Teaching in Sebastian Cabot School

What a tremendous schedule these Sisters keep! They put me to shame, but of course, they are much younger. I probably ran circles around them when I was their age. It has been a great experience. I spent last week with the Sister in charge of Campus Ministries. She has a ready smile and is very kind. She and I prepared a retreat for 6th graders. There are 3 classes of each grade (6-A, B, C)with about 30 students in each. We had their retreat on a Thursday during the day. She also had a high school retreat on Saturday--all day long. I was invited to attend a "Promoter of Vocations" workshop instead of helping Sister Karla. It was wonderful.

Today I stayed with the English teacher. She is not a religious Sister but she has been teaching English for 12 years. Her accent is very strong and she tends to pronouce some of the words as she knows best. For example, they were studying pets. She said, "dog" and they were to say the word "puppy" but instead they pronounced it "poopy"...oops! She figured that the u was long instead of short. Oh, boy! Nice lady, though. I stayed with her for all of her 5 fifty minute classes. How exhausting!

Just wanted to share with you!

Friday, September 17th Feast of St. Robert Bellarmine

Today was a good day...as far as getting more sleep. We didn't have a priest in the convent chapel and since school has not started we were allowed to sleep in until 7:00 a.m.

Got up and had time for a non-rushed shower, etc. Prayed my Lauds privately and the bell rang for breakfast. In the dining room we have our own designated place. I wrote the names of the Sisters that sit near me so that I can call them by name: Martha, Vicki, Aurora, Patti, me and the Superior General who is still out on vacation in the USA--her name is Madre Alicia. The tables are long, so then there is: Elena, Martha Fabiola, Lupita, Bernarda, Mayra, Irma. They are so nice.

For breakfast we had: fruit (always plenty of fruit available), hot oatmeal, scrambled eggs, beans, tortillas, and cafe de la olla (delicious coffee with cinnamon and hot milk). We just had lunch after our "Visit to the Blessed Sacrament" which lasts 15 min. We gather at 1:45 and pray some beautiful prayers...many directed to the Sacred Heart of Jesus because He is their patron...and then we have a brief examination of conscience and then the bell rings for lunch. For lunch: a round slice of pineapple first. Then a piece of fish (wrapped and baked in foil), beans, a potato salad and a piece of birthday cake for dessert--it was Sister Lupita's birthday.

Ordinarily we will be getting up at 5:00 a.m. Lauds and Mass at 6:00, breakfast at 6:30, leave for school at 6:45. School is 15 min away and it starts at 7:00 a.m. We will return at 3:30. We will eat lunch then. At 6:30 is Vespers (evening prayers). At 7:00 is dinner and after dinner I will try to teach E.S.L. (English as a Second Language) to those Sisters who wish to learn English. I have a list of "volunteers" already. By 10:00 pm go to sleep.

Every Thursday at 6:30 to 7:30 we will have a Holy Hour. We eat dinner and after dinner we will pray "Complines". Saturdays and Sundays we will have pretty much the same schedule except we will rise at 7:00 a.m. and pray at 8:15 a.m.

I have not gotten ill with the food because I am faithfully drinking Airborne daily. Monica Sandoval recommended I do that instead of avoiding food or being so very careful. So far so good.

I love the Sisters. They are so very nice. There is a Sister with the beginning of Alzheimers and she just follows me and asks me if I am OK and if I have any needs. She walks all over town--FAST!

--

Well, last night I saw tremendous fireworks from the Sisters' convent roof top. We were all like little "pollitos" (baby chicks) and screaming our heads off as the huge fireworks exploded over our heads..."mejicanos locos" (crazy Mexicans)!! Lucero (a very popular singer) was down below in the center plaza belting out some of her big songs. The celebration went on until 2 or 3 a.m. Dear Lord! These people celebrate. The "Viva Mexico!" cry was heard into the wee hours.

Around 7 pm we were invited by another convent to come join them to celebrate "el grito" (the cry of independence). They told the Sisters to bring some drama outfits as they were going to do a "desfile"(parade) and the works with the country's flag. Off we went in two vans. We got there and the Sisters (same order...about 12 who teach in the "colegio central" -- there are 25 here with many of them teaching about 15 minutes away in "colegio Sebastian Cabot, where I will go on Monday) were watching on TV the celebrations going on in Mexico City. Oh, my goodness! It was like watching the opening of the Olympics! We finished watching and the Sisters dressed up in their costumes...Miguel Hidalgo, Josefa, and other heroes of history. They were extremely serious in the showing of the flag colors and in the singing of their national hymn. It was nice.

