First message from Peru

• Vaughnquinn's Profile
• About this blog
• Entry from Lima

Trip Start Nov 21, 2008 Previous
Entry Trip End Feb 18, 2009 Next
Entry

  Lima, Yukon, Peru
Monday, November 24, 2008

Hi everyone, I am in Lima at the Oblate Parish in Comas,which as far as I can understand is like a municipality in Toronto. The flight here was uneventful and Air Canada looked after everyone with one main meal and snacks about an hour before we landed. Father Maurice Schroeder OMI and Brother Len Rego met me at the airport and brought me to the Rectory of Our Lady of Peace Parish.  From what I have experiencxed so far this is the
Flagship Paish of the Oblates here is Peru. Of course I could be mistaken since it is the only Parish I have visited
so far.  Father Schroeder was appointed as Superior of the Oblates and was sworn in sometime around last February. Up until that time, and for the past twenty years, he has been at Santa Clotilde as one of the medical doctors in a 30 bed hospital. The other doctor, Dr. Jack McArthy, a Norbetine Priest from Wisconson has been
at the hospital in the jungle for about the same amount of time. The best way, for those who are interested in finding out more about there operation, is simply to google the name Maurice Schroeder MD into your google 
search and you will get a good idea of their operation.
After the seven hour plane ride and chewing the fat with Moe into the early morning hours, there was not much life before 10:00 AM...but look out, because that's about when the whirl-wind started.  The after noon was spent at at the Oscar Romero Centre a retreat Centre and gathering place for seminars dealing with the issues like justice and peace..There were 93 teenagers spending the week-end there in prayer and worship in preparation for the
Sacrament of Confirmation.. All the candidates were from this Parish,, Our Lady of Peace and sessions were led
by the priests of the Parish with the help of the Religious Sisters.The young people were full of life and sang up a great storm. Brother Rego then had me join a group of sernior women, about fiftyin all, who were having a retreat
day. Actually, they organize and run the 'soup kitchens' for the poor people who live in shacks that run all the way
up the side of the mountain.  Seems like there are hundreds upon hundreds of these tin sheet schacks. I don't think
theyh ahve water or electricity,however, they have street lights, so a night the whole side of the mountain is lighted up like a Christmas tree.  Some of these women, geandmothers, have been with the organization for 30 year, amazing!
Saturday evening at 7:30 Moe officiated at a wedding so we concelebrateded and Sunday morning we sid the same at one of the Parish Masses. Church packed and each Mass in the main church, and I counted 5 int the main
church, has it's very own chorale. These are all made up of young people from the Parish.
Sunday aftermoon was visiting a young mother of four children who is from around Santa Clotilde, and has been  in the hospital with infection in her leg for the past month. St.Clotilde is an hour and a half by plane and then two days by outboard motor boat on the river.  The expense and distance prohibits any visitors from making the trip to visit family in Lima. Next we visited the house here in Lima for the patients from St.Clotilde who need special medical care, that is not available in the jungle, cancer and the like. There were four patients there and if I can hook up the camera to this laptop you might get some pictures, but no guarantee!
I am going to try to add picures not and send this bulletin off because I have a 2 houir Spanish lesson coming up in
about 30 minutes.  Next time I hope to be able to tell you about public transportation her in  Lima
Hasta luego,
Vaughan
 p.s. no pictures this time.

Print this entry Share

Previous Entry Next Entry