Hola, Chile!
sister gets a glimpse of chilean culture
Sister Pat (center) enjoys a cookout with our sisters in Chile. “The foods there are very different, but very good,” she says.
Sister Pat visits the port in Vina del Mar where our sisters first arrived by boat in 1947 to begin our ministry in Chile.
Sister Pat shares a smile with a Chilean lay teacher who helped her with her Spanish.
a travelogue by sister patricia ann mahoney
This fall I visited with our sisters in Vina del Mar, Chile for a Spanish-language immersion experience. The journey strengthened the conversational skills I use in my ministry with Spanish-speaking parishioners in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Situated in the middle of the city, our convent in Vina del Mar is part of the Hugo Errasuriz Elementary School complex, where our sisters have served in various capacities over the past 71 years. Four of our Chilean sisters minister there currently in administrative and pastoral positions. I was warmly welcomed at the school, visiting various classrooms and working with two teachers to improve my language skills. The students also were very helpful – from them I learned some Spanish, and from me they learned some English!
I also visited our sisters in Placilla, where we have Collegio Santa Clara, which includes an elementary school and a high school. Our third convent is in Pena Blanca, a more rural area, where they have orange, lemon and olive trees.
The Franciscan spirit in our schools is very evident, as the student greeting at every class is “Paz y bien” (peace and all good) and the bulletin boards feature images of St. Francis in many places. The teachers seem very familiar with our congregation’s charism and history, and everywhere I went, I felt very at home.
Among the highlights of my trip were seeing the sun rise over the Andes as my plane landed in Santiago; looking out for the first time over the Pacific Ocean, which is about 15 minutes from our convent in Vina del Mar; and watching our primary level students – all dressed up as “characters” from St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures – portray scenes from the Canticle and the life of St. Francis on the day after his feast.
The whole experience was a blessing, for which I am most grateful. So as I said “Adios, Chile,” I also added, “Que Dios te bendiga!” May God bless you, all the people of Chile!
Sister Patricia Ann Mahoney