LATAMJ U LY 2 0 1 7

MISSION IN RIVERA

CONGREGATION OF CHRISTIAN BROTHERS • LATIN AMERICAN REGION

Four schools of the Region join

together to serve

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE

DAVID GIBSONTST MEMBER

2 LATAM July 2017

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.~ Mahatma Gandhi

July 2017 LATAM 3

Don't you know yet? It is your light that lights the world.

~Rumi

GOT A STORY/IDEA/PASTORAL MISSION? We want to hear from you, send us your ideas to: comunicaciones@edmundrice.org

NEED TO CONTACT THE CHRISTIAN BROTHERS? Answers to many of your vocational questions might be found at our website or you could contact us at: vocaciones@edmundrice.org

The LATAM MAGAZINE is the magazine of the Latin American Region – Christian Brothers and is published 11 times per year—January/February combined, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. Publication office, Edmund Rice Development Office for the Latin American Region, is at Urbanización Arriba Perú, Canto Grande, Lima. Tlf. 388–5852. The LATAM MAGAZINE publishes text, photos and illustrations sent by our correspondents from Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Uruguay. Requests to reproduce text material should be addressed to the Edmund Rice Development Office, desarrollo@edmundrice.org. The views expressed in the LATAM MAGAZINE are those of the authors and may not reflect the official policies of the Congregation. No endorsement of those views should be referred unless specifically identified as the official view of the Congregation of Christian Brothers.

Please recycle this magazine

4 LATAM July 2017

FEATURE

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE

07Br. David Gibson, member of the TST

Br David Gibson just launched his new book The Story of Journeying Together which can be purchased on Amazon. The book is about the exciting project of the Congregation called Our Way Into The Future.

MISSION IN RIVERA

09Missionaries from four schools in Latin America

Thirty missionaries from four schools in the Latin American Region gathered for a week in Rivera, a city in Uruguay, to serve others. The mission was organized by Stella Maris School Staff.

LIFE IN THE DESERT

30Accompanying the neigbours

Brothers Chuck Fitzsimmons and Seán DiFiglia live in Nuevo Horizonte, a desert area filled with prefabricated houses. There they accompany the people in their daily struggles.

July 2017 LATAM 5

CONTENT JULY 2017

INVOCATION TO THE SPIRIT

2706

By José Antonio Pagola

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE07

Br. David Gibson, member of TST

MISSION IN RIVERA08

Missionaries form the school of the Latin American Region

COMMUNITY CANTO GRANDE14

News from Fe y Alegría School and the community of Brothers

SETTLING INTO BEING UNSETTLE

27

Teresa a lay missionary of Maryknoll. She volunteers full time at the Brother Manolo Center

GATHERING OF ERI18

Local coordinator of ERI Latin America gathered in Cochabamba

COMMUNITY IN ARGENTINA22

A community that welcomes others to pray

6 LATAM July 2017

INVOCATION TO THE HOLY SPIRITBY JOSÉ ANTONIO PAGOLA

Come, Holy SpiritInstill in us the strengthand encouragement of Jesus.

Without your boost and grace,we will not be able to believe in Him;we will not dare to follow in his footsteps;the Church will not be renewed;our hope will be extinguished

Come and pass on to usthe vital inspiration of Jesus!

Come, Holy Spirit,and remind us of the good wordsthat Jesus used to say.

Without your light and your testimony about Him,we will end up forgetting the kind face of God;the Gospel will become a dead letter.The Church will not be ableto proclaim any good news.

Come and teach usto listen to Jesus only!

Come, Spirit of Truthand makes us walk alongside the truth of Jesus.

Without your light and guidance,we will never rid ourselvesof our faults and lies;nothing new and true will be born amongst us;we will be like the blind,pretending to guide other blind.

Come and make us disciplesand witnesses of Jesus!

Come, Spirit of the Fatherand teach us to cry out “Abba” to God,as Jesus used to do.

Without your warmth and joy,we will live as orphans who have lost their Father;we will invoke God with our lipsbut not with our hearts;our prayers will be empty words.

Come and teach us to praywith the words and heart of Jesus!

Come, Good Spiritand make us a part of the project of “the Kingdom of God”,started out by Jesus.

