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One of the "perks" of the
Council of the Congregation is to visit and see the work that Holy Cross people
are doing in different parts of the world. Chile is one good example of
many good things the Congregation does.
 One day we all got on a bus,
Father
Fermin Donoso, the district superior, gave us a tour of Holy Cross in
Santiago. The first stop was San Roque Parish
where Father Malcolm Johnson gave us a history of
that parish. The next stop was the Casa de Formación where the
temporarily professed in studies and in formation stay.
Right next door is Hogar
Santa Cruz, directed by Brother Donald
Kuchenmeister of the Midwest Province. Hogar Santa Cruz
provides a therapeutic home and community for abused and neglected children;
they also work closely with the parents, when possible.
Our next stop was St.
George's College. At St. George's
there was a student who served as tour guide for every two Holy Cross religious
on the tour. First we went to the library where Father
Pepe Ahumada gave us some background on the school. Most
noteworthy was the emphasis on the social apostolate. Starting with the
third grade all the way through the rest of the school, each class has something
to do: bringing good for the poor, visiting poorer neighborhoods, working at
Hogar San José or Hogar Santa Cruz.
At St. George's Father Hugh Cleary
was the principal celebrant at a tri-lingual liturgy. Afterwards, the new
statue of Brother
André was blessed.
Father
Carlos Delaney has been working in devotion to Brother André in
Chile. When Father Carlos was young, his sister was very ill. The
family went up to the St. Joseph Shrine in Montreal, where Carlos' mother went
to seek Brother André's help. When little Carlos asked why they had to go
up the stairs on their knees, his mother responded: "Just do it!"
Father Carlos had a group of young
ladies helping him spread the word about Brother André. They became known
as "Charley's Angels." Some one
commented that the statue was rather small. Fr. Carlos responded, "
Well, he was small."
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