Latest News
Latest News
Classes at College Underway
Classes at Good Shepherd College are well underway. Plenty of stimulating ideas for consideration; which is great! There is a downside though; tests and assignments - yes they have kicked in too. 'The Beginnings of Western Thought' about Philosophy demands more than mere thinking great ideas about life!
We've welcomed a number of visitors in recent weeks - Marists from far and further like Denis from Wellywood, Gavin from the Phillipines, John from l'Hermitage in France, and Pat based in Wellington though on the move. Jeremy Grey's Mum dropped by the other day. Kev's brother and wife from Oz and Thige's from W(h)anganui. The guys looking after guest rooms have been busy.
New Year Begins at Marist Seminary!
We are blessed to have two seminarians start today! 31 Jan 2010 will be a significant day in their personal calendar. Fr Kevin is back after a year of study - he'll have stories to tell of far off places. Fr Neil continues on the team with much of his energy (where does he get it all?) still to be given to staff and students at Catholic Discipleship College. Fresh from Wellington is Fr Thige - warmly farewelled by the people at St Mary of the Angels - he joins the Seminary community. Sam is back; his holiday had some work components - setting up house for three Marists moving to Greenmeadows Napier! And beginning their training today Adrian and Matt. May you be blest as your formation begins.
A Student in Mexico
1. How does a person preparing for priesthood land up in Mexico for two years?
Part of the training for a Marist seminarian is to spend 2 years in another culture and another language, usually somewhere in the developing world. There are many reasons for this, such as it helps to expose us to the worldwide nature of the Society of Mary, but the principal reason is to go through the difficulties of learning a new language along with learning how to live in another culture. Both of these dynamics are an excellent way to learn humility.
2. What effect did learning to speak Spanish have on you?
Basically leaning Spanish had the effect of bringing me down a peg or two. I have always been a reasonably capable person at most things, but with Spanish I found that I was a very slow learner, and wost of all I could not hide this fact from anyone. My inability in Spanish was on display for the entire world to see. This was an extremely difficult thing for my pride to deal with. In fact I used to fall in self-pity a lot in the first year (which is actually just the flip side of pride- always trying to make yourself the centre of the universe) and learning to fight this temptation and also deal with my frustrations I think helped to teach me a little patience.
3. How would you describe Mexico as a country?
Mexico is a country with pretty much everything. It has some extreme poverty in certain areas, but also has extreme wealth. It has some of the most incredible colonial architecture in Latin America, while also having some of the most amazing Aztec and Mayan ruins in that part of the world. Another thing that I couldn't help but notice about Mexico is the youthfulness of the population. There seems to be a massive amount of young people along with a huge amount of babies. But the thing that I loved most about Mexico is how utterly Catholic the Culture is. Even if many of the people don't go to mass they certainly celebrate the feast days and will cross themselves when they walk past a Church. It just seems that the Church is such a big part of the everyday Culture.
4. What is the influence of the Catholic Church in Mexico?
For me this is a difficult question to answer. In some ways the Church has a lot of influence. But in other ways it doesn't. The political history of Mexico is very complex and full of anti Catholic persecution. There is also quite a strong strain of anti catholic feeling among the intelligentsia in Mexico. But the fact is that Mexico is almost 80% Catholic so the church is certainly a powerful force in Mexico, which is probably why it has always been seen as a threat by those who want to marginalise it.
5. How is the Society of Mary faring in Mexico?
The Society of Mary is quite small in Mexico with only 30 odd Marists there. But they have a number of guys who are under 40 years of age (6) and they have a number of guys in different stages of formation (5). So the outlook for the Society of Mary in Mexico is hopeful.
6. Tell us about the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The devotion to our Lady of Guadalupe is huge in Mexico. In the week of her feast day 6 million people pass through the Basilica, and the large majority of these people are Mexicans. You will constantly see picture of our lady in just about every nook and cranny in Mexico, including on most of the buses (where they obviously have great faith in her protection as they drive like maniacs!!) and in the supermarket, and in the taco restaurants.
7. Which places in Mexico did you live and work in?
I spent my first year in Mexico City mainly learning Spanish and working with university students at the chaplaincy that the Marists have, and in the second year I lived and worked in town called Comitan in the state of Chiapas. It was there that we worked a lot more in small very poor communities, which was quite an incredible experience. Some of these communities were deep in the mountains and at times didn't have power. The faith and joy of these people I found to be a very humbling experience.
8. What will be your most lasting memory of Mexico?
Working in the mountains of Chiapas
9. What was your most difficult moment in Mexico?
The most difficult moment for me in my time in Mexico was hearing of the death of my friend and fellow Marist Seminarian Jeremy Gray. We had lived and studied together for 5 straight years and to suddenly hear of his passing was a great shock. I was comforted by the fact that he had saved a boys life while losing his own, but it was still extremely difficult to lose someone who I had become so close to and shared so much with. I was very grateful that the Society of Mary allowed me to come home for the funeral, as this allowed me to grieve and spend time with people who knew and loved Jeremy.
10. What does the remaining part of your training involve this year and next?
I will be returning to the seminary to resume my theological studies and at the end of 2009 I will be eligible to take final vows in the Society of Mary and if that happens I could be ordained to the priesthood around 6 months after that.