Without your renewing strength,no one will change our tired hearts;

we will not be daring enough to build a more humane world,according God’s wishes;… the last will never be the first in your Church;and we will continueto be asleep in our bourgeois religion.

Come and make us collaboratorsof the project of Jesus.

Come, Spirit of Love;and teach us to love one anotherwith the same love that Jesus has loved us.

Without your alive presence amongst us,the unity of the Church’s communion will break;

the hierarchy and the people will distancefrom each other even moreour divisions will grow;our communication will break downand intolerance will increase.

Come and rekindle in our heartsand hands the brotherly lovethat makes us resemble Jesus!

Come, Liberating Spirit;and remind us that Christ set us freeso that we could be genuinely freeand not be oppressed by slavery again.

Without your strength and your truth,our joyful following of Jesuswill become a slave morality;we will not experience life-giving love,but rather our selfishness that squeezes it out;the light of freedom within us will fade away,that light which makes the sonsand daughters of God grow;we will be victims of fear,acts of cowardice and fanaticism again and again.

Come, Holy Spirit,and imbue us with the freedom of Jesus!

July 2017 LATAM 7

DAVID GIBSONPROUST QUESTIONNAIREI am a Christian Brother for over fifty years. I was born in Dublin, Ireland and had four brothers and a sister. Johnny, my Brother died last year. I joined the Christian Brothers when I was 16 and taught in Northern Ireland and Rome. I trained as a psychotherapist some ten years ago and have enjoyed working with clients and teaching psychotherapy. Recently I have been on the Transition Support Team to promote Journeying Together, an exciting initiative of the Christian Brothers.

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?

For me perfect happiness is being with friends whom I love and who love me.

2. What is your greatest fear?

My greatest fear is living a half-life, and not entering fully into the daily opportunities and challenges that confront me each day

3. If not yourself, who would you be?

I’m not sure I fully understand the question. If it means who would I be if I weren’t a religious Brother, I think I’d be married and practice as a psychotherapist.

4. Your favourite song?

I’m not a great one for music but I do like John Den-ver’s ‘You fill up my senses’

5. Which living person do you most admire?

Barak Obama

6. What do you consider the most important virtue?

Fidelity

7. What is the quality you most like in a person?

Vitality

8. When and where were you happiest?

When living in Nairobi with the members of the TST and when living in 42 Glasnevin Avenue with New Life in Mission

9. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I’d like to be more spontaneous and open.

10. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

A gymnast!

11. What is your most treasured possession?

Don’t really have one

12. What is your most marked characteristic?

Enthusiasm

8 LATAM July 2017

July 2017 LATAM 9

Thirty missionaries from schools of the RegionBY STELLA MARIS & MUNDO MEJOR

The Rivera Mission was organized by Stella Maris School. Rivera is a city in Uruguay, where 30 missionaries traveled to serve. The missionaries are members of the Network of Educational

Institutions of the Latin America Region. Students and companions of the schools Cardenal Newman (Argentina), Mundo Melhor and Fe y Alegría (Peru) and Stella Maris, met in Rivera to manifest the spirit of solidarity of Blessed Edmundo Rice.

MISSION IN RIVERA

10 LATAM July 2017

Rivera is a city to the north of Uruguay, is the capital of the department of the same name. From July 3rd to the 7th, the mission of Edmund Rice Schools of the Latin American Region took place. The mission was organized by the Stella Maris Team.

Thirty people participated: students of Stella Maris (Uruguay), Cardinal Newman (Argentina), Mundo Mejor and Fe y Alegria (Peru).

The missionaries stayed in the parish of Santo Domingo, where parish priest Gaston Nuñez is in charge. Part of the missionary activity took place in the Chapel of the Assumption in Sonia neighborhood, where missionaries were warmly welcome to the community.

The missionaries had the following routine: get up early, eat breakfast, and after a moment of prayer they set off on foot towards the chapel. Were they visited families of the area, spending some time with each family, mostly listening. This activity was carried out every morning and then they returned to have lunch in the chapel.

In the afternoon there were games with the children, catechesis with young people and meetings of Lectio Divina with adults. Those days of evangelizing activity enriched the community of Rivera and, strengthened the missionary spirit and increased the unity of the schools of the Region.

