Mary's Month (Mes de Maria)

The past few weeks have been especially busy because November 8th to December 8th (the feast of the Immaculate Conception) in Chile is what is known as "Mes de Maria," or Mary's month. In a way, it is similar to the month of May in the U.S., but from what I have seen so far, Chileans take Marian devotion to a whole new level.

Supposedly, the tradition in Chile began in 1854 with Monsignor Joaquin Larrain Gandarillas (Rector of the Santiago Seminary), who, wanting to spread the European tradition of Marian devotion in May, decided to initiate "el Mes de Maria" between Nov. 8 and Dec.8 to prepare for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. He also selected the month of November because, just as with May in the U.S., November in Chile is a springtime month. The flowers and trees are coming into full bloom and farmers are just starting to harvest the first summer crops. Just like the rebirth of nature in spring, the Mes de Maria is a reminder and a tool to renew, strengthen, and deepen our spiritual life--especially in preparation for the birth of Christ at the end of December! The tradition became popular in the Santiago seminary and then later spread to houses and churches around Santiago and the rest of Chile. Later, Monsignor Rodolfo Vergara Antunez (a friend of Monsignor Joaquin) wrote a prayer that begins and ends each Mass during Mary's Month (I am putting the opening and closing prayers and a translation at the end of this blog!).

During Mary's Month, all of the statues of Mary are adorned with flowers and candles, and at school we have been celebrating Mass each morning before classes start. Each day of the week, two classes are especially invited to celebrate the Mass. I have actually been surprised that the church has been filled every day despite the fact that many of the children already have to get up really early in order to travel to get to school on time. All of our fourth and fifth graders who just made their First Communion have been especially excited to get to Mass in the morning :) It has also been nice to see that a lot of parents stay for Mass--definitely the most Mass attendance I have seen so far during my time in Chile.

The Parish honors the tradition of Mes de Maria by praying the Rosary each day before Mass and by participating in a morning Rosary walk on Saturdays called the "Rosario del alba." People from our parish gather together at 7:15 in the morning and, praying the rosary, walk to another parish in our neighborhood, joining about 4 other parishes in the same place to celebrate Mass together. Afterwards, there is a little breakfast so that people from the different parishes can meet.

This past Sunday, for the first Sunday of Advent, there was also a blessing of all pregnant women at the end of Mass. Since I am working with the Holy Cross sisters in their Family Rosary organization, I was able to help distribute pink and blue rosaries to about 30 expecting mothers at Mass in Santiago's central cathedral. Seeing all of the pregnant women gather in front of the altar to receive a blessing from Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re was beautiful and moving!

Anyways, that is a little bit of what I have been up to the past few weeks. Please join me in prayer to our Blessed Mother this last week of Mes de Maria!

Here are the opening and closing prayer:

OPENING PRAYER:

Oh, Maria! During this beautiful month dedicated to you, everything resounds with your name and praises you. Your shrine radiates with new light, and our hands raise you up on a throne of grace and love to where you preside over our celebrations and listen to our prayers.

To honor you, we have spread fresh flowers at your feet and adorned your head with garlands and crowns. Even so, oh Mary! you are not satisfied with these tributes. You know that there exist flowers whose freshness never fades and garlands that never wither. These are the gifts that you desire from your children, because the most beautiful adornment a mother can receive is the devotion of her children, and the most beautiful crown that they can lay at her feet is their virtues.

Yes, the flower you ask of us is the innocence of our hearts. Therefore, we promise to work very hard throughout this month dedicated to your glory, oh Holy Virgin! to keep our souls pure and to remove the shadow of evil from our thoughts and desires.

The real rose whose brightness is pleasing to your eyes is charity, love of God and love of our brothers and sisters. And so, we will love each other as children of the same family, with you as our Mother, living together in the sweetness and harmony of brotherly love.

In this blessed month, we will strive to cultivate humility in our hearts—the modest flower that is so dear to you—and with your help, we pray to become pure, humble, giving, patient, and hopeful.

Oh, Mary! We pray that you help these virtues grow in the deepest corners of our hearts; that they may sprout, bloom, and eventually yield the fruits of grace in order to someday be worthy children of the most Holy and best Mother.

