Peruvian Journal: Rooted and Reaching

Rooted and Reaching

Sociologists tell us that the years move in cycles. Our lives. Historical events. Every part of our happening is connected to every other part. Our journey as a congregation has experienced this. To understand this, though, it is necessary to look back to history, the history of evangelization and being church in different cultures and places.

In general, the Church saw itself as growing as missionaries took the gospel message to far-away lands. That is true since the time of Paul. Evangelization was, in a manner of thinking, a conquest that was “religious.” Latin America is an illustration of this school of thought.

While we rejoiced with the faith sewn in the “New World,” we interpreted the absence of priests and catechists as a sign that the

faith of the people was not alive and active. That was the situation in much of Latin America after the Spanish conquest, invasion and conversion. So, Pope Pius XII invited religious communities to send ten percent of their membership to Latin America to evangelize and respond to the spiritual need of thousands of the faithful. In the case of the Ursulines of Louisville, contact was made with the superior of the congregation,

Mother Agnes Marie Long, and after communication between religious authorities, she, and her assistant Sister Delia Lynch, traveled to Peru to begin conversations, expressing a desire to be a part of this missionary effort. Reaching across borders was not new to the Ursulines: Italy to France to Germany to Louisville to Peru? Deeply rooted in the charism of Angela, a contemplative love and an ardent desire to serve was more than enough to encourage these women to reach beyond borders.

The story that unfolded probably surprised all the participants. Simply, the evangelizers became the evangelized. And those who needed religious and catechetical formation were indeed the catechists, those whose deep faith was manifested and celebrated in faithful devotion to the images of Jesus and Mary.

It was a time when base Christian communities—neighbors, family, friends—came together to reflect on the scriptures and transfer their meanings to their daily lives. Faith took expression on the streets, in the park, in the factories and in the soup kitchens.

For the Ursulines who traditionally were teachers, it was logical, that what we could bring to this dialogical ministry was an experience in education. We were asked to begin a school in a recently established “barrio” or “pueblo Joven” (new town), Carmen de le Legua. At the same time, two of the four sisters were to minister in the Peruvian naval school in another part of Lima.

We waited with great anticipation for news from our missionaries who, in the ’60s, could only rely on the Peruvian mail service to communicate newsletters. Most of us knew little about the joys and difficulties of the four sisters who led the effort until much later.

In addition to the Peruvian mail, the Sisters also began to rely on a Jesuit friend who had a ham radio. On a somewhat regular basis, we could count on contacting family and friends through ham radio conversations. One spoke a sentence or two and then “over” to allow the receptor to share the same and successively conclude with “over.”

While there were occasional visits from Ursuline Sisters from the leadership team, basically, visits

Santa Angela Merici church yard, 1960s 50th Anniversary celebration, 2015

were scarce. Much of that changed in the ’80s. I remember clearly when Sister Betty (Jeanne Therese) Albers, requesting to make a visit to Peru, simply said, “I want to go to visit the Sisters.” She stayed for 18 years! And, as our community in Peru grew, so also did our communication with our Louisville community.

It was probably in the late ’80s or early ’90s when it occurred to some of our Sisters that maybe a fax machine would help facilitate communication. What an innovation! We could receive written communication without waiting three or four weeks, or sometimes more for the mail to arrive.

The technology revolution of the ’90s, with the help of electronic mail, changed everything. It became much easier to share information of what was happening in Peru, what we were doing, and what many of our difficulties and blessings were. At the same time, we were better aware of the events and processes that the congregation was experiencing.

One very significant “connection” happened when, for a short time, we had a Sister–parish relationship with Holy Spirit Parish in Louisville. There was a bonding, not only with the two parishes, but also with Saint Angela Merici School in Carmen de la Legua. The friendship from those visits continues to this day.

In addition, and very significant to Saint Angela Merici School,

were visits from some teachers from St. Francis of Assisi School, a traditionally Ursuline-staffed school. Almost at the same time, two professors from Bellarmine College, and later, a group of Bellarmine students, visited our school. These contacts and visits expanded our understanding of being in relationship with a broader and more global community. All the visitors were housed in our home.

Later, two teachers from Sacred Heart Academy accompanied a group of students to Carmen de la Legua, and over three days established interesting and significant awarenesses on the part of north and south that we are all a part of a larger family. While many of our concerns, interests and difficulties are similar, there is a richness in the opportunity to share who we are and what we long for, coming from different realities and holding different dreams.

Over the course of many years there have been significant efforts on the part of individual Sisters to make contact, respond to specific needs, or share important resources: from musical instruments to art materials, to books and sports equipment, to mention a few. Many Sisters have contributed to the enrichment of Saint Angela Merici School in Carmen de la Legua over the years.

Footprints, and handprints, and heart prints are evidence that the charism of Angela Merici knows no border fences. And our various ministries in Peru have been at the heart of our Ursuline family.