The following are testimonials from some of the participants:

"My experience in Mission Rivera strenthened my faith and made my heart full of joy when I remember the faces of children, that despite their hard realities in which they live, they had a smile to offer. I think that giving love is good for everyone, including myself, even more if we talk about Jesus' love. The mission brought together many people and it was very organized, dedicated and exciting so much so that I forgot my own anguishes and sadness. I received more than I gave: smiles and hugs were the best part of it. The mission was a tremendous experience that I had the luck to be part of, I thank God, the Brothers and Stella Maris School for making it happen. I am also proud of my students from Mundo Mejor: Eduardo, Rosmery, Joaquin and Ariam, to whom I accompanied. Seeing them in the mission made me feel that we are leaving traces of solidarity and love in our young people, and educating them to be good men and women. I am sure that they, with their actions will alleviate the pain of our communities. The values I have been acquiring are the basis of my faith and my strength. I pray that God may give me the strength to continue walking alongside the most needy. Prof. María Muguerza Sevillano, Mundo Mejor. "

"Who motivated me to go to the Mission in Rivera were my friends who also went, and my desire to increase my faith, to get closer to God through the encounter with others. I thought it was a good opportunity to serve, to listen to others who live a reality different from mine. When I arrived, I was afraid because I had the uncertainty of how the neighbors would receive us, if they would open their doors to us or if they would reject us. If I would have the capacity to be able to help in some way or I would not know how to react to the testimonies of the neighbors. I never had participated on a mission so everything was new to me. I wanted to be a good instrument of God and to be able to serve others in some way, but in the beginning I felt insecure. During the first reflection we had, few words echoed in me and accompanied me throughout the mission: "You did not choose me, it was I who chose you and prepared you to go and bear fruit ( ...) This is how the Father will grant them all that they ask in my Name ". I found a unique experience that filled me with joy, because with minimal actions I could help or make others feel better, at least for a day. The activities we organized for the children were the happiest moments because they showed me an incredible affection and they looked happy playing with us. I am grateful to have been able to participate in the mission despite having many doubts and insecurities at the beginning. It was a moment to meet God, to see him in the simplicity of day to day activities. It was a time to share and increase my faith. Federica Otegui, student of Stella Maris."

July 2017 LATAM 11

"This is the second mission that I participated in and it was a unique experience that has taught me many things. I did not know how this mission was to be and I was very curious about what it would be like to live among the missionaries. The time came and there we were, Peruvians, Uruguayans and Argentines, everyone in Rivera. At first we were all shy, but as the hours went by, confidence grew. We all shared the same desire that was to help those who most needed it. I was impressed to see the strength of the people of Rivera, the goodness with which they receive strangers, the respect they have among themselves despite having different beliefs, the charisma and enthusiasm they put into things they do and especially the great faith they demonstrate. All that motivated me to give my best. Friendly bonds were created with children and fellow missionaries. That same union was the one that contributed to this mission, we had much joy, and it was very fun to make the dynamics with the children, to help them draw, to play with them, have a few moments of reflection with them. Everyone smiled and this conveyed the strength to continue giving my best not only for me but for the children. At the end of this mission we were all a family. I will always remember these beautiful moments that served me to grow spiritually and to be a better person. I am grateful to the Brothers and to God for allowing me to participate in this unforgettable experience. Arian Conqui, student of Mundo Mejor."

12 LATAM July 2017

"The Rivera mission was an unforgettable experience, we were 17 from Stella Maris, 15 from the sixth grade and 2 from the fifth year of high school, some from Argentina (Newman), and others from Lima (Fe y Alegría) and Chimbote (Mundo Mejor). From day one we were like a family and that feeling accompanied us during the development of the mission, and I am sure that that feeling was responsible for how the mission turned out. Something that kept me thinking this past week was the presence of the children. We visited families, knocking on doors, chatting for a while, asking them about their day and how they were doing, and inviting them to participate in different activities that we were organizing during the week. At 3 in the afternoon, on the first day, a few children arrived. That day we had such a great time that the next day children were an hour early, waiting for us at the chapel. It was incredible to see the children having fun, relaxing, playing games with us. I am very grateful to the people that received us. We never received a "no" from them, and they were always ready to provide any support that we needed. No doubt that more than one person closed their doors in our faces, or they weren't at home when we knocked on the door, but the people who welcomed us were willing to spend 5 minutes talking to us. I learned a lot from that week, I have a lot to think about, to reflect, to do and to be thankful. I thank God for the opportunity to go out to meet others, to leave everything for a week full of emotions, smiles, and tears. Milagros Dolan, students of Stella Maris.

