The Weekend of January 19th and 20th

Before I backtrack and talk about the last week I thought I would comment on the last weekend while it is still fresh in my mind.

Saturday Jan 19 was D day for the rest of the group to go home. So on Friday night we all drove from Aqua Caliente to San Salvador to stay at the Padre's home. We had a nice meal and also met with a couple who come every Friday night to the Padre's house. From there on the week-end they spend time in the Clinic that the Padre runs in Chalatenango. The man is a cardiologist and sees people that need this specialty in the area. The charge is small but the Padre feels that this is a necessary benefit that he wants to give to the poor people in the area. Chalatenango is the capital of the state where Aqua Caliente is. It is one of the poorest in the country and saw a lot of fighting during the war between 1980 and 1994. In any case we also had another birthday cake as it was the birthday of the wife of the cardiologist.

The next morning we had a few hours to kill so the Padre suggested that we go to the Jesuit College in the city. There is also a museum there about the war. It is also the place where 6 Jesuit priest almost all from Spain where killed in 1989 by the military. Of course their only crime was trying to provide support for the poor. Along with them a cook and her daughter were also killed. There were 6 priests that were taken out into the back yard and tied up and all shot in the head. There are pictures of the horror if interested. There is also the real clothing on statues they were wearing that night that shows the bullet holes and blood stains. The museum also has the story of the 6 nuns that were killed in 1980. I guess the husband of the cook decided to plant a rose garden where the priests were taken out in the yard and killed. So now it is very beautiful and peaceful. You get the feeling that it is a very sacred place. I had been there once before but it is still emotional and inspiring to go again. The others had never been. It helps me to understand why I try and come here to help in a very little way.

So the afternoon came and the others were off. I was left behind to stay until Thursday Jan 24. So that afternoon it was time to leave the Padre's house and go with him to is first Mass that he says on Saturday. It is close to La Reina but still up in the mountains. Of course the road is rough and it takes one hour from La Reina when it should take 15 minutes. We get there to a small humble church. Mass is at 4 PM, Before Mass I met a man about 27 who was attending. He spoke English so of course I assumed he had been in the states. He had been in Virginia working in Construction for 7 years. He wanted to come back to stay because he missed him family and wanted to help his father on his farm. His father has about 10 milking cows. He says he will not go back to the US. You see a lot of Salvadorians really like their country. So in many ways we have to find a way that will allow them to be successful here so they can stay here and at the same time reduce our illegal immigration problem.

In any case the Padre said Mass made the people laugh as usual and provided some inspiring words on how they all have to work together to make their lives better. After Mass there was a lady selling papusas. The money raised was to help the church. I also was introduced to a older lady who was so happy to see me that she gave me 5 eggs. I have a picture of them. These people have nothing but still they want to give you what they can. I might also add that during Mass a basket of corn and beans was brought up to the altar. This was a gift of food to the poorest of the poor given to those people by the poor of the community. The Padre says they do it monthly. I thought it was a nice thought and it gave me some further understanding of how these people feel about each other. Finally as we were about to leave bags of corn were being loaded in our pickup truck. The Padre explained that this was their way of saying thank you to the Church in La Reina. It is done once a year after the harvest. So away we went back to La Reina for the Padre to say Mass at 7:00PM in that church. I decided not to go to that Mass and so I watched a basketball game that was being played in the town center. This town of 8,000 has just recently built a very nice lighted area for playing such games. Lots of people come to the center of town to watch. It is one of the highlights of the week-end,

The next morning Sunday we got up and had breakfast at the parish house. Oh yea I woke up at 5:15. This is because to alert people that there is an early Mass at 6:00AM suddenly there are religious musing playing. Then at 5:30 there is the first clang of bells and this is followed by a second clang of bells at 5:45 all the while the music keeps playing and then finally at 5 minutes before Mass the final clang of bells. So you can see since I was sleeping in the Parish house there was no chance to continue to sleep.

The Padre said Mass again in La Reina at 10. I decided to walk around town. Sunday is a time when people come to the town center for social events church meeting and to buy stuff. There are many vendors that set up their booths around the square where they sell everyone thing from pizza, shoes, clothing, backpacks and vegetables. So after Mass it was time for lunch and then a little while it was time to go to another town way up in the mountains for the Padre to have the final Mass of the day at 4:00 PM. This town is even poorer and the church smaller. Frankly sometimes I think that these churches are better. It is the community of people worshiping God in a very humble and pure way. Of course the Padre is his old self again. I am beginning to realize that this seems to me to be the time when he is the happiest. He has such a strong believe that we must help the poor and that it is his mission on the earth. He seems to enjoy every minute. After this Mass he decided to have a little meeting with some of the people of the parish. He called it the Social Concerns Meeting. in this case the main problem was because one of the people there, during the windstorm last week had the roof of his house blown off. He needed $125.00 to buy the tiles to fix it. So how to do it. Of course I could have paid but the Padre wanted them to work together as a community to try and figure out a way to do it. So it was decided to sell papusas next week with donated corn from someone in the group along with some sort of raffle. The Padre kicked in $30 bucks to get things started. I would have too but he did not signal me to do so. He wanted to encourage them to work together for the common problem of one of the village people and this is what they have decided.

The road to this town is very bad. I cannot imagine what it is like when the rainy season comes. Of course on the way up and down the Padre stopped and allowed people to ride in the back of the truck. It has very high hills and yet he says that some people walk all of the way to La Reina to sell things. I am sure it would take at least 2 hours to walk one way or longer. I really do not know how they could do it it. There is a school in this little town. It only goes to the 4th grade. If the people want further education they must go to LaReina each day. So there is a cost of some truck driver to do it or they must walk. I cannot imagine many doing so. So the poverty continues.

One other thing we did at 12 noon on this day was to go back the the church we were at on Saturday. This date the doctors from the clinic in Chalatanengo were going to be there and give check ups to people in the small town and sell medicine to them if they could afford it. It is just another outreach that the Padre has gotten started. I guess there have never had such a group of doctors before. While we were there we had a simple meal of beans, rice and tortilla. That was it. It was good and simple. The Padre says this is considered a special Sunday meal for many in the area. We all ate it because we were hungry. You see the true value of food is to nourish our bodies. I think we forget that in our culture when we have so many foods and we say we do not like this or that. At least I know my grandchildren are this way. Finally as we were leaving the same women that was there the day before and give me the eggs came again and this time she gave me a live chicken. I have a picture of it and the lady. If was heartwarming.

So we went back to LaReina on that terrible road along with about 5 people in the truck who we dropped off along the way. It was decided to go back to Aqua Caliente on Sunday night. So we did. But we had a new passenger this time. She was going to Aqua Caliente and so a free ride was arranged. This person what not just any person. This was a lady of about 40 years old. To my surprise the Padre said that this was the mother of one of the children he adopted. The girl's name is Alejandra and she is now seven. The Padre got her when she was only days old. You see this lady is a prostitute she has had nine children over the years She has sold or given away all of the children. She lives on the streets of Aqua Caliente. But the Padre has no ill feelings toward her. He says she is one of God's children and he must help her where possible. He is far more caring and loving than I could ever be.

So you see how full the week is for the priest. His mission is the school but so much more. It is his life to help his people in so many ways.

So we returned to Mart's house had a little dinner played with Marta's daughter a little and went to bed. The next day Monday 21 is the first day of school for the Colegio. The school year runs until November 1 with a few breaks during the year.