Post for February 15, 2010
I’ve been getting a fair number of questions about the faith recently, through email in particular. As an experiment, I’ve set up a Q&A message forum to handle these questions (and, hopefully, answers):
http://fatherdowd.net/questions
The point is not to get into debate about this or that hot button topic, but simply to be a safe place to seek answers when they exist. Feel free to wander over, take a look, offer some commentary, or just ask a question.
» Filed Under Explaining the faith | 3 Comments
Post for February 4, 2010
I tried to get back to Montreal today, but it would seem that God had other plans.
My flight was to leave Mexico City at 9:40 am, so Padre Roberto and I left Cuernavaca around 6:30. One hour of driving would get me to the airport two hours before departure… or so I thought.
It was not to be. We drove through pounding rain and heavy winds, only to be turned back by the federal police. The highway was closed.
Padre Roberto suggested we take the old two-lane highway as an alternative. We quickly discovered why the roads were closed. That pounding rain was turning roads into lakes, and the wind was literally sending trees crashing down onto the road.
How could it be so bad? Well, the road between Mexico City and Cuernavaca is actually a mountain pass, and it gets windy up in them there mountains. We eventually had to turn back, making it to Cuernavaca by noon.
Happily I had accepted the offer of a lift from Padre Roberto and not insisted in taking the bus. We managed to contact Air Canada to cancel the reservation (so I didn’t lost the ticket entirely) and another members of Air Canada personnel back home helped me to rebook. Let me at this point give a big shout-out to those people and to that company. We all know of airline horror stories, but I will tell you know that I received service above and beyond the call of duty. I actually had tears of gratitude in my eyes, I kid you not.
The people back at the parish were a bit surprised to see me again — after all, we had already said our goodbyes! But one thing I’ve noticed about every Mexican I’ve met is their ability to take things in stride. I’ve got something to learn there.
» Filed Under Personal tidbits | Leave a Comment
Post for February 3, 2010
Every first Wednesday of the month Padre Roberto picks up his parents and takes them out to a restaurant for brunch. Today was no exception. What made it different was having a Canadian visitor to tag along!
I don’t think they were expecting to see me, but I must say we got along famously. A funny moment came when they asked Padre Roberto to translate for them when they would speak to me — when in fact I understood everything (or at least up until that point).
Breakfast was at a restaurant that Padre Roberto and I know well (a chain called Sanborns). After that they had some errands to run… well, to be more accurate, Padre Roberto went with his mom to run some errands, so I hung back with his dad. As it turns out we both have the same favourite way to kill time: in a bookstore. We each picked up this and that and chatted about that we found. Him: the story of the Mexican revolution. Me: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (hey, I need something easy for this Spanish stuff).
Priests don’t grow on trees: they come from real flesh-and-blood families, and it was nice to get to know Padre Roberto even more in this way.
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Post for February 2, 2010
The last time I was in Mexico I wrote about how my real test of Spanish knowledge did not involve writing exams or recieving diplomas. No, the real test was taking a taxi.
Well, today was my second test/diploma, and it was even more dramatic.
A bit of background: I’ve decided to go home a bit early (Thursday) so as to get some downtime before heading back to work. I’m having fun here, but thinking and speaking Spanish can be a bit tiring, especially given my level of knowledge (or lack thereof). So rather than take another week of classes, I decided to visit Mexico City (see the post for yesterday) and use today and tommorow to develop some personal study notes (i.e. consolidate what I knew) to help me stay fresh once I am back home. Oh, and take a bit of a break too!
But God had other plans. Around 10 am the parish secretary asked for me. There was a (very) young couple in the office, she explained, who had just had a baby (little Leslie Guadelupe). Unforunately the baby was in critical condition in the hospital, and the hospital did not have a chaplain. Given that Padre Roberto was out and was not expected until later this afternoon, could I go and do an emergency baptism?
I’ll admit I had a momentary flash of panic, but how could I say no? So I grabbed the ritual book and a stole, and off we went (the parish secretary came with us, thank God, to help translate not so much the words as the situation).
After going through a decontamination process, we saw the little one. How tiny! She was born with a hole in her abdomen, so some of her intestines actually were outside after birth (a condition called gastroschisis). Two surgeries later, she was still going but was very critical. I explained that I would use the short ritual for emergency baptisms, as it was the most appropriate in this case (heck, godparents had not even been identified yet). To be honest, I’m not sure the parents even noticed how stressed I was, nor do I think they cared about my broken Spanish — they were just glad it was happening.
When it was over I got their names for the baptism register and headed back home with the parish secretary. What an adrenaline rush! You feel glad and nervous all at the same time.
So my Spanish still sucks. After all, it has only been my second week here (sixth if you count my first time in Cuernavaca 18 months ago). But as lousy as it was, it was enough to get a little baby baptised. For me, that’s more than enough for now, and is a real incentive to keep learning.
» Filed Under Scenes of priesthood | 1 Comment
Post for February 1, 2010
Padre Roberto and I took that day off today and went to visit Mexico City. Well, actually, most of the country took the day off, as today was a national holiday dedicated to honouring the Mexican constitution. Well, actually, that day is on February 5, not Feb 1, but they transferred the holiday to give people a long weekend. (Why they didn’t consider that a Fri-Sat-Sun long weekend is just as long as a Sat-Sun-Mon long weekend is beyond me, but I digress…)
We left Cuernavaca early in the morning. Happily the main bus station is literally a three-minute walk from the parish, so it was a piece of cake to grab the first bus to Mexico City (they leave every half-hour). This brought us to a southern subway station (like Montreal, they call it the Metro). First impressions: the subway was immaculately clean, and ran very smooth (none of the usual screeching associated with metal-wheeled trains). Various vendors would wander through the cars, selling their wares (e.g. maps, flashlights, chocolate bars, pirated music, etc.) A street-performing pair also came in, whose performance involved smashing themselves with broken glass. I couldn’t look. Neither could Padre Roberto.
We got off at Zocalo station, located at the main square in Mexico City (also known as the Zocalo). Several main government buildings are there, as well as the Cathedral and the remains of the ancient pyramid temple of the Aztecs. Unfortunately all the museums were closed (they all close on Monday, like at home) so that cut out a lot of things we might otherwise have seen. But there was still lots to see! We wandered around a bit in the central historic section, eventually attending mass at a local church and grabbing some lunch. Then, after lunch, we hopped on one of those circuit tour buses that take you around the city.
The bus was ok. Of course, the things we were taken to see were interesting, but the pre-recorded translations that were offered made me laugh out loud at times. Also, it started to rain, and even got a bit chilly, so we had to stay in the bus. From my point of view, it was essentially a down-payment on my next visit. 
Regarding the weather, BTW, when I say “a bit chilly” I am speaking as a Canadian, of course: the Mexicans themselves were freezing, and wore heavy jackets and scarves (I had a light sweatshirt over a t-shirt). Frankly, they know nothing of the cold. As for me, all it took was a good Starbucks coffee to warm me up and I was good to go again.
I took lots of photos, but I don’t have access to a decent photo editor here so posting them will have to wait. Our bus ride home was uneventful, and we made it back by 8pm. Poor Padre Roberto wasn’t feeling that great, so we hit the hay early. I had a bit of a headache myself (due to the pollution in Mexico City, I expect). At any rate, I am glad I went, and I look forward to the next time, now that I have a good sense of what is available to see.
» Filed Under Personal tidbits | Leave a Comment
