In the realm of my community life here in Santiago, the distinction of with whom I spend the most time and who has the most influence on my mood and daily life belongs to John. Let there be no doubt about that. After John creating a hierarchy of most influential people in my daily life in Chile is a bit harder. This fact is something I wanted to mention just so yo9u don’t assume that the order in which I publish these entries on community shouldn’t necessarily indicate any order of importance. Each person has been uniquely influential, and I hope you’ll keep this in mind throughout my entries about “Community.”
Today, I would like to introduce Padre Erwin Fonseca. Padre Erwin is a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross (padre=father) who is the Academic Director at the colegio, subject only to the principal (rector in Spanish). I presume this is a demanding position to hold. For what it’s worth, he has one of the most spacious and well-furnished offices in the colegio.
In addition to being Academic Director, Padre Erwin is also a theology teacher for high school students, as well as a homeroom teacher for one of the two sophomore classes. At his invitation, John and I have been attending the morning reflection with his homeroom every day. This time for reading, sharing thoughts, and praying lasts about ten minutes on average, taking place before classes begin for the day. It is a great window into the lives of the kids, seeing as this is the only time I have spent with some of them yet this semester. Thanks to the opportunity of meeting the kids in these morning sessions, we have been developing further friendships with them outside of classes through basketball and soccer events, in addition to other activities which I hope to elaborate in another entry dedicated to this class.
Returning to Padre Erwin, in the time we’ve spent with him and his class it has been obvious that he can connect very well with people of all age groups. I have heard students, teachers young and old, and other members of the parish community comment on how approachable Padre Erwin is. To coin a Chilean phrase, people say he has “buena onda,” or good vibe. He can make easy, down to earth, every day conversation with anyone. On the same token, when the moment calls for it, he can demand the attention of the class for serious matters. One major point which he has discussed on multiple occasions with me and John is his continuous effort to show concern for students’ wellbeing outside of their class work. One recent tragedy has brought to the forefront such reflections. About three weeks ago a sophomore student at Saint George’s College committed suicide. For years, Padre Erwin had lived next to the apartment of this student and had accompanied him to school in the mornings. So, besides the natural sadness surrounding a young person’s decision to commit suicide, Padre Erwin was making a special effort in the days following to talk about the importance of looking out for the wellbeing of students not only in their academic endeavors, but just as importantly, or perhaps more so, in the area of their emotional and psychological development as well. Since in the classroom it can be difficult to tell what students are going through in their lives outside of the hours of classes, trying to know them when time allows and spending time playing sports or talking after school will be important.
Padre Erwin was one of the most important organizers for our house and living supplies before John and I arrived last July. He worked with Michelle Fitzgerald, the last remaining Holy Cross Associate, to secure the place, move in all the furniture and household supplies which remained from the former Associate house, and buy new of the important things we were lacking.
Another area in which Padre has helped our adjustment is through the incorporation into the local community. The first weekend we were in the country he introduced us to a few families in the area, taking us to their houses and making sure we were recognizable to them. In so doing, he successfully secured that we would not have to worry about much cooking during the first month, as invitations to lunch or the evening meal have been constant enough.
His great mix of humor and seriousness in the appropriate moments has made working with Father Erwin a very enjoyable experience. He often comes over to the house for our community nights on Wednesdays and always checking in on how we are adjusting and fitting into the colegio, our house, and the local community. Needless to say, it has been a great relief to have such a concerned Chilean who can aid us in our transition in all of its aspects thanks to his connections to our neighborhood, school, and Holy Cross community, as well as his understanding of Chilean life.
No comments:
Post a Comment