"In July I lived an experience with several friends in the city of Rivera. The school gave us not only the opportunity to serve, but to do it in a place where we had not previously been. In July we were received by the parish priest of Rivera along with other people from the community. We settled in a part of the parish and formed community among all the missionaries. It was the first time that I participated in a school activity together with people from the network. And I think that was the reason why the experience was incredible. Each missionary brought different visions of both the expectations of the mission and the experiences that were going to experience. This experience made me grow as a person. We visited the families in the mornings and every evening we organized games with children. Every night we had a moment of prayer and singing with the guitar. These moments were the ones that allowed me to reflect on the lived experiences and also to understand that it was Jesus who had put me there with the rest of the missionaries. It was a really great experience that helped me grow in my faith, I made many new friends and opened my mind to understand other realities and to be more grateful. Federico Torres, student of Stella Maris."

"The missions that are organized by the network promote the closeness to God through the service to the neighbor. My experience in the Rivera Mission was extraordinary because of the coexistence with other missionaries and the possibility to serve. I was not in my country but I felt at home for the warmth and kindness of the people who received. The development of the mission and the activities done with the community and among the missionaries marked me. Living and praying together made the experience very special. Rivera's community did have many difficulties, but the people retained a spirit of struggle and strength. I will not forget the freedom and confidence that the people of Rivera had. Despite the insecurity of some people in the community, they told us their own stories and shared with us their tables. An example to follow is the lady who was in charge of the chapel, she lived with her children and husband, she showed great hope. I thank the Brothers for the opportunity to participate in this great experience. I hope that the next missions will reap the fruits we have sown. Eduardo Miranda, student of Mundo Mejor."

July 2017 LATAM 13

"Every morning we visited families and learned about their problems that they were facing. We looked for children, young people and adults to share time with us. The mission was carried out perfectly, and we received a great welcome. I did not want to go back home when the mission was over. I realized that a missionary will always look out for others and that, just as in Rivera, in Chimbote there are people who need me. I am grateful to God and the Brothers, my family, my fellow missionaries and the people who helped us set up the mission. This mission also helped me to recognize my strengths and weaknesses and to strengthen my faith. Joaquin Carruitero, student of Mundo Mejor.

"Rivera is a place I always will keep close to my heart. We only had a week there, so it was not a surprise that our missionary days were busy. The mission is over now and I'm still surprised how a strenger opened the doors to us, ready to speak and with great desire to be heard. In the afternoon, we had activities with the children. The first day a little girl approached me and asked me a lot of questions about my religion. I asked her about her religion and she told me: "I'm an evangelical, but that does not matter, God is one." That little 10 year-old girl taught me a lesson. Her idea of God surpassed nationalities, races, and borders. I remember the children in the chapel listening intently to the mass and smiling at the cross, holding a rosary and whispering in my ear that Jesus was there. Those moments made me aware of my mission in life. Rosmery Chero, Student of Mundo Mejor.

14 LATAM July 2017

FROM CANTO GRANDE

News from the communityBY JOHN SULLIVAN

The month was marked by the celebrations of Fiestas Patrias and the Achievement Day. The Community of Brothers, 'Hermano Edmundo', in Canto Grande, participated fully in

the activities that took place in Fe y Alegría School, where a high patriotic spirit was lived and the achievements to date in education have been celebrated.

July 2017 LATAM 15

16 LATAM July 2017

NEWS FROM COMMUNITY HERMANO EDMUNDO IN CANTO GRANDE

A very cordial greeting to all the brothers and members of the Edmund Rice Network from the community of Brothers in Canto Grande.

