Hello, yes, you
got it! I'm back from the mountains. I am in Moro, and I am sat down
behind my computer, writing to you all. Boy, are you ever
intelligent!
I left approximately two weeks ago.
During which time we had a course for the catechists, celebrations in
Pamparomas, and five village feasts. The course for the catechists
was great.
We are now starting to learn how to
meditate the word of God, using eight points:
• find
a nice quite solitary place, (which is not too difficult in the Andes
Mountains).
• say
a prayer asking for the help of "you know who" in the meditation.
• choose
and read a passage.
• imagine
you are at the scene of the passage, hearing, seeing, and
experiencing all that is happening,
• discover
what God wishes to communicate through this event of the Bible.
• discover
what God wishes to say to you through this passage,
• make
a commitment based on this message, and
• say
a prayer of thanksgiving.
It is fun to teach the catechists
this, as they really want to learn how to use the Bible. We also
continued to studied how to prepare the villages for the confirmation
in October. We had a contest to see who could draw the nicest Holy
Spirit. It was hilarious. What were supposed to be doves turned out
to be ducks, turkeys, and other unidentifiable scribbles.
We also had two lay women from
Chimbote up to teach the catechists about Acts of the Apostles. They
are great ladies, so dedicated. This is the fourth time they have
been up to give courses on the bible. They are now forming a group of
catechists who will learn how to go around sharing the course with
others.
This time in Pamparomas also has been
a time of forming a group called the ladies committee: (no it is not
for gossiping purposes) They are taking charge of having a type of
flea market. We have receive clothing, shoes, eye glasses, and other
things from Caritas, and I have decided that we can put a moderate
price on them, and start a small fund for the parish.
The committee now has purchased a
nice door for the small adjoining room of the church, and is fast
raising enough for closets and dressers to store the church robes,
and liturgical implements.
After the catechetical course, and
Mass in Pamparomas, it was off to the villages to celebrate their
village feast. I baptized more that fifty children, married a few,
had first communions in two villages, heard confessions, and
celebrated the Eucharist with the villages.
It is both rewarding and challenging.
Rewarding due to the fact that I can see how the people are becoming
more and more interesting in finishing their chapels through their
own efforts. We have helped them, but now are not able to, and they
have decided to figure out ways to continue.
In Huaracpampa they are building a
nice little chapel, and are very excited about it. In Yuracrumi, they
are repairing the fallen chapel. The catechist of Yuracrumi told me
quite a compelling story. They were working on the chapel, fifteen
members of the community, when the ladder two of them were standing
on collapsed from under them. The catechist cut his leg very
seriously, and the other man hurt his back. Donato, the catechist,
relates how he went to his house, and lay down, but then he
remembered how much he wanted to finish the chapel. This moved him to
get up and go continue working until the roof was finished that day.
He then spent ten days in bed recovering.
In Coto and Pias, they are determined
to buy the chapel bell, and have now raised half of what they need.
It is also rewarding to see how the catechists are more enthusiastic.
I used to constantly hear how they were disheartened by the people's
response. But now they are energized. I think it is partly due to the
fact that we have been giving them song books, celebration books, and
little books about Jesus, so now they have materials to teach
with.
Coto was very interesting, as I went
to the cemetery to pray. The people basically dragged me there. I
really did not like praying in cemeteries, but it is a very strong
tradition here. It has become for me, however, a moving experience to
pray in the cemeteries of Peru. I ask the people who it is we are
praying for, and ask them to tell me a little about them.
The tears and suffering that one
encounters is great. Eustacia Milla: 13 years old. Dies together with
her little baby at birth.
Margarita Alegre: 15 years old,
raised by her grandmother. Died of cancer. Her grandmother weeps
during the prayer. Juan Botello and María Botello (Father and
daughter). Juan died this year. We pray for him at the request of his
wife, and two grandchildren(3 and 5) who look on. María the
mother of the two died last year.
Then there are the little graves.
Fathers and mothers asking you to pray for their little ones who died
of pneumonia. We pray for Juan Rivers's father, while Juan weeps when
asked to tell us something about his dad.
The people somehow blame themselves
for many of these deaths, and one has the opportunity to console, and
take some of that guilt away.
In Coto a man came offering me
ancient Inca clay pots. Well, I had always had a policy of not buying
grave stealer's stuff. However I am changing, due to the fact that it
is important to maintain in the area the artifacts of the area. Some
archeologists had mentioned to me that they could not identify the
cultural levels of the area without artifacts. So now we are thinking
about starting a little museum. I spent $12.00 buying two incredible
beautiful painted clay pots. One was used in liturgical ceremonies,
as it is painted with dark and light contrasts, and the other is an
interesting one that they used to toast corn.
The difficult part of the village
feasts is trying to control the use of pure alcohol. As the village
feast is not only religious but social there is drinking and dancing.
Family members who have migrated to the city often return at Festival
time.
Well, pure alcohol wipes you out fast
and cheap, so it has been a popular thing here during feast time. The
problem with it is that it often brings out the negative side of
people. There is fighting, swearing, family violence, and other
problems.
So yours truly a few years back has
started this gradual frontal move against this side of the Feast. We
have been making a lot of progress, but this year was more demanding,
as Chunya decided they were going to have a super Feast: four musical
bands, and nine crazy cows( fireworks).
Well, I sure sat them all down real
fast, to lay down the rules:drinking? yes. pure alcohol? no . Either
the feast was civilized or this cowboy was riding out. After throwing
some alcohol down the slopes of the Andes Mountains, and screaming at
some sellers, things turned out O.K. Now they have decided that they
can have a party without pure alcohol. Hey, the next day I even had a
beer, and danced a jig.
So, as certain parts of my body are
getting sore from having sat down so long, I just thought I would
tell ya you're all a great bunch of goofy people.
Oh, and remember, I'm winning the
letter writing contest.
God Bless ya all,
Fr. David
P.S. Melanie should be back any day
now. She was in Bolivia getting here papers fixed up. You have to be
out of the country to get a Peruvian visa.