Posting Mission Adventures from Rome and across our MFIC Ministries and Communities

My Farewell from Australia before leaving for Rome on 14th October to take my ministry as General Minister of the MFIC

OUR MINISTRY AT CARMEN PAMPA

Carman Pampa University for the Poor

Carmen Pampa University was founded by the Missionary Franciscan Sisters in 1993 with Sr Damon Nolan mfic the spear head of this venture. This is a university built for the poor with funding from donations. Students to this day have their fees subsidised. Sr Teresita Felsman mfic (Australia) was in Bolivia at the time and assisted in the early years of the establishment of the University.

The University is a 30 minute drive from Coroico. Seen on this map marked with blue. I have been travelling a day a week since my arrival to assist with administrative work in the convent.
 

There is an upper and a lower campus. The upper Campus is named after Dick Leahy who helped establish a foundation to raise donations for the University. The lower Campus is named after Bishop Manning OFM who invited the Sisters to Bolivia. The courses are named on the marker.

This sign on the upper campus –Botanico –CP was dedicated to Hna. Damon Nolan in 2014.

  The campus map is of the lower campus. The convent is in the left hand lower corner.

 The Volunteers house was built by Religious Brothers who were in Carmen Pampa before the Sisters. A number of volunteers come from a Franciscan Volunteer Program in the USA. You will meet these volunteers in a photo below.

The convent is attached to the Volunteers house. The Sisters built a second floor a few years ago. I will spend my last 10 days here before leaving Bolivia on 29^th November. Helen and Choco the dog are in the photo.

 

On the lower Campus near the convent is this Bust of Sr Damon Nolan in recognition of her outstanding vision and determination to have higher education for the poor of Bolivia.

 This plaque is below the Bust. It mentions Damon’s “pioneer labour”.

The church has been built in recent years and replaces a smaller church on the same site.  The Campus Sign is next to the church.

This is a view from the convent yard. Once again Carmen Pampa is surrounded by mountains. 

This photo shows Volunteers and Visitors who are connected to the University. I took the photo and Sr Chris who lives at Carmen Pampa was not in the photo so I have added one below with Sr Chris and myself celebrating my birthday in Coroico convent. Three of the men on the left are from Minnesota where the Carmen Pampa Fund is administered by a Board.

  

Sr Chris Cullen who carries out a number of Administrative activities as well as being one of the drivers who frequent Coroico buying food and other supplies for the University. Many to the Students are accommodated at the University. 

The various Courses, Education, Nursing, Tourism etc.,  had a completion where they performed various dancing displays. This took place on the sports field above the convent.

This is the last BLOG of the Ministries of the Sisters who are in Bolivia. Sr Jean Morrissey, the Leader of the Sisters in Latin America is presently in the USA. Jean teaches at the University and is also responsible for the Pastoral Care of Students and Staff. 

OUR MINISTRY AT COCHUNA

Boarding House for Students living away from Home

This BLOG is focusing on Cochuna where the two Sisters at Coroico, Helena and Helen, have a ministry where they administer the running of a Boarding House (Internado) for students who have a distance to travel. Students arrive on Sunday around 4.00pm and return home on Friday after lunch, around 3.00pm. This ministry is supported by donations. Helena is presently on Home Leave. That is the reason I am presently in Bolivia on Short Term Mission to accompany Helen.

   This map shows the position of Cochuna (green dot) in relation to Coroico(red dot).  It is about a 15 minute mini bus trip.

 This is the main building which has accommodation for the girls, a dining room and kitchen, study rooms and a large conference room on the lower floor.

This green accommodation building is for the boys. It is on the opposite side of the road. The top level has rooms that are used by outside groups. This is a means of helping to raise some extra  money to run the Internado.

Students in the dining room eating the midday hot meal.

The students have jobs each day. These girls are in a team serving up the lunch time meal. There is always soup and a second course.

Helen is letting students know what work groups they will be in for helping in the grounds.

Bread is baked each day. These girls are preparing the buns.

One of the older boys is chopping the wood for the oven.

Another boy has the job of preparing the oven.

Yunca is the daughter of the cook, Dani. When I go to Cochuna Yunca  usually follows me around. This photo is taken with the timer. I’m trying to get Yunca to look at the camera.

Yunca is trying to get the two puppies, Bonny and Clyde, to look at the camera.

Helen, Dominic (a volunteer from Germany) and I helping to prepare the lunch.

