I mentioned in yesterday's post that I would say a little bit about what I learned from the novices reagarding the various countries from which they come, and what the situation of the Augustinian Order is in them. Obviously, this is nowhere near a systematic or thorough analysis of these countries but, in so far as it goes, it is interesting, indeed shocking in one of the cases.
There is already a lot about Panama on this blog so I won't be repeating myself in this post. I will confine myself to what the novices had to say about Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.
Colombia: The Augustinians are a strong presence in Colombia and the Province there is numerous. Vocations are plentiful. In fact, in terms of South America, Colombia is probabl the country where the Order is strongest. As well as being involved in many parishes and some secondary schools, the Augustinians also have begun a university in Bogotá which is indicative of the type of project they are capable of undertaking. Even the fact that the Colombian novice can be "spared" to go to work in Cuba is a sign of the extent to which Colombia can take on new projects and initiatives.
The situation is very different in Nicaragua where, despite having a novice and, as I mentioned yesterday the "Pedagogue" of the novitiate, there is no longer an Augustinian presence in the country. To be clear, in Augustinians terms, all of Central America is considered to be one jurisdiction which is known as the Vicariate of the Antilles, a Vicariate of the Provice of Castille (one of the Spanish Provinces). The vocation situation has not been as successful as in Colombia and it has not proved possible to maintain the parish which we were running in Nicaragua; it is very likely, however, that we will return there as soon as is possible.
Cuba is an interesting development in the life of the Order. In the days before the revolution the Augustinians ran a number of parishes in Cuba but, with the government's rejection of organised religion that presence came to an end some time ago. In the past few years that presence has been restarted. There are now five Augustinians, living in three communities on the island. They look after three parishes. It seems that congregations in the churches are very small, and mostly elderly, but this is a situation that is changing little by little. Certainly the two men in the novitiate (one of whom was a doctor before he joined) is a sign of a growing interest in religion on the part of the population. It is likely that the recent visit of Pope Francis will contribute to this growth.
El Salvador was the story that shocked me, I have to say. The Augustinians run a parish in San Salvador, the capital city. To say that there is a problem with law and order here is an understatement. Armed gangs have largely taken over the running of the city and it is extremely dangerous there. Buses are regularly attacked - at least one was even set on fire while the passengers were still on it, leading to 14 deaths. People are afraid to leave their homes; even to go to work or to do their grocery shopping. Once you leave your house you are a potential target, and you are not safe in your home either. The Salvadorean student told me that the father of a friend of his was killed; those who carried out the killing went to the funeral, made a note of who was attending, and killed them all over the following two years. I can only imagine what it must be like to try to preach the gospel in the face of such horrors as these. The danger on the streets means that many people are too afraid to even go to the church. This is a church that is living in a very dangerous situation, one that will not be resolved easily. Obviously, in this context, the Order can only do its best to maintain its presence in the hope that it might be of some help to all those who are trying to live out their daily lives in the shadow of such fear.
No comments:
Post a Comment