CLOSING PRAYER:

Oh, Mary, Mother of Jesus, our Savior and our holy Mother! We have come to offer you, with these gifts that we lay at your feet, our hearts which yearn to please you and receive from your goodness a new zeal for your holy service. Lead us to your Divine Son, who, because of your Divine gifts and at the request of His Divine Mother, will guide our footsteps to the path of virtue. We pray that the light of faith might shine with new splendor over the suffering villages that continue to groan in the darkness of error; that they might return to Christ, and that the many rebellious hearts in our world might be transformed so that your heart and the heart of your Son might rejoice with gladness. We pray that the enemies of His Church are converted and that the burning fire of His love might ignite all corners of the world. And finally, we pray that we might always be filled with joy and hope even amidst the many trials of daily life. Amen

Eating Peanuts with Christ

Today I left my house with the intention of heading into the center of Santiago to look for a new pillow; on the way, I found Christ instead.

In the center of Santiago (as in all cities) there is always lots of movement, people, and noise. As you get closer and closer to the center, everything seems to move more quickly. It is easy to be swept up in the fast movement, the hurried steps, and your individual agenda and to become blind to everything that lives on the margins--to the people who have not been able to keep up, who have been shuffled aside, sometimes forcefully but more often through (the much more painful) gradual neglect and apathy.

As I said in one of my first entries, I try to be intentional about living with a spirit of availability so that God's grace can be freer to work, live, and transform through me. However, even though I try, I often get wrapped-up in the busyness of life and need Christ to call me out of the center whirlwind to truly encounter Him in the margins. Today was one such reminder. As I approached Santiago's central plaza, I saw a man...homeless, curled up, sitting against a street wall. I passed him by. Immediately after, I knew that I had to turn around. Many of you know the story of my encounter with Maria in Peru; this felt very much the same, and thinking of her, made me stop myself. I bought a little bag of peanuts from a stand close by, returned, sat down next to the man, introduced myself, and gave him the bag of peanuts. The first thing he said to me was, "Can I ask you a favor?" I said, yes. He replied, "It's not money." I said, "Ok, what is it?" He responded, "It's time. Can you spend some time with me?" I told him, "I'm right here by your side, and I'm not going anywhere."

Today, I spent an hour sitting on the corner of Catedral and Plaza de Armas talking with Patricio. We talked about writers and poets, about traveling and languages, about a car accident in the north of Chile that left him almost blind, about the "vida complicada" (complicated life) that he experienced living in Brooklyn and Manhattan, about ... "What's the name of that alcohol that they sell in the U.S. again? ...oh yea, whiskey. That's complicated, that is...whiskey," about blues and jazz, and about Christ, the only person who has been able to conquer the sorrow and suffering of the world.

About every 10 minutes, Patricio would ask me again, "Can you do me a really big favor? It's no money," he would say (the last part in English). Each time, I would reply, "Yes, what is it," and he would say again, "Can you spend some time with me?" Often Patricio spoke with tears in his eyes. "Sorry," he would say to me, "it's just that, I'm really lonely. I'm all alone."

Sometimes Patricio would laugh..."You know why I'm laughing? You remind me of my daughter. You know what her name is? Gemita.  Her full name means pretty stone of dawn."

About 5 times Patricio asked me where I was from. I said, the U.S.--Ohio, and he said, "oh yea, I know it. I know it." He told me that he has traveled all over the world..."I know many countries. The only country I don't know is myself." I asked him where he was born; he told me: "I don't know, no one ever told me."

About 10 times, he said to me, "Sorry I'm kind of strange. I'm weird, I know. But I'm just lonely. I sit here calmly, and I don't bother anyone. I don't bother anyone. I'm quiet. I don't ask for money. You know why? Money makes life real complicated."

One time Patricio really started crying. "You know why I'm crying?" he said. "Because I'm still happy deep down, even though life has been really complicated for me. A lot of suffering, you know? But there's joy deep down. There's both--joy and sadness."

Today I ate peanuts with Christ on a street corner next to the great Cathedral in the center of Santiago. When we were done talking, I thanked him for his wisdom, his story, and his time. He thanked me for sitting next to him and for talking to him. He reached out for my hand and held it tight in his for a few minutes as we said goodbye. Then he told me he was off to conquer the world, and we parted ways.