On the 5th of July, we all celebrated Teachers' Day with staff of the Fe y Alegría School. First, there was a very beautiful show where students danced and showed their appreciation to their teachers, and then a we had lunch for all the teachers, the administrative team and the service staff. There were gifts and prizes at the end.

On July 7th and 8th, Br. Hugo Cáceres and Br. Kevin Bernard conducted a retreat for the entire staff of Fe y Alegría School. It was held in Chaclacayo, a town two hours away from Lima. There were many moments to share about our lives and to improve our way of communicating.

Our friend, Saul Velasquez, visited us for a couple of days. He was the facilitator of the second cinema forum scheduled for the 15th of July, where students in the third, fourth and fifth years participated. Br. Jim Glos was the organizer of the event.

On Thursday 20th, the school organized the Día del Logro (Achievement Day). This is an activity where students of Primary and Secondary demonstrate through projects, what they have learned so far. A large number of parents came to see their childrens' presentations. On that day, our volleyball and basketball teams were publicly recognized. They won gold and silver medals in local competitions. One of our students, Odar Mavila, won a gold medal in karate on the regional level. It was the first time that the school had participated in that event. The Elementary and Secondary students impressed us by the way they presented and the efforts they have put in the making of their projects.

On Friday 21st, we had a parade with the Primary students, in honor of Fiestas Patrias. The Primary students and the Band of Peace participated. During the same day, there were two cultural performances, dances and a National History timeline presented by the first, second and third high school students. It was very appropriate during our 196th anniversary of Independence.

The Achievement Day is an activity where Elementary and Secondary students demonstrate through projects what they have learned so far. A large number of parents visited the school to see their childrens' presentations that day.

July 2017 LATAM 17

18 LATAM July 2017

July 2017 LATAM 19

EDMUND RICE INTERNATIONALLATINAMERICA

Gathered by Human Rights

BY VILMA GUERRA

The meeting of local ERI coordinators took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Representatives of the five educational institutions, led by Guillermo Bullrich,

coordinator of Edmund Rice International Latin America, were sharing experiences and dreaming together, visioning a future where the school communities are fully aware and knowledgeable about Human Rights.

20 LATAM July 2017

GATHERED IN COCHABAMBA

Cochabamba is the name of a city that I used to hear in the meetings of ERI in which I participated in Peru. The Quechua origin of the city's name gave me a sense of familiarity.

With this feeling I arrived at the meeting of Edmund Rice International Latin America and later confirmed that feeling. I liked the atmosphere in which the meeting took place. For example, I was very pleased with the attention I had from the Brothers in Bolivia, very cordial, and simple. Also the wonderful experience of sharing each night a different meal from each country, whose chefs were ourselves.

During the second week of July, the team of Edmund Rice International Latin America met in the community of the Brothers in the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia, with the main objective of sharing the experience on Human Rights works both inside and outside the schools in the four countries that are part of the Latin American Region.

The participants were representatives of the five educational institutions of the Region, also Brothers and the meeting was facilitated by Guillermo Bullrich, coordinator of ERI Latin America.

The work carried out by ERI Latin America in schools is characterized by attending to the particular needs of each educational institution, in the field of Human Rights. During the meeting, we shared our achievements, ideas and the challenges ahead. It was important to listen to the experiences of each one, since it was a source of ideas on how to exercise education in Human Rights.

On the other hand, this year is very special for our Region, because Argentina and Peru are going to be reviewed, at the same session, by the United Nations Human Rights Council in the framework of the Universal Periodic Review.

For both reviews, Edmund Rice International Latin America drafted reports that were presented to the UN and will form part of the body of final documents to be reviewed. Uruguay, on the other hand, will be reviewed in January 2019, so its report should be submitted by next June. Considering the activities ahead, we shared experiences about the reports, telling how they were written and that the recommendations were based on the reflection of our research.

Progress was also made in the report for the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities carried out by ERI in Argentina.

The meeting also included visits to the Centro Hermano Manolo, a work of the Christian Brothers in Cochabamba. We shared a good time with the children who attend the center.

I was very impressed to learn about the activities in the Brother Manolo Center. The work focuses on helping working children of poor families. I met small shoe-shiners who received educational support from the Christian Brothers.

