From Peru: First Sunday in Lent

13th March 2011: First Sunday in Lent. This Sunday Sr Clara planned to go to the First Communion of her godson Solim from the Therapy Centre.

Solim at the Therapy Centre. Solim is seated on the right. This was on the birthday of one of the other boys. The sister in a habit is a Peruvian sister, Secundina, who belongs to a Mexican order. She helps in the Therapy Centre.

The table the children are sitting round was one of five donated by Sr Clara from her Golden Jubilee funds. She entered discussions with a local carpenter and had the tables custom made.

The Centre was set up by Michael Murphy a retired Irish engineer. He has just moved to new premises to expand. This is a picture of Michael, Clara, Brigid and Ada the Peruvian administrator outside the Centre in the crucial last days before the opening ceremony of the new centre

Sr Ann decided to take me to visit a lay community, Foyer de Charité Santa Rosa, in the mountains at Ñaña outside Lima, for Mass and a day of recollection. To get to the Foyer we needed to take two buses, one into Lima and then another to the mountains. We were very fortunate to get seats on the bus into Lima, so I was able to read Ann's booklet about Marta Robin, the French woman (born 1902 & died 1981) who inspired and founded the movement Foyers de Charité. Martha spent over fifty years confined to her bed and in dreadful pain.

Marta Robin

On our arrival in Ñaña we immediately felt the benefit of the cleaner mountain air as we stopped at a roadside shop to have a snack of bread-sticks and a yoghurt drink.

Sr Ann told me about the times she had been here on retreat in the past, sometimes with Sr Angela and at other times with Señora Domingo from our parish. In a sense we were making a memorial pilgrimage for Angela. We took a motor-taxi to the Foyer and once inside I saw my first Peruvian llamas grazing in their lovely green chacra (farm or smallholding).

llamas grazing

We went to pray quietly in the chapel until Mass, but a little humming bird distracted us. It was beating against the wall of glass behind the altar ,struggling to get out, yet unable to see the glass. Sr Ann managed to rescue the bird. When it rested she cupped it in her hands and took it to an open window at the back of the chapel. She put her hands out of the window and released the bird, but it lay still on her palms and we were afraid that it had died, maybe from fright. Then, thanks be to God, it suddenly came alive and flew away.

The statue of Our Lady and the Child Jesus in front of the Chapel

Picture of view from the Chapel

We joined the Mass of a group called Bodas de Cana (Wedding Feast of Cana) who were having a day retreat under the direction of the French priest who guides the Foyer.. The members of this group are couples who seek to emphasize the value and importance of the sacrament of Christian marriage. They went up to communion as a couple and even up to the ambo to read as a couple. After the Mass people were going up for blessings given by the priest and another man and woman. As they received their blessings many people fell down backwards and lay on the carpets spread in front of the altar. (There were people ready to catch them, so no-one was hurt.) I had not seen this before. Sr Ann said it was a charismatic phenomenon and the people were considered as resting in the spirit, or as some say, “slain in the spirit”. Ann asked if I would like to go for a blessing and I thought that I would. I went up to the woman and she asked me my name. I said, “Rosa” quite loudly and then the person put her hands on my head and began to pray. I felt the pressure of her hands and I found myself slipping down away. It was not like falling and I did not fall, but I realized I was lying on the ground and quite still. After a little I thought I would like to get up, but it seemed to me that I would not be able to move. Then I began to move and someone else helped me and she gave me a lovely smile and supported my arm and helped me to walk back towards my seat. The best way I can describe what happened is that it was like being suspended. After Mass Ann asked if I felt ready for more prayer as there is a beautiful way of the cross that zig-zags up the mountain behind the chapel. We agreed that it would be good to make the way following our own pattern. We prayed for the people of Japan and again for the recently dead especially Sr Angela.

Sr Ann in contemplation on the way of the Cross

By this time the afternoon was well on. I wanted to go on foot back down to the village as it is a lovely walk.

Sr. Rose on the Way of the Cross

Sunset from the bus window on the way to Puente Piedro.

by Sr. Rose of Lima