Christ lives on the margins, in the most lonely, in the homeless, in the suffering.  Let's pray for the eyes to see Him there and the strength to reach out and touch His brokenness so that He, in turn, can transform our own hearts.  

Jornadas Pastorales

For a while now, I’ve been meaning to do a more in-depth entry on the jornadas pastorales, or class retreats that I help to plan and lead every Thursday.  They have definitely been one of the most impactful, challenging and fun parts of my work here so far.  At Andacollo (our school), each class goes on a retreat 1 day per school year –all the way from pre-school through High school.  There are 2 classes per grade, so in total, there are 28 jornadas pastorales each year.  The idea is to provide a space for reflection, sharing and growth as a class and community.  In planning each retreat, we talk with the head professor of the course about the particular challenges within the classroom and among the students that year.  We then work to design a retreat that addresses those themes.  This is especially important given the school system here because (at least at our school) the students stay with the exact same students in their class each year.  Even though there are 2 courses per grade (each with about 40-45 students) they don’t mix up the kids except in extreme circumstances or when students leave the school and new ones come in.  Because many of the students are at Andacollo for the majority of their education, the retreats are really significant to help them grow together and address certain problems among the students. 

I’ve helped with about 12 jornadas so far, and it always amazes me how different each one can be depending on the particular group of students—each course definitely has its own character and dynamic, and it’s a challenge for us to try to cater the retreat to work through that dynamic.

                It would be impossible for me to describe all of the memorable moments and things that the students have taught me during the jornadas, but I wanted to jot down some memories in any case.  SO here’s a little thought-collage to hopefully give you a taste of the jornada pastoral experience.

-          My very first week in Chile, I “helped” with one of the high school junior retreats.  First thought—it’s very humbling to be welcomed in to share in an intimate retreat when you are completely new and have no idea what you are doing.  What stands out to me from this retreat is how open the students were with each other.  There hasn’t been a single high school retreat that hasn’t caused the tears to start flowing for both guys and girls.  I guess I was surprised because when I was in high school, I couldn’t imagine any guy from one of my classes breaking down in tears in front of everyone and feeling completely comfortable sharing his feelings. 

-          Dinámicas (dynamics/ice breaker activities).  Chileans LOVE dinámicas.  Meetings always begin with icebreaker activities, and our retreats are no exception :) 

-          Sophomore retreat—somehow I was assigned to a group of all girls when we broke-out into small group discussion.  Each person had to fill-out a sheet choosing one word to describe who they were (personality, attitude, experience, etc.) in each year of their lives, starting in 7^th grade through the present.  They then had to choose one word describing an aspect of who they are that has remained throughout every year.  One girl in my group openly shared how, over the years, her feelings of isolation and other personal struggles eventually led her to seek relief in drugs and to move out of her house.  She remarked that she would describe her personality now as selfish or egotistical.  In the same group, one of my girls talked about the way she changed after 8^th grade because she got pregnant and now has the responsibility of taking care of her one-year-old son.  There are some moments when we are silenced by the experiences of others—their pain, struggles, and brokenness, but often their resilience, courage, and faith as well.   

-          Kindergarten—by far the cutest retreat so far.  The theme was “Jesús nos enseña tener muchos amigos” (Jesus teaches us to have lots of friends).  We had a “Friends Party” where each student was paired up with someone that they usually don’t spend time with, and they had to remain with that person the whole party—dance with them, eat cookies and drink juice together, and answer questions about their new friend when the music stopped in order to win a piece of candy!  Some kids absolutely would not let go of their new friend—precious. 

-          The most challenging moment so far in one of the jornadas—High School senior falling and fracturing his femur during one of the dinamicas.  His leg was literally completely dislocated from the hip—we were lucky the femur didn’t completely break through the skin.  It is in moments of crisis when you especially realize how much we take for granted good infrastructure and health care.  The first 15 minutes after the kid fell were spent arguing about whether he could be moved into a taxi because it would be too expensive to use an ambulance ($100 dollars).  When we finally convinced everyone that the boy absolutely couldn’t be moved without professional help (and he was too tall to fit sideways in a taxi!), we called the ambulance which didn’t arrive for over an hour—none of the clinics close to where our retreat was (in one of the poorer areas of Santiago) had ambulances, and the ambulances from the good clinics had to make their way through all of the traffic and chaos resulting from student protests in the center of town in order to arrive.  And so, all of the students sat by his side in the grass, trying to offer some words of comfort while we waited.