Thursday is cleaning day, all have some job to do. Much water is used to wash the floors, stairs etc.,

 I assisted with a Retreat Group of University Students from Carmen Pampa. We are in the large conference room during one of the sessions. We stayed in the Green Building on the top floor.

This is the retreat Group on the outside stairs. Mary and Nate, are two volunteers from Carmen Pampa who ran the retreat. (On top step)

My next Blog will take you to Carmen Pampa where our Sisters are involved in the University Ministry.

FIESTA OF THE VIRGIN OF THE CANDELARIA

Mary is the Patron of Coroico

The preparation of the feast, which is celebrating 204 years, commenced on 10th October. The actual feast is on 20th October. The town is packed with people and vehicles. It is very difficult to move about. But there is a real festive atmosphere.

This is the beginning of the procession with children dressed as angels. The little boy is front is cute, as are most children.

 In this photo we see the women carrying flowers the men carried large candles. The flowers are used to decorate the statue of the virgin and the altar. The candles are used throughout the year.

 The virgin during the lead up to the feast has been dressed in pink this year. You can see the vases of flowers mounted around her. It took 20 of us 3 hours to get the flowers into vases and to place them around the virgin and on the altar. Over 90 vases in total. 

This is a close up of the virgin. All the statues of Mary are dressed in clothes. As are many of the other statues in churches.

 

This small statue was used in the daily processions for the rosary novena which commenced on 11^th October. Prayers commenced in the Cathedral at 6.00am each morning and we processed around different streets each day covering the major roads around the town.

This is the official Party on the stage opposite the Cathedral on 18^th December where all the local schools marched around the Plaza and assembled in front of the Cathedral. The large statue of Mary was placed at the Cathedral door.
 

This is the statue ready for the feast. Many hours spent decorating the float with ferns which were then covered with dried flowers.
 

Carmen Pampa University Students marching. This University for the poor was established by our United States Community and led by Sr Damon Nolan. A Development Fund has been set up to financially support the University. The majority of students have  their fees subsidised.
 

Dancers being blessed during the celebrations on the eve of the feast. They started at 5.00pm and went on until 12 midnight when all processed into the Cathedral for the ‘Serenata of the Virgin’. A special group sings songs to the virgin.
 

Men dressed in special costumes for the occasion. Many people wear special national clothing.
 

This is the procession with Bishop Juan Vagas on the day of the Feast before the commencement of the Mass.
 

Here is another virgin dressed in blue in front of the Bible stand.
 

In this photo we see Fr Freddy Del Villar, the parish priest of Coroico. Mary is being carried out of the Cathedral for another Procession.

 On the day after the feast is the blessing of transport. Knowing the roads that these vehicles travel they certainly need to be blessed!!! The vehicles are decorated and after the blessing a bottle of Champaign or other drink is splashed over the car by the owners. It is quite a ritual.  

COROICO TOWNSHIP

Shops and Streets in Coroico

Our convent is in Rafael Miranda, Just a block away from the Cathedral. The average temp here is 18.3 degrees. However it is coming on summer and is normally around the mid to high 20's. The town is 1750 meters above sea level. The humidity is 72% and the average rainfall is 1,230mm. Hence I bought an umbrella the first week I arrived. However I have not used it since!!

This Cafe and the following one, Snack el Chef, are in our street on the way to church as is the variety shop. 

You will notice that most shops are very small.

Hotel Gloria is just below the main playing fields. It is a 3 star Hotel and has been in Coroico for many years. Coroico has many hotels and Hostels, a number are about 1 km outside the town. This is a town where tourists stay and take day trips to many areas of beauty.

There is a large covered markets, that also has a civic center attached. This is where the fiesta for the Virgin commenced. Vendors especially on a Saturday are along all the streets leading to the markets. The area outside the covered market is also full of vendors. 

This is the Plaza Principal, which is opposite the Cathedral. All major events take place in front of the Cathedral.

This stage area is opposite the Cathedral. The Plaza is the main gathering place for people. Every weekend many stalls are erected and goods sold. Fiesta time is a busy time with hundreds of vendors in town.

This is a typical narrow street. This street runs beside the Cathedral.

This is a variety store that sells a number of different articles as can be viewed in this photo.

This a mixed business with fruit and vegetables as well as dried foods.

The tall building on the right hand corner is a hostel. This is at the top of our street. Around the bend is the Plaza Principal and Cathedral.

In my next BLOG I will show photos of the Cathedral and the Festival of the Virgen de la Candelaria