During the meeting, each of us shared the activities that we do in our country. After 4 days of work we managed to discuss the proposed topics on the agenda of the meeting.

In conclusion, we fulfilled the objective of the meeting, which was to: evaluate and coordinate activities on the defense of Human Rights in schools inspired by the charism of Blessed Edmund Rice. An agreement of the assembly was that the next meeting would be held in Peru.

Representatives of the five

educational institutions met in Cochabamba on the occasion of the ERI Latin

America Meeting.

The objective of the meeting

was to evaluate and coordinate

activities related to the defense

of Human Rights in the

five educational institutions of the

Latin America Region.

Each participant shared

experiences of how Human

Rights are live in the educational

centers.

The next meeting will take place in

Lima.

July 2017 LATAM 21

22 LATAM July 2017

A place to pray

BY MICHAEL O'LYNCH

The community of Buenos Aires is made up of brothers who have served for many years in different parts of the Region. In the last month, they have received visits from alumni of

the Brothers, from the Stella Maris School in Montevideo, where some brothers of the community have taught for several years. Also, the brothers are committed to engaging neighbours and some friends in the prayer life and in some community activities.

BUENOS AIRES COMMUNITY

July 2017 LATAM 23

24 LATAM July 2017

PAST PUPILS OF THE BROTHERS FROM STELLA MARIS

During the month of June a group of four ex-pupils from Stella Maris visited the Brothers in Buenos Aires. We invited them to join us for a meal but turned into another from of Eucharist: - a sharing of word and food. Time was not an issue and we spent our time together with great ease. It was a excellent opportunity for the ex-pupils to share their thoughts and for the Brothers to share theirs. ¡A lovely encounter of Eucharist!

In the picture, standing: Diego Mendez, Eduardo Artucio, Ricardo Chelle y Julio Diaz and of course “el Chato”.

PRAYING AND REFLECTING WITH OUR NEIGHBOURS

Early in the year Juancito invited some of our neighbours to a gathering once a week to explore the possibility of praying and reflecting. Juancito has a lot of energy in the practice of “Lectio Divina” and so about ten of our neighbours offered to participate in the encounter.

In Christianity, Lectio Divina (Latin for “Divine Reading”) is a traditional Benedictine practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God’s Word. It does not treat Scripture as texts to be studied, but as the Living Word.

Juancito left Buenos Aires on his vacations to Ireland so the group was left without its leader. Thanks to the generosity of Eamonn the group continues to meet taking turns to host the group in the houses of the participants every fortnight.

The transfer of the Brothers from the college to a house has opened up opportunities to be involved with the local community and with the parish.

The photo shows the group “Eucharisting” after the sharing of the Word.

In Christianity, Lectio Divina (Latin for “Divine Reading”) is a traditional Benedictine practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God’s Word. It does not treat Scripture as texts to be studied, but as the Living Word.

July 2017 LATAM 25

26 LATAM July 2017

July 2017 LATAM 27

Settling into being unsettled

BY TERESA VILLARUZ

Teresa Villaruz is a lay missionary of the Maryknoll. She is from the United States. Her parents are Filipinos and she is a primary school teacher. After two years of mission in Nairobi, Kenya,

she decided to go on a mission trip to Bolivia for 5 years. Teresa is a full-time volunteer at the Brother Manolo Centre and her job is to be a street educator: she visits children and adolescents in their work places as well as their families and their schools.

BROTHER MANOLO CENTER

28 LATAM July 2017

SETTLING INTO BEING UNSETTLED

There aren’t many jobs where you can wake up each morning and have no idea what the day will hold, but those of us who are lucky enough to work with children know the promise that each day brings: a new learning, a new friendship, a new discovery.

Typically as a teacher, that context has always been in the classroom for me, a very controlled-chaos. However, for almost six months now, I have been working as a street educator with the Christian Brothers at The Center of Brother Manolo located in the ‘Cancha’, one of the largest open-air markets in South America. I had assumed that it would break my heart to see the children polishing shoes, selling sugar cane, toothbrushes, razors, etc. And sometimes it does. But from what I have seen, this market is their home. This is not only where they work, but where they get their food, where they go for a chat, to relax, to see a friend, to kill ‘zombies’ on the computer. While we offer after-school support and football on Saturdays, our real work is relationship and connection, something that has been very difficult for me as a results-oriented teacher who values measuring reading growth and timed mathematics tests. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), friendship, investment, and love are not quantifiable.