Tomorrow we have our retreat with the pre-schoolers where we will be talking about the Creation story.  All of the little ones are going to dress up like animals!  And somehow, I was selected to be the “Tia” (adult) that also has to dress up—the Chileans here already know me too well J    



4th graders during a jeopardy game I created about violence and bullying (...what can I say, I was trying to make a pretty serious theme somewhat fun!)

With some of the kindergartners during recess

Alma misionera (missionary soul)

Thank you for all of the prayers for the Caminata—God must have been listening because the walk for St. Andres Bessette on Saturday was a great success!  We could not have asked for a more beautiful day.  The sun was shining, and people from all over the Holy Cross communities in Santiago showed up to walk.—children, teenagers, adults, students, teachers, and religious. I, unfortunately, didn’t get to participate in the actual walk because I had to be up at the top of the hill the whole morning rehearsing with the choir.  Although I would have liked to accompany everyone to the top of the hill, it was also a great blessing to be able to welcome the pilgrims with song and to help lead everyone in song throughout the Mass.  During the pre-Mass praise and worship songs, I literally felt like I was in the movie Sister Act because myself and the 5 other girls who sang from Andacollo had to learn motions to each song to get the crowd moving and involved.   So, if you can picture it, the 6 of us were lined up behind microphones onstage dressed in yellow smocks and singing and dancing in unison!

The best part of the day for me was Mass.  Because I was facing the opposite direction on the altar, I could look up at the giant statue of the Virgin Mary with her hands outstretched to the crowd sitting underneath.  I know that she was with us in a special way that day, singing and dancing with us through the Mass.  It was a good visual reminder for me that she always invites us to place all of our prayers, anxieties, hopes and fears into her hands and heart to give to her Son.  Going through the experience of being a missioner here in Santiago has definitely given me lots of things to talk about with Mary.  When preparing for mission, I tried hard to not create expectations, imagine my situation or any responsibilities.  I knew from previous experience that many things could fall short and many expectations could go unfulfilled.   However, despite how hard I tried, there was one expectation that I couldn't help but form--I hoped to be in a community that would be spiritually rich and supportive.  The community that I found was one that hardly prayed together apart from grace at meals.  Yes, there would often be random discussion about matters of faith, but there was none of the deep group reflection and prayer that I had been anticipating.  I tried to fight against the disappointment of this realization by viewing it as a call to be the one to encourage and start the practice of community prayer, but began to become more frustrated after several weeks of failed attempts. Last year while studying abroad, I read the book "Gracias!" by Henri Nouwen, one of my favorite theologians and writers.  These first few months in Chile, I have been reminded of a particular passage that I copied in my journal last year in which Nouwen reflects on his experience of community and mission in Latin America.  He says:
"As the days and weeks pass by and I come to know the students of the language school better, I realize more and more how insecure, fearful, and often lonely many of us are.  Not only do we continue to hope for mail from 'home,' but we also continue to be submerged by the powers around us.  At home we at least had our own niche in life, our little place where we could feel useful and admired.  Here none of that is present.  Here we are in a world that did not invite us, in which we can hardly express ourselves and which constantly reminds us of our powerlessness.  And still, we know that we are sent here, that God wants us here, and that it is here that we have to work out our salvation.  The more these strong and often conflicting feelings come to the surface, the more I realize how much we need each other.  Mission work is not a task for individuals.  The Lord sent his disciples into the world in small groups, not as individual heroes or pioneers.  We are sent out together, so that together--gathered by one Lord--we can make him present in this world.  Many of us are eager to go out and to start working as soon as possible, with or without words!  It is certainly a sign of zeal, good will, great energy and generosity.  But maybe we should first of all look at eachother, recognize eachother's suffering, and come together as a living body to pray and share our joys and hopes, our fears and pains." 
SO GOOD.  I could not express the challenges of mission and of living in community (especially in another country) better even if I spent days and days reflecting on it.  I think that it is often a temptation of missioners and people involved in other service type of work to become so focused on the people that they are "serving" that they forget to minister to the hurt, needs, and loneliness in the own community in which they are living!   I have certainly fallen victim to the same temptation, which is probably why I have been so much more aware of the need of this community of OLMs in Santiago to grow deeper together spiritually --I'm just so convinced that we need it in order to know how to better support each other in the many challenges that confront us daily as missioners.  And so, going back to my original expectations, I find myself laughing again at the way in which God shakes up my plans and challenges me to grow in ways that I would have never expected and to deepen my faith and trust in Him that He will take me where He wants me to go.  
Sooo, I'm realizing that I got on that whole ramble because I was talking about offering up prayers to Mary during the Caminata!  It really was an uplifting experience, and after many weeks of pushing, we are actually going to have our first community prayer night tonight, so I think that Mary did hear my prayers (and the prayers of those praying for me) and take them to her Son.   I'm going to sign-off with translations of two of my favorite Mass songs (both which relate to this entry) and some pictures from the Caminata.  Thanks for getting through this long entry!  

