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Reflections on My Visit to Bolivia – January 2008 |
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Wednesday, 05 March 2008 |
Msgr. Francis Blood is the Director of the Archdiocesan Mission Office in Saint Louis, Missouri. He is a former missionary, serving in La Paz, Bolivia from 1988 to 1993.
 Each year in January, it is my privilege to meet with our priests of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis who work in Bolivia as members of the Latin America Apostolate. Having lived in Bolivia myself as a missionary from 1988 to 1993, and since I have been Director of the Latin America Apostolate since 2004, this was now my fifth trip back to Bolivia since becoming Director.
Political tensions were high prior to my trip. There has been a conflict between Bolivian President Evo Morales and the Prefects (our equivalent to Governors) from 5 of the Departments (we call them States). Thankfully, there were no transportation strikes or other major strikes during my visit, and the President and the Prefects were holding talks for 3 days to attempt to resolve their differences over the proposed new Constitution of Bolivia, that will be voted on by Bolivians sometime later in this calendar year.
 Our contingent of priests traveled from La Paz to Cochabamba, where we stayed at Maryknoll’s Center House near the Language School in Cochabamba. Our theme for our reflection was the new document from the Conference of Latin American Bishops (La Conferencia Episcopal de Latinoamerica.) This document is called Aparecida. It reaffirms the call of each Christian to be both a disciple and missionary of Our Lord. It gives priority to the fundamental option for the poor and to base Christian communities called las comunidades eclesiales de base. These are faith-sharing groups where people meet to pray and reflect on their lives in the light of God’s Word and of events in society.
Along with a wonderful session led by Fr. Gregorio Iriarte, O.M.I on the impact of Aparecida on the Church in Latin America, we held our business meeting to discuss the pastoral priorities of our St. Louis priest missionaries in Maria Reina Parish in La Paz, and also Santiago Parish in Calamarca, some 45 miles outside La Paz in the prelature of Coro Coro.
Among our discussions was the impact of two priests who will be returning to the Archdiocese of Saint Louis in the spring and summer. Both are veteran missionaries. Their departure from Bolivia will be difficult on the Latin America Apostolate. It will mean that there will be only 3 priests to serve at Maria Reina, a parish with 90,000 Catholics, according to the latest estimates. Our 3 priests will also need to find a way to continue to provide celebration of the sacraments in Calamarca among the Aymara people in the prelature of Coro Coro. That parish has no resident priest due to the shortage of native vocations. There are 30 villages in the parish. It covers an area of one thousand square kilometers.
 While in Cochabamba, I was able to visit 6 orphanages that receive support from our program called Pan y Amor. Casa Nazareth is home for 25 boys between the ages of 6 and 11. It is staffed by the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood from O’Fallon, Missouri. Things are always lively and the time of my visit was no exception. Some boys were playing soccer, while others were being tutored in math.
Our newest missionary, Fr. Brian Fischer, led me to a new orphanage that is home for 15 girls who come from troubled families where it is no longer safe for them to live at home. The new orphanage is called Albergue: Nuestra Casa. The girls ranged in age from 7 to 16. My hope is for one or more of our schools to adopt this orphanage since it has no regular source of funding.
 On the last morning in Cochabamba, I visited 4 other orphanages that belong to the network of Amanecer and receive support from sponsors of Pan y Amor. My hosts were Brother Alex Walsh, M.M. and Sister Carol Donohue, C.PP.S. We began the visit at Madre de Dios, a large orphanage mainly for girls. Next we visited Sayaricuy – home to boys, and Yaykuna, a shelter for adolescent boys. Finally, we visited Solomon Klein, home to 200 youngsters between birth and age five.
That afternoon we flew to La Paz and returned to Maria Reina. It was my joy to host a gathering for friends from Cristo Rey whom I have known since 1988. On Saturday morning, I visited another orphanage called Hogar Carlos de Villegas. Sister Rosario Arnao, a Sister of the Love of God, an order from Spain, has administered this orphanage for over 20 years.
 On Saturday evening, there was a farewell reception for one of the nurses who had worked for nearly 40 years at Cristo Rey and subsequently at Maria Reina. All members of the parish staff and health clinic were invited to the dinner in honor of Nurse Marcy who was retiring. Father Patrick Hayden, pastor of Maria Reina, did a great job in providing a wonderful dinner and celebration in honor of Nurse Marcy.
On Sunday, I concelebrated Mass with Fr. Hayden at one of the chapels of the parish called Pasanquiri. The name of the chapel is Cristo Redentor – Christ, the Redeemer. This chapel is right at the top level of La Paz and borders the neighboring diocese of El Alto. The views of the city of La Paz and the mountains that surround it are magnificent from Pasanquiri.
 Next, we journeyed by jeep to another neighborhood called Vergel in Llojeta. There is no chapel yet, just a retaining wall to demarcate the parish property. The people set up a tent as a shelter from the elements. Our hope is to build a chapel for the community in Vergel, if we have a positive response in the annual collection this August for the Latin America Apostolate. See the photos of this little community as they set up the tent for Mass. Imagine doing that every Sunday in order to have Mass!
Later that morning, I took a cab to Cristo Rey Parish in Sopocachi, La Paz where I had formerly served as a missionary from 1988 to 1993. I presided and preached at the 11:00 a.m. Mass. It was a joy to see friends and parishioners there!
Fr. Hayden invited me to attend a diocesan meeting of the leaders of Las Comunidades Eclesiales de Base for the Archdiocese of La Paz. He is the Archdiocesan Director of Las Comunidades Eclesiales de Base for La Paz. There were about 65 leaders who attended the meeting.
 That evening, I concelebrated Mass with our newest missionary, Fr. Brian Fischer, and was delighted at his progress in Spanish and his wonderful homily. It was a special joy to see how well Father Brian is doing in his new assignment.
After Mass, Bishop Morgan Casey, Bishop of the Pando Vicariate, joined us for supper. He was in La Paz for national meetings of Caritas, for which he serves as the Episcopal Vicar. Bishop Casey was in good spirits and since he could not join us in our meeting in Cochabamba, we were grateful to at least enjoy his company for dinner at Maria Reina. Since my return from Bolivia, Bishop Casey informed me that many of his faithful have suffered from the loss of their homes and crops due to severe flooding in the Pando Vicariate. Please remember the people in your prayers.
The next morning, I needed to be at El Alto Airport by 5:30 a.m. to catch the flight on American Airlines back to Miami and from there to Saint Louis. It is a long and tiring journey.
Nonetheless, I was grateful to have accompanied our missionaries and the people they serve in Bolivia. Please remember to be generous in the upcoming collection on the first Sunday in August. If you would like more information about our Latin America Apostolate, please visit the Annual Appeal and Collection link on our website.
Gratefully in Our Lord,
Monsignor Francis X. Blood
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Archdiocese of St. Louis: Mission Office
20 Archbishop May Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63119 • missions@archstl.org
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