I have a quote by Teilhard de Chardin above my kitchen table that says, “Above all, trust in the slow work of God.” Our work at the center is not about filling up our office or getting the kids into college. It is about the intangibles: those small smiles and laughter and conversations in confidence. There is a young man we work with who is mute and communicates through sign language. Not knowing sign language, it has been difficult for us to communicate. However, one day, we were playing Tic-Tac-Toe when he picked up a string off of the floor and wove it through his fingers, creating different designs. He tried to teach me and some of the vendors around us. And as we failed to do it over and over again, something magical happened. A sacred space was created around this string and this young man who is often perhaps ignored or misunderstood, and for a moment, he was the center of the street. He was seen and known. Our lack of dexterity and my inability to communicate through either sign language or Spanish, in that moment meant nothing. We were connected and we were one in spirit, united in love around this young man with a string.

As a street educator, much of my day is spent wandering around the market, greeting the kids, asking them about their families and school (if they go to school), playing a game with them for a moment of rest from the frenzy of work. Our population is transient and as the kids define their own schedules, we can see anywhere between five and twenty-five kids in a morning. This lack of stability makes me especially value time with each child as I meet them, because I never know the next time I will see them. This uncertainty requires more trust in God and the larger community in the Cancha, where these children will be taken care of even if I can’t see them every day. I remember one of the first times that I did a street visit on my own, a woman who sold fertilizers came up to me and asked me

what I wanted with the little boy to whom I was chatting. I explained about the center to her and she told me that a few weeks ago, a young boy was taken and trafficked by a couple who said they wanted to help him, so they no longer trusted anyone. When I thanked her for her vigilance in watching the boys on this street, she said, “We are neighbors. If not us, then who?”

There is something sacred that occurs between the hustle and bustle of the market, something much deeper than transactions and sales; there is camaraderie and a sense of family that I did not expect and it still surprises me. And perhaps even more surprising, I have been welcomed into that family, despite my poor language skills and markedly Asian features. But, consistency is a funny thing. Because somehow, I have become woven into the fabric of the Cancha alongside the kids and the vendors, so that whether I am going into internet cafes to greet the kids or walking down the street, I am recognized and known. And that is a gift for which I continue to give thanks with the breaking of each day, settled or not.

July 2017 LATAM 29

30 LATAM July 2017

Life in the desertBY CARLOS FITZSIMMONS

During the last decade and even today, families come to these deserted lands to claim a space for a family home. Some come from the Andes or the Amazon Rainforest, looking

for opportunities. Others flee from a situation in which three or four families live in a single house in the city. Some women move away from living with their in-laws. In the great tumult of these arrivals, corrupt politicians and money-hungry mafias attack the people and speculate on lands that do not belong to them.

COMMUNITY NUEVO HORIZONTE

July 2017 LATAM 31

32 LATAM July 2017

LIFE IN THE DESERT

The simple photo presented here, dance teacher Luis Antonio Aguilar Baca, with his twelve dancers, is the fruit of layers of history and initiative.

The teacher and dancers are all residents of the trespasser neighborhoods on the desert lands south of the city of Nuevo Chimbote, Peru. Over the last decade and continuing today, families arrive on these deserted lands to claim a space for a family home. Some come from the Andes Mountains or the Amazon jungle, seeking opportunities. Others flee a situation in which three or four families live in a single house in the city. Some women move away from living with the in-laws. In the grand tumult of these arrivals, corrupt politicians and money-hungry mafias prey on the people and speculate on land that is not theirs: that, too, is part of this growing set of neighborhoods.

These neighborhoods have no water or sewerage. Some neighborhoods, after five or six years, are only recently receiving street lights. There are no medical posts nor police facilities. In the appendix read the story of one family´s difficulties on pitch black desert land, with no water, sewerage, stores, schools – nothing.