 

Cancion del misionero:                                                               Missioner's Song

Señor, toma mi vida  nueva antes de que                                Lord, take my new life before
la espera desgaste años en mí.                                                   the waiting wears away the years in me.
Estoy dispuesta a lo que quieras                                               I am willing to do whatever You want,
No importa lo que sea,                                                                 It doesn't matter what it is,
Tú llámame a servir.                                                                     You call me to serve

Llévame donde los hombres                                                     Take me to where people
Necesiten tus palabras,                                                               Need Your words,
Necesiten mis ganas de vivir,                                                    Need my desire to live,
Donde falte la esperanza                                                            Where there is a lack of hope,
Donde falte la alegría                                                                   Where there is a lack of joy,
Simplemente por no saber de Ti.                                             Simply because they don't know You.

Te doy mi corazón sincero para gritar                                   I give you my sincere heart in order to

Sin miedo tu grandeza, Señor.                                                  proclaim Your greatness without fear.
Tendré mis manos sin cansancio                                             I will have my tireless hands,
Tú historia entre mis labios                                                      Your story on my lips,
Y fuerza en la oración.                                                                 And strength through prayer.

Y así, en marcha iré cantando                                                   And in this way, I will march on singing,

Por calles predicando                                                                  Preaching through the streets
Lo bello que es tu amor.                                                              The beauty that is Your love.
Señor, tengo mi alma misionera                                               Lord, I have my missionary soul
Condúceme a la tierra que tenga sed de Dios.                      Lead me to the land that thirsts for You.


María Mírame                                                                          Mary, Look at Me

María, mírame; María mírame,                                           Mary, look at me; Mary, look at me,
Si tú me miras, Él también me mirará.                             If you look at me, He will also look at me.
Madre mía, mírame, de la mano llévame                        My mother, look at me, take me by the hand
Muy cerca de Él, que ahí me quiero quedar          Close to Him, because that's where I want to stay

María, cúbreme con tu manto                                             Mary, cover me with your cloak

Que tengo miedo,                                                                    Because I'm scared,
No sé rezar;                                                                               I don't know how to pray
Que por tus ojos misericordiosos                                      But through your merciful eyes,
Tendré la fuerza,                                                                     I will have strength,
Tendré la paz.                                                                          I will have peace.

Madre, consuélame de mis penas,                                   Mary, console me in my suffering,

Es que no quiero ofenderte más;                               It's just that, I don't want to offend you anymore
Que por tus ojos misericordiosos                                Because of your merciful gaze
Quiero ir al cielo y verlos ya.                                        I already want to be with you in heaven.

 Mike, Blair and I getting ready to start the Caminata

"Together with Brother Andres, we will walk towards hope" 

Teens from Andacollo on the "Equipo de Servicio" (Service Team) pumping up the crowd!

The crowd starting the walk up the Cerro 

A banner with the Holy Cross emblem 

 Me and the other choir girls after Mass!

Choir!!