That convent is so very beautiful. Ours is baroque and theirs is more modern but still palatial. We played games, had instantly formed teams to entertain us: some of us sang, some pantomime, some did comedy acts. They had a Karaoke machine and we tried singing silly songs. We laughed like crazy ladies. The majority of the Sisters is very young and only some are elderly. The infirmed Sisters live in another town. Finally...around 10 pm we finally ate dinner--we started with fresh, delicious "tunas" (the cactus fruit)...they were already peeled and very cold, full of seeds but delicious and then we had a bowl of posole with tostadas.

A young Sister drove the van. Well, on our way back, around 11 pm we got disoriented and lost due to the great number of cars all parked and double parked. The cobbled streets are narrow and then with the many cars and people walking and not wanting to move....oh, boy! We got stuck and wedged in an impossible situation. The Sister was ready to cry. A man came over and told her to relax and he would guide us. We got home around 11:40 and went directly to the roof top to watch the midnight fireworks. Awesome! Incredible.

Up at 5:00 a.m. and to Lauds and Mass at 6:00 and breakfast. I love praying Lauds in Spanish. The Sisters pray and sing loud and clear. The kitchen Sisters...I doubt that they slept. They cut up fruit and had everything ready for breakfast. We had papaya, Mexican sweet bread, papitas fritas (little fried potatoes), frijoles, scrambled eggs and tortillas, chile...always chile!

I'm going to clean my room. Due to whatever...the weather, the age of the house or whatever, I've already killed 2 cockroaches the size of my thumb! The critters are huge. They crack when I step on them. Yuck!

It's so funny to turn my clock radio on and every station has SPANISH music!

Step One: Spending a Year in Mexico -- Sept. 14, 2010 until July 14, 2011

My flight from PDX to Phoenix was smooth and no problems. My arrival from Phoenix to Mexico City was a little scary when we went through clouds which were full of thunder and lightning and lots of rain. In Mexico City (huge city) I had to go to another terminal and so I kept asking for directions. Finally I got on a bus to take me to the terminal but they charged $2 pesos so by the time I went into my purse to get the money a young adult standing by told me that he had covered the cost. I said a prayer for him! We boarded a tiny shuttle plane to Zacatecas...time was one hour. In Portland they did not weigh my suitcases. The suitcases went straight from PDX to ZAC and in ZAC they did not open my suitcases at all. They asked me the usual questions and I said that I had nothing to declare and that was that! I am so blessed!!

In Zacatecas my suitcases did not arrive in the same area...all foreigners had their luggage in another room. I saw the two Sisters,Daughters of the Sacred Heart and St. Mary of Guadalupe, waiting in the waiting area but I could not get to them. I finally went through customs and no problems...found the Sisters again. They came with a chauffeur and he loaded my suitcases and it took us 10 min to get to the house.

The Sisters prepared hot milk (I added coffee to it), sweet bread, and a hot quesadilla. I ate and went to my room and went to bed. My bedroom is on the first floor. It is their guest room. It has two twin beds. It is very beautiful. I have a TV (don't know if it works!) and a private bathroom with shower and all. The house is gorgeous! I'll send pictures later.

Next morning I got up at 6 am. I heard all 25 Sisters praying office real loud and clear. They have about 45 min of meditation together too. No Mass in chapel today as the priests were invited to celebrate Mass at the cathedral at noon with the bishop. Today is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows but that feast had to be set aside to preach about the bicentennial of the country. Tomorrow is Independence Day and all the streets are blocked in downtown for the fireworks, music, festivities.

At 7 pm we are leaving to join another convent as they are putting on some ornate decorations, dramas, food, etc. to celebrate Independence.

I'm very tired. My body is not ready to enter full force into their schedule. School starts on Monday. They rise at 5:00 a.m., have Lauds at 6:00 and Mass follows...just like us. They leave for school at 6:45 as it starts at 7 and they return at 3:00. Meals are served at 7 - 2 - 7. This is a bit different from our schedule there.

Must sleep now.

