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Carrying on the Mission Jesuit Efforts in Bolivia Aim to Educate and Empower
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Bolivia. The word rolls off the tongue and conjures up images of ancient cultures and time-honored traditions. In some parts, the land is rugged and cold and in others it is lush and humid. For centuries, Jesuits have ministered to the diverse peoples of this country, which today is 95 percent Catholic. Fr. William Rickle, SJ, traveled to Bolivia recently to see how the Jesuit influence continues to improve the quality of life for others.
As part of my job as provincial assistant for Latino ministries, I have the privilege of helping the Maryland and Bolivia Provinces continue to develop a relationship that started more than a decade ago. In June, I traveled to Bolivia and visited Jesuit communities and projects in Santa Cruz, Sucre, Potosí, Oruro, Cochabamba, Tiraque and La Paz. In the space of 10 days, I went from semi-tropical Santa Cruz to the highest capital city in the world, La Paz, in winter. This was my first trip