In the Nuevo Horizonte neighborhood where the Christian Brothers have lived for a year and a half, the schools are still under construction: they start with ship container classrooms and thatch “walls” surrounding the school, and slowly upgrade to plywood walls and pre-fab classroom units. It is a joy to report that each of the four schools in nearby neighborhoods is building its infrastructure and firming up its curriculum and procedures. Still, there´s a long, long way to go.

The Church responds as best as it can, with a concerned pastor like Spanish Father Fernando Asín using donated monies to set up a thatch-walled chapel in these developing neighborhoods, and slowing working through the legal process to build a more permanent chapel on legalized land. The local Catholic parish is only two and a half years old. Father Fernando, the lone pastor serving some twenty neighborhoods and 30,000 people, was heartened when the Christian Brothers agreed the build a community house next to one of the parish´s two outlying chapels and thus help him build the church in these growing neighborhoods.

In these emerging neighborhoods there are no sports or activities for children. Parents work long, hard hours for little pay at jobs that are a long distance away, sometimes in another city or at sea for weeks at a time. Some families,

It is a joy to report that each of the four schools in nearby neighborhoods is building its infrastructure and firming up its curriculum and procedures. Still, there´s a long, long way to go.

uprooted from their traditional lives, find it hard to trust other newcomers. Thus the Christian Brothers have begun several programs in their chapel, and they help out in parish activities, to welcome the people and help them build hope and trust. The Brothers visit and support the people at three or four of the parish and chapel weekend masses, and work in catechesis, in Confirmation, in the choir, and in four weekly sessions of homework helpers, aided by students from the Brothers´ Colegio Mundo Mejor (Better World High School) in nearby Chimbote.

The dance class noted above, and guitar classes, too, are part of this effort to welcome the people and supplement their children´s development. It´s not easy: families in the zone lead complex lives and can find it hard to attend a meeting or contribute to a program. Recent efforts to raise money through a raffle saw every family donating some food to two raffled food baskets, but few families were able to offer time to sell tickets in the local market. After many family visits to seek their help in the raffle and in other small activities, the group realized a profit of 200 soles, about $62, not bad for impoverished people, a step toward buying dance regalia and increasing parental involvement.

The simple photo of a dance teacher and his students is the fruit of a program begun with conversations with families and teachers and visits to children in their

July 2017 LATAM 33

classrooms, with financial aid from family contributions from the States and from alumni of Colegio Mundo Mejor, and supported now by a grant procured by Edmund Rice International. Thus we celebrate here a small grain of hope: children´s cultural, academic and religious growth and growing family involvement in these evolving neighborhoods in the desert.

APPENDIXTestimony of Enrique Medina López (45), Jane

LaTorre López (35), Enrique Medina LaTorre (11), and Mayte Medina LaTorre (7). August 29, 2016

In order to get water we had to walk seven blocks because the truck not could enter because of the sand, because there was no street. We put wood planks under the tires of the trucks so that they could pass over. But this was too complicated, so the truck remained about seven blocks away.

To get to the water truck, we had to enter a huge line waiting for water, and some families had seven or eight members with buckets and pots, but I just had my four year old son. We had to wait an hour or an hour and a quarter to get to where you bought the water. Then we dragged it home.

When we got home I had to go to the bathroom, but I was shocked to see I was bleeding. You see I was pregnant with my second child and now I feared I would lose the baby. It was night now. We´d spent half a day dragging the water home. My son was now sleeping, and my husband was working in the other city.

I didn´t have any other option but to carry my son the seven blocks to where we could get transportation. It was completely dark, and I was terrified of losing blood and maybe losing my baby, and I was exhausted from hauling the water. When I got to my husband´s work, he took me to the medical post, and thanks be to God I did not have the complications I feared and now my daughter will soon turn seven years old.

The Brothers visit and support the people at three or four of the parish and chapel weekend masses, and work in catechesis, in Confirmation, in the choir, and in four weekly sessions of homework helpers, aided by students from the Brothers´ Colegio Mundo Mejor (Better World High School) in nearby Chimbote.

Región Latinoamérica©2017 Congregación de Hermanos Cristianos. Región Latinoamérica – Revista LATAM.