Just had to share my excitement---forty 5th-8th graders signed-up for the singing/choir class yesterday!!  I never expected so many students to sign-up, so I will definitely have my work cut out for me, but it is exciting to know that there is so much interest in the project.  Hopefully sign-ups for the High School choir go as well today :)

In other news, I have been extra busy this week getting ready for the "Caminata San Andres Bessette."  Caminatas are basically mini pilgrimage walks, and they actually occur pretty frequently throughout the city.  In this caminata, the Congregation of Holy Cross will be celebrating the one-year anniversary of the canonization of Saint Andres Bessette, a Holy Cross Brother whose formal canonization took place on October 17, 2010.  We will be walking up to the top of Cerro San Cristobal, a hill in the middle of Santiago with a giant statue of the Virgin Mary on top.  I am really excited that my first caminata in Chile is going to be to Cerro San Cristobal because it has played a meaningful role in my experience in Santiago.  When I studied abroad, I used to pray the rosary during the long walk up to the Virgin Mary and then spend several hours up in the sanctuary to reflect on my study abroad experience, pray and enjoy a little break from the craziness of city life.  Cerro San Cristobal has continued to be a place of retreat for me throughout these first few months as a Holy Cross OLM, so I am looking forward to walking up the hill with the Holy Cross family in Chile and celebrating Mass on top.  I have been working with one of the youth ministers to organize and rehearse with the choir that will be both animating the crowd as they arrive at the top of the Cerro and singing during the Mass.  I feel like my brain the past few days has just been running through song after song after song--it was A LOT to learn in a short time!!  Pretty soon I will have to do an entry about some of my favorite Mass songs here because singing with the church choir at my local parish and helping with the choirs for different special events has been one of the most beautiful and uplifting parts of my experience here thus far.  I love how the majority of Chileans sing with their whole heart throughout the Mass even if they might not have the best voice :)

Anyways, more to come later!  Here's a picture of the top of Cerro San Cristobal so that you have an idea of where the pilgrimage will be this weekend.

Two pictures from a striking sunset over the city. Unfortunately, Santiago's air contamination is terrible--most days, the smog is so thick that you can literally see the pollution in the air.  However, on this particular day, I couldn't help but stand in awe of the colors in the sky...even if their vibrancy was, to some extent, the result of air pollution! Here's a short article on smog in Santiago and other Chilean cities for anyone interested: http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/environment/22546-thirteen-chilean-cities-exceed-who-air-quality-standards.  Sometimes I find myself complaining and lamenting about how I have to breath this gross air every day.  Then I think about the people who have lived in Santiago for their entire life and people all over the world living in exceptionally contaminated cities who don't have the money to travel somewhere else to experience the richness of fresh air.  Myself and the other missioners went to a Holy Cross retreat house an hour and a half outside of Santiago awhile ago, and I was shocked by how I was instantly aware of the difference in the quality of the air.  I must have looked ridiculous taking huge consecutive breaths of air the whole weekend, but it was so wonderful and refreshing that I couldn't resist!  It was another powerful reminder of the many things that I take for granted and also a reminder of another man-created and sustained injustice that is crying out for transformation.

Tía Teresa: What’s in a name?

Bridget is a very difficult name for Spanish speakers to pronounce.  I learned this the first summer I spent living and teaching in COAR Children’s Village in El Salvador.  Some at the orphanage attempted to say my name but ended up sounding like they were almost gagging trying to get all of the sounds out right.  Others began to call me Brijida (a name that absolutely wouldn’t work in Chile because it’s a Chilean ghetto slang word for something really dangerous…that’s me! Haha)  and others Beatriz in an effort to find something similar to Bridget in Spanish.  About half way through my time at COAR, I decided that it would just be easier to go by my middle name, Theresa, which is easily translated into Spanish (sounds like Tay-ray-sa).  However, by that time, I had so many names around COAR that it was a lost cause to get any one of them to stick!  Needless to say, I learned my lesson, and every time I have gone back to Central or South America—whether to El Salvador, the summer I spent in Peru, or study abroad in Chile—I have gone by Teresa.    

It’s always weird for friends in the States to imagine everyone knowing me as Teresa, but for me it has become second nature—I respond to both names just the same.  Maybe, in a way, I’ve kind of adopted it as my Latin American “identity” J  It’s definitely not a bad name to use—it reminds me of two of my awesome Aunts, Mother Teresa, St. Therese and many other wonderful saints and people!  Not to mention one of Chile’s two saints, St. Teresa de los Andes (the other is St. Alberto Hurtado).

