Thank You for the Warm Welcome to Peru!

Sister Donna Korba and I had the privilege of visiting our sisters in Lima and Sicuani, Peru, during January. The welcome that we received was truly overwhelming.

We spent the first three days in Lima with Denise exploring the port of Callao, walking along the “malecón” overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and visiting the places where St. Rose of Lima and St. Martin de Porres lived and ministered. Denise was excited about sharing the beauty and history of Lima with us, and we were just as eager to be steeped in the Lima experience.

We arrived in Sicuani rested and prepared for the cold and altitude. Eileen and Norma had blankets, hot tea, and plenty of food ready to make our transition as comfortable as possible. During our time in Sicuani, Norma made sure that we also had the opportunity to experience the culture of the southern Andes. She gave us a tour of Raqchi (30 minutes on the outskirts of Sicuani) and included a trip to the ruins and market in Pisaq as we returned to Cusco en route to Lima and the US.

The high point of our trip, and the main reason for traveling to Peru, came at the end of our visit to Sicuani, when we facilitated a retreat for women of varying ages and gathered discerners for a vocational workshop. On Thursday evening and all day
Friday, eleven women gathered to explore, through art, movement, conversation, and massage, God’s unconditional love for them; their physical, emotional, and spiritual strength; and their capacity for resilience. The participants included two women who had been in my children’s group thirty years ago, several women who, as teenagers, had helped to organize the children, a former IHM, current pastoral workers, associates, and friends of Eileen and Norma. The group was open and lively, and there were many tears, a lot of laughter, and hugs during the time we spent together.

On Saturday, four young women participated in the vocational workshop entitled God is Crazy with Love for You (a saying of St. Alphonsus). The diverse activities and presentations were designed to help discerners to explore God’s invitation for them at this moment of their lives and to gain a better understanding of religious life, its essential aspects (prayer, community and service), as well as the charism and spirituality of the IHM Congregation. At the end of the day, we invited the discerners to participate in a service project— visiting and distributing food to the elderly and sick in the neighborhood. It was touching to see how the young women respectfully and compassionately engaged with those who are most abandoned by society.

Donna and I are grateful to Denise, Norma, and Eileen for their warm welcome and for the opportunity to engage with the people who are important to them. Thank you, Denise and Norma, for helping us to experience the beauty and history of both Lima and the southern Andes!