December 21
Wedding, December 21, Nueva Vera Cruz
La Riveira
The Community at La Riviera
pic 1
La Riviera
pic 3
La Riviera
pic 2
La Riviera
La Rivera at a Recent Mass