What I learned in Mexico during my two week visit

What I learned in my visit to Mexico…May 29 to June 15, 2010
How strange that often one makes plans…good plans…and God rearranges them so that His will can be done.
The main objective in visiting Mexico was to meet and greet the Superiors of the convents which had more or less offered me the possibility of HOSPITALITY with them in Mexico. Reneé Jaime from Willamette University in Salem offered to accompany me to Mexico as she was going to visit and bring her mother back to Salem. She said she needed vacation time, too.
I. It was important to make CONNECTIONS
A. Religious Sisters: I met and visited “Las Hijas del Sagrado Corazón y de Santa María de Guadalupe” who were founded by Father José Anastasio Díaz López –JADILOP or Jadilopistas. This community was recommended to me by Father Edgar from the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit.
The second group of Sisters that I met was: “Las Mínimas de Maria Inmaculada”. Their Motherhouse is located in Leon, Guanajuato but they have Sisters in the town where I lived with Reneé Jaime’s Mom in Encarnación de Diaz in the state of Jalisco.
B. Priests: I met and greeted the parish priests but they were too busy to sit down and talk at length. I met the Vicar of Consecrated Life from Aguascalientes…Father Manuel Arreola and his friend, Father José Gonzalez at a dinner we hosted at Reneé’s Mom’s house.
C. Lay People and Families: I met and made many connections with Reneé’s extended family…the Albas and the Jaimes. I met a shop keeper who has taught Religious Education in the town of Encarnación and immediately invited me to help her teach.
II. Taking note of THEIR LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL WAYS
A. It is very evident that faith and culture go hand in hand. These two parts of the Mexican people are understood, celebrated, spoken about and lived out together. For example, on the first Friday of July, the entire town celebrated the feast of the Sacred Heart. The town plaza featured both professional and high school bands which played into the wee hours of the night. Around noon the school children all attended Mass together at the main church … grade, middle and high school students were all at one Mass in “gala uniforms”. There was hardly any standing room for locals as there were so many children. The Sisters and lay teachers had to remain standing by their class’s pew during the Mass. The students sang and responded to the prayers of the Mass in loud and clear voices.
B. Protocol is very important. It is best if one knows the most courteous and formal way of interacting with others. It is a sign of an educated person to observe the protocol between guest and the host—at all times! Protocol is observed outside and within the home from the moment one gets up and greets the elders until one retires in the evening by formally excusing oneself and saying, “Good Night. God bless you. Sleep well.” When arriving at the homes of relatives or friends, the host initiates the handshake, kiss on the cheek, hug or whatever else. The host is the initiator, not the guest. Formalities are of extreme importance. The greeting rituals and the departing rituals are executed with great care. Much of the conversation must remain formal, not sharing too many personal details. The host must lead in the conversation. The guest must listen and answer questions without many details.
C. Founders—the founders of religious congregations or the founders of the schools are all reverenced and respected by both students and teachers…lay and religious. It is as if these people or events form the foundation on which they stand and therefore these founders must receive daily recognition and respect. Many institutions have gardens with the statue or bust of their founders. Some have quotes written and displayed on convent walls or school bulletin boards. Their founders are almost on the same level as a saint whether beatified and canonized or not. The children in the schools can practically recite the philosophy of their life based on the founder or foundress who through their own holy lives can lead the follower to God.
III. Activities of DAILY LIVING
A. Communication & Transportation: It seems that computers, cell phones, wireless/Skype…all these forms of communication are available. I had access to wireless internet by asking the owner of the Internet Shop next door to the family home if I could borrow the code and use his wireless wave. There are many types of services for phones, TV’s, internet, etc.
The most common mode of transportation is walking. Everyone walks everywhere…on narrow sidewalks (not always maintained in the best conditions). Taxis are always available in every street corner. City buses are noisy and folks ride them carrying whatever needs to be transported. The family with whom I lived would hired a “particular car” (a taxi driver who used his van) for larger groups of people and more extended trips. The price of a trip: $100 USD—paid for the use of the van plus driver for a six hour round trip to Zacatecas, for example.
B. Slow to Answer: Even though it seems that electronic communication is very important, the need to respond is not. The word “ahorita” is used a lot. To us it means, “in a few minutes”; to them it means some time in the future. Instead of learning patience I learned just how frustrated I can really get.
C. Church: A lot of people assist at daily Mass. There are several Masses offered throughout the day. In the small town of Encarnación de Díaz had 3 daily Masses: 7:00 a.m., 12 noon and 8:00 p.m. The members of the family with whom I lived attended the 8:00 p.m. daily and after that we took a walk around the plaza right in front of the church and after that we might have dinner. Mass attendees: young and old, mothers with children and office workers, students and poor beggars.
D. Meals: Seldom did we eat an entire meal at home. I thought that it was the host family’s way of eating… going to the “corner” shop for enchiladas, taquitos, cold drinks, etc., but many people walked by the family home all day long while eating or drinking something. A person’s eating habits: eat a little bit all day long. Most of the people…young and old are very slender. The time of their meals: 7:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. In the morning, upon rising, the family sat at table to drink a cup of instant coffee with a piece of “pan dulce” (a piece of Mexican sweet bread…which is not really sweet by our standards). Maybe they would have a piece of fruit or a glass of fresh squeezed juice at 10:00 a.m. At 1:30 p.m. the family might go buy some cheese and make some quesadillas and have some fruit. This was not enough for me! Around mid-afternoon we would go buy some more fresh squeezed juice or frozen fruit “paletas” or popsicles. Right before retiring we would go to a little restaurant and sit down for some cheese enchiladas. An order consisted of 3 small enchiladas with sour cream and shredded lettuce on top. I would sit and wait for my order while shooing away the flies. When I commented about all the flies, the family would reply: “What flies?
I got very ill with stomach flu-like symptoms for 4 days after I returned to the USA. I had been so careful not to eat meat or drink milk. I only drank bottled water, but we always ate the food sold by street vendors.
E. Plaza Gathering: Every evening after dinner the people congregated at the plaza to buy and eat a piece of fruit, drink a fruit drink or just talk and visit with passers-by or allow a place for the children to run and play. Often there was music or a band playing or something. Family time seemed very important to them all. A lot of greetings included the prefix “tio, primo, padrino—which means: uncle, cousin, god parent. Often this is a sure way of hearing “reports” of comportment about your son or daughter.
IV. Opportunities for SERVICE/MINISTRY
A. Teaching or “shadowing” with a Sister in their convent “colegios”
B. Teaching ESL to Sisters in the convent formation programs
C. Shadowing school lay teachers—would not be able to take a full-time position as my stay in any one place would last 3 months or so.
D. “Apostolado”—pastoral ministry will be available in Irapuato, Guanajuato. The Sisters are involved in parish ministry…catechism, etc.

