Meetings in Bogota

Saludos mis amigos! Last week was another action packed week for me. Although I did not attend language school in Queretaro, I received an extended education in Marianist life in Latin America.

As I indicated in the last post, I was going to Bogota to attend meetings of the Latin American Marianists.  The days were long but very productive.  Representatives from Argentina, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba and Mexico attended this meeting known as CLAMAR.  We began each day with prayer at 7am followed by meals, sessions, siesta, sessions, Mass and socials.  Most days concluded around 9:30pm.  So, while I did not attend school during this week, I was truly immersed in the Spanish language and Latin American culture.  I think I did surprisingly well with my Spanish, but as usual, there were times when I needed to speak in English.  The Brothers were very patient with me!  It was a great opportunity for me to experience and hear first hand the challenges and aspirations of each of the Marianist units in Latin America.  There are also several collaborative projects underway that will be beneficial for the Marianists in Mexico.  A final treat was celebrating Mass on the morning of October 2nd, the Foundation Day of the Marianists.  It was a great experience to celebrate with members of the community outside of the US and for it to be a reminder to me about the internationality of our congregation.  It was definitely the first time I celebrated Foundation Day in Spanish! The retreat center where we had our meetings was run by a group of sisters in Colombia.  The dwelling was nice but simple.  The food was also very good!

View of the Retreat Center

 

Inner Courtyard of the Retreat Center

 

My return flight to Queretaro was not leaving Bogota until late Friday night... so, I had an opportunity to see some of the sights of Bogota before my departure.  One of our Colombian priests, Fr. Raymundo and myself spend the day seeing some important sights around Bogota.  It was a great day and it was nice not to be meeting all day long!  We visited Monserrate where a Church was built 3152 meters above the city of Bogota.  On top of the mountain one can see a panoramic view of the city of Bogota.  We took the cable car to the top of the mountain and visited the Church to the Black Madonna.  The view was awesome!

On top of the mountain

 

View of the City

 

Going up the mountain in the Cable Car

 

 

The steps of the Church

 

Side chapel to the Black Madonna

  

After our tour on the Church, we headed down the mountain and into the city.  We had a great lunch and visited some museums which spoke about the history of Bogota.  As we were coming to the end of our time, the afternoon rains began... and yes, I did get wet! 

 

A street in Bogota

 

Lunch: A meat lover's delight!

 

Plaza de Independencia Bogota

 

Mona Lisa (in a museum that replicated persons as "fat people")

 

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands!

 

We finished the day with dinner at the local community and then I headed to the airport to get ready for my flight back to Queretaro.  Needless to say, I did not get much sleep on the plane and so all day yesterday I was pretty tired. 

 

Today, I celebrated Mass for the first time in the Chapel in the colonia.  I was definitely nervous, but one of the Brothers helped me out with some of the details.  I presided, but he shared reflections during the homily which made the experience a bit less stressful.  So, this past week I encountered many firsts: first time in Colombia, first time at a CLAMAR meeting, first time celebrating Foundation Day outside of the US, and the first time presiding at a Sunday Eucharist.  Whew.... that's a lot of firsts!!!!

 

 Tomorrow I go back to school to learn more and to build on my experiences thus far.  As we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis today, let us all remember his simplicity, his love for the marginalized, and his commitment to building the Church!  Hasta la fin de la semana!