MONTERREY - Mexico.

MONTERREY:

Next 3 months of Relaxing, which included classes in Spanish within a week and going into pastoral visits and seeing parish life in another part of the world. At first we could understand almost nothing but only kept smiling away to glory at every question. It was SPANISH, SPANISH, and SPANISH ALL THE WAY. No English-Wake up but Spanish Music, pray in Spanish, talk in Spanish, eat Spanish food, play football Spanish way—wow that was good as we are ok now in Spanish. We had 3 months of Spanish classes. Our professor talked in 7 languages. We soon took a trip out to the Novitiate for a solemn profession.

Country-side:

It is a tough country-side with the Méxicans living very hard lives and it is hard work for all of us. We are surrounded with mountains as we are in the north of México and it is mountainous and a lot of desert area. When we went to the country-side for an experience of our future work we moved about on HORSES, with sometimes the wide brimmed Méxican hat called SOMBRERO as it can be very hot and the hat keeps cool in the heat.

Prepared and sent:

During the first 3 months we had to practice saying Mass and sermons. At first we only did all the readings in Spanish. We had to sweat it out and are still doing so as life is not all rosy over here but it is rewarding, thrilling and interesting. Now the two of us, John (pronounced Huan in Spanish and no more John) and Godwin Vincent (pronounced (hodwin Vicente as G is a mixture of g.strong and a little of k. in it.) are appointed in the Parish of our lady of Guadalupe (a very great devotion to our Lady who appeared to Huan Diego and left her imprint on his mantle). Frayle (Fr.) Godwin is the assistant superior, assistant parish priest. Frayle (Fr.)  Huan is the member of the house with Frayle (Fr.) David Beaumont a

s the Parish Priest, Superior and the head of the Mexican Capuchins as it is not yet custody. We are under the American province of LOS ÁNGELES in California.

 

Friars Working:

There are 4 Americans, 3 Brazilians and 2 Indians. 2 Americans are in the House of Philosophy and theology and the students all Mexicans (from entering at the age of 23 onwards for all the stages of formation, attending the diocesan seminary in Monterrey) for the classes which are  a short distance from the friary. 1 American and 2 Brazilians are in the Novitiate called Tres Ojitos( Tres Ohitos). It is very cold and  snows in the winter. We do have wild wolves and big wild cats in the snowy areas and coyotes or foxes over here at Yécora (Jécora). We are1 American and 2 Indians  over here at Yécora.

Life here at Yécora:

It is a lovely place, with peaches, oranges and apples in the higher altitudes. Cool in the plains but practically the whole area in this state of SONORA is mountainous. The Novitiate is in the State of CHIHUAHUA. The Major Study house is in the State of NUEVO LEON. We here attend to PUEBLOS or villages up in the hills. Here any place is never less that an hour and half away from another. Five villages are attended to by Godwin Vicente and five villages are attended to by John. The rest is attended to by the Superior or Guardiani as he is called. We also help in the Parish services.

Catholic life:

People are quite cool to spiritual life being badly treated by the first conquering Spaniards and then the revolution that suppressed religion. So it is hard work to inspire confidence in the church. Luckily there are lots of vocations to the Capuchins as we work with the people and it is a sight to see the work done by the American father here among the tribal people who existed here before the Spanish conquest. They adore him as he speaks, prays and sings in their language.

MEXICO ! MY DEAR, HERE I COME
Mood:  happy

!MÉXICO, MY DEAR,HERE I COME ¡

(¡ MÉXICO, QUERIDO MIO,

AQUÍ, YO VENGO!)

HI, ex-students of Monte de Guirim and friends, (Goa to México as a missionary)

Here are a few of my sentiments, as I left Goa on March 18th 2008 to be precise. We flew out of Goa with a fond bye to a world famous touristic place to head to another interesting historical place MÉXICO (COLOURS OF THE Mexican flag). We left at 4.30p.m as the evening shadows began creeping over the Goan skies. Our plane landed in 55 minutes at Bombay airport to a grinding wait of 8 agonizing hours with the heart beating that we are soon to leave this historical land of India where Christopher Columbus was anxiously waiting to land and we waiting anxiously to enter and land in the land he never dreamed of.

We were going to be the real Indians (verdaderos Indios) that he (Columbus) was searching for and here we were heading to the land he discovered and named the inhabitants of the area as Indios (Indians). So after 8 hours sitting at the airport lounge till 1am of the 19th of March and after the blah blah of the customs officials and our hearts throbbing, wondering and hoping that they find all the papers in the right places, we were OF to (Amsterdam, capital of Holland (orange-official color), a flight of 11 hrs to land in Amsterdam at 6 am in the morning (Holland time). Oh Holland, “Goed Morgen -Good Morning, Dank u wel -Thank you” served well after the experience of having earlier visited Holland for the Franciscan heritage programme. The airport was marvelous, super clean and bewitching with the famous national flowers - Tulips. The airport was so big and the things so varied to see (of course window shopping was the best past time to cash ) during a wait of 5 hrs at the airport for the next flight out to México. By 5 pm we left after a very very very strict check up at the customs by the Mexican area authorities to get into the Mexican airplane. The number of questions they asked were intriguing with querying us as to why at all we decided to go to México as there are not many Indians flying out to México, how long we would aim to stay in México and they were wondering as to what strange business we were up to. Well at last getting rather tired with all the check ups and the questioning which we answered perhaps with all the best Goan patience that we could muster, we headed to a flight of another 11 hrs to the area conquered by Hernandez Cortez—La Ciudad de México(City of México airport.)

 

That was the most beautiful flight with flying over the Pacific Ocean and the clouds below spreading a thick carpet of white and like the seagulls that we could see below gliding softly with the sun slowly turning orange as we were leaving Holland (even the sun seems orange over lovely Holland). After a flight of 11 hrs with the enchanting, tall, athletic and also delicate, courteous staff in the flight we at lat were there solemnly gliding down to the NEW WORLD airport of México. My heart sang  BOOM BOOM, México. Here I fly into your waiting arms!

DOWN IN MËXICO: Yeah it was an immense airport. The area was so long that about 45 minutes we waited for checking in, then 30 minutes to search our luggage as we had to move about and return to the same place as the Mexican official failed to check that information was written on our slips and it was all in SPANISH!. Wow our first brush with the famous Spanish language!  Then at last after all the formalities and again questioning as to why we wanted to enter only México we moved off to a section that was to take us again for another flight to MONTERREY (KING OF MOUNTAINS). We sat out another 2 hrs as we landed in Ciudad de México at 5 in the evening and sat till 8.pm for the last chapter of our flight to Monterrey. By the time we landed in a smaller plane now at Monterrey it was 10pm at night (a flight of 25 hrs with waiting time at the airports to be added). Then what a surprise when we were at the airport not to see the Capuchin Fathers at the airport as our plane landed a little early. But soon they arrived. Imagine the airport police coolly telling us take a taxi at 10 pm and go to the Friary. Good Sussegad Mexican style!  It was another travel of 45 minutes in the car to the Friary. But it was rewarding to see all the Fathers present at the airport to receive us at that time of the night! They urged us to eat some supper but all we wanted was to dive into bed!

Hello Out There!
I am starting this blog today. I am Fr.Godwin Lobo, stationed at Monte de Guirim, Goa, India. My brother Gerard from Holland has designed my website and set up this blog. I invite you to write to this blog, your questions on the Bible, observations, feelings or whatever you wish to. I will get back to you. Today is the 15th of January. 15th December was my late father's birthday. I will be back with my thoughts. Till then folks.....

Love and prayers
Fr.Godwin Lobo