Do I know and accept Jesus?

This has been a rollercoaster of a summer. Time is flying by and I prefer to spend all my time cleaning out closets at the main house (our Motherhouse) rather than prepare my heart for the inevitable…my leaving soon for year’s stay in Mexico.
God, I ask you to create in me a new heart, a heart capable of “knowing” You! These days, the daily Mass readings have beautiful messages for me…God loves me with an age-old love. He will always love me. He takes me by the hand. These words echo the beautiful words of Hosea: “It was I … who took them in my arms; I drew them with human cords, with bands of love. I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks.” (Hosea 11:3-4)
See how close God walks with me? God says, deep within her I will plant my law, writing it on her heart. I will be her God, and she shall be my girl. This way I will no longer be ignorant of God and his will in my life. I will know Him in the fullest sense; in a deep and intimate way! I will find Him in every experience…even in cleaning out closets...and be aware of His unconditional love for me and I will try to communicate that love to all my Sisters around me.
In today’s readings, however, I see that after the euphoria of knowing that their Master was the Messiah, all the dreams and hopes of the disciples are shattered by some terrible revelations. It is hard for me to imagine the impact these words must have had on the disciples. Peter, who had just covered himself in glory and been appointed leader, almost patronizingly takes Jesus aside, “God forbid that any such thing ever happen to you!” Yes, that would be my reaction, too! I would shout out, “No way!”
For him and the others this was an unthinkable scenario for the Messiah they were all waiting for. But the worst is yet to come. How shocked Peter must have been at Jesus’ reaction. “Get out of my sight, you Satan! (Get out of my face!) You are trying to make me trip and fall. You are not judging by God’s standards but by man’s.” Ouch! I would have been devastated! Just seconds before Jesus had called Peter a “Rock” and now he is accused of being Satan’s advocate! Instead of being a rock of stability, he is seen as a stumbling block in the way of Jesus. Ay! Ay!
I must ask myself to what extent I accept Jesus…all of Jesus…the rejected, suffering, dying and rising Jesus.

Trust in the Lord -- ALWAYS!

During this time of uncertainty...I moved from Salem, packed all my stuff, stored it in a garage at St. Mary's in Beaverton, I don't have a job, I don't know for sure where I am going...and so on! I feel very frightened and alone. I am sad. I am tired and stressed. I can't find God! I can't hear God. I pray and my words feel empty.

So this morning when I was meditating on the readings for today...well, God always speaks loud and clear when I am really listening, I read that during a time when wars and rumors of wars were all around the people of God, they trembled and gave in to great fear. But God warned Ahaz that a terrible fate would await Judah unless Judah would stand firm during these frightful times. “If you do not stand by me, you will not stand at all.” The message is clear to me, too: Ahaz is to put his firm trust and confidence in the protection of Yahweh, who alone has the power to save him and his people. Unfortunately, the message will not be heeded by the people (nor by me either, unfortunately!).

In the prophets, faith is not so much a theoretical belief in the existence and uniqueness of God as an attitude of confidence based on God’s choice of Israel: he has chosen Israel, he is Israel’s God, he alone has the power to save his people. This unconditional trust, a guarantee of salvation, excludes all reliance not only on human agency but still more on false gods.

I, too, cannot expect God to stand by me if I do not stand by him. This is not to be interpreted as saying that God is touchy and vindictive and that, if he feels insulted or ignored, he will abandon me or bring some terrible punishment on me. It means that only when I am fully on his side, when his way is fully assimilated into my live will I find the life he promises. If I insist on going my own way, he will not stop me but he will not be able to help me either. I will have shut myself off from his loving help.
(Summarized from a reflection by the Jesuit priests from Ireland.)