Most of the adults that I work with know that my first name is Bridget, but to all of my students, I am just Teresa . . . Tía Teresa, to be specific.  In Spanish, “tía” literally means “aunt,” but it is used by Chilean students to refer to teachers.  Instead of using señor/señora or profesor/profesora, they use tía.  In many ways, this word captures the differences between teacher/student relationships in Chile vs. those in the U.S.  Relationships are definitely more familiar, more relaxed, and more personal.  For one, Chileans use the kiss on the cheek to say hello and goodbye.  With so many students and colleagues at school, I feel like I am giving kisses all day!  This is something that I can’t picture happening in the U.S. where teachers are basically not allowed to touch their students, much less give them a kiss on the cheek.  The other lay missioners and I sometimes laugh about the number of lawsuits that would occur if Chilean customs were brought to the U.S.  Granted, sometimes the more affectionate nature of relationships here makes it more difficult for teachers to manage the classroom because they have to work extra hard to establish some sort of authority/respect relationship with the students, but, in general, I think that it creates a greater feeling of community in the school.  Personally, I love the fact that my students have no hesitation in running up to me and giving me a hug!

Speaking of school, I thought it would be good to talk a little more about my English classes!  I am now teaching 3^rd-6^th grade English, and I absolutely love it, even though it requires so much energy!!  As those of you who know me can imagine, class-time is full of lots of songs, games, and creative projects.   Many of my students probably think that I am somewhat crazy because I have absolutely no shame in doing silly dance moves with them in the songs or using different funky theater games to get them speaking more.  That said, teaching has also been a big challenge, and I feel like I am learning so much about patience, sacrifice, and recognizing the unique gifts of each individual student as a result of this experience.  One of the frustrations is that the books that the students have are definitely not the best, but the school, families, and the students themselves really value doing the activities in the book because, to them, they have paid for the books and want them to be used! This makes sense, but it can also be frustrating for me since it limits the material that I can cover during lessons, especially because I am working within the plan of the elementary level English teacher at Andacollo, Claudia.  I am happy to be a relief for Claudia (even if just in a small way) because she is in charge of teaching kindergarten through 8^th grade English—two classes per grade, 40-45 students per class!  It’s no wonder that the level of English at the school is so poor…only a superhuman could do lesson plans for 9 different grade levels and keep their head straight about what they were doing in each class!

In other news, I am very excited because I have been working the past few weeks with two University students from the choir I sing in at church to start two choirs in Colegio Andacollo.  Although there is a basic music class for the students where they learn to play the recorder and learn a little about traditional Chilean music, there is absolutely no singing at school!  This was obviously a problem for me when I found out, so I have been talking with one of the school directors to see if I can start a choir “taller” (elective).  He was really receptive of the idea and is excited to see what the reception among the students is.  So, myself and my two choir friends are going to do a test run of a 5-8^th grade choir and a high school choir for about the last 10 weeks of the school year, and if it goes well, the director said that we can talk about putting it on the regular school schedule for the coming year, which will start in March!  It’s obviously going to be a difficult task since we are starting from scratch, but I know that many of the students at school love to sing, and I wanted to create a space for some more formal instruction and growth.  Say some prayers that we are successful in getting this project started! 

A Humble, Joyful Servant

Last weekend, we celebrated Chile’s biggest national holiday, Fiestas Patrias.  Chileans go crazy for the 18^th!  Throughout the city, there were many large carnivals/ fondas (about 100xs bigger than the one I described in the previous entry that we had at our school).  Our weekend was full of different events, starting with a Mass and dinner on Thursday and ending with a barbecue and mini-fiesta at our house on Monday.  I was able to spend all of Sunday (the actual 18^th, Dieciocho) with the host family that I lived with when I studied abroad, which was so much fun and such a blessing.  They took me to a giant carnival called the Fonda Intercomunal.  There, I got to see a huge horse and dance show that depicted the history of Chile…starting with the dances and horse-riding of the indigenous Mapuche, moving through the  colonization by Spaniards in elegant horse-drawn carriages, introducing the classic “huaso” (cowboy) dances, and incorporating dances from Easter Island, the Argentinian tango, traditional Peruvian dances, and, of course, the national dance of Chile, the cueca.  I also got to see a rodeo, which are very common in Chile due to the country, huaso cultural tradition.  Here are some pictures from the different weekend events: 

With members of the Church choir at the Church Fonda

Chileans out on the dance floor dancing the beloved cueca

People at the big Intercomunal Fonda watching the horse/dance show

    Getting ready to start the show

The Mapuche riders and dancers

SO MUCH MEAT.

Many of the kids dress up in traditional huaso/huasa clothing for the carnivals.  Precious.

  Getting ready for the rodeo.

Probably my most favorite celebration of the weekend occurred last Thursday.  Each year the Congregation of Holy Cross awards the Spes Unica award to honor a member of the community who represents the spirit of Holy Cross.  The words "Spes Unica" are borrowed from the motto of the Holy Cross Brothers, and mean “our only hope.” (the full motto is "Ave Crux, Spes Unica!" or "Hail the Cross, our Only Hope!").  While the award is typically given to someone well-known throughout the community or country for their research or other accomplishments, this year, it was awarded to Don Patricio—a man who works at Colegio Andacollo (my school) selling posterboard, staples, and other school supplies and helping with maintenance.  He was one of the first people I got to know at Andacollo, first because I am always asking him for different supplies to use on retreats and for classroom activities J, but more importantly because he is one of the most warm, thoughtful, and genuine people I have ever met.  He was one of the first to welcome me to the school and has never ceased to be someone to turn to for help or to simply chat with during recess and lunch breaks. 

Don Pato doesn’t have any diplomas to boast of.  He doesn’t spend his day in important meetings or with an organization working to solve big world problems.  He has never travelled to other parts of the world.  Rather, he spends his day opening school doors and closets, selling school supplies and helping to set-up and clean-up during school events.  And yet, he was selected to receive one of Holy Cross’s most important awards.  For anyone that knows him, it is not hard to see why.  Mother Teresa once famously said: “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”  Don Pato is a man of small things.  But he is loved, admired, trusted and valued by the people around him because everything that he does is done with a humble and joyful heart.  He is such a gentle person and consistently offers himself unconditionally to be of service to others.  You know how there are certain people that you meet that instantly make you want to be a better person and  just do what they do?  Don Pato is one of those people for me, and, from what I have seen, for many other people as well. 

I have to say, I was very proud to be a member of Holy Cross during this ceremony.  Although it was no surprise to anyone who knows Don Pato why he was selected to receive the award, I think that it was a surprise that he was actually selected given what I said earlier about the award usually going to someone more well-known throughout the city or country.  I don’t mean to say that people selected in years past were not worthy nor that fame negates merit, but I often think that, in our world, the people that most sincerely and fully live out the Gospel message of humility and unconditional service and love often go unnoticed and unrecognized.  God knows that it is just as hard (or even harder, in my opinion!) to live joyfully and humbly day in and day out as it is to accomplish many things or make a large impact on society.  For this reason, I could not have been more happy that Don Pato was awarded the Spes Unica—he is a beautiful example for all of us of the grace that shines in the most humble, small, and seemingly insignificant actions.   

When Don Pato stood up to give his acceptance speech, I was sitting in the choir looking out at the congregation, and I never saw so many thrilled and smiling faces.  Then, to add to his already incredible life witness and story, during his speech he shared part of his difficult journey to faith in Christ during the years of the dictatorship when his family was the victim of death and torture and had to flee their hometown to escape the oppression.  He shared how he met Holy Cross priest Padre Roberto (a U.S. priest who has been in Chile for over 40 years),who, amidst the great suffering and heartache that Don Pato and his family were living, began to tell them about the suffering Christ and the faith and hope that are offered through the Cross.  Don Pato is someone who has truly lived and experienced the Holy Cross motto, “Hail the Cross, Our Only Hope!”  He has lived through things that I could never imagine, but instead of hardening his heart to the world, he gives thanks that, through suffering, he was able to develop a profound faith—a faith that he knows will sustain him and illuminate the way that God’s grace is present even in the many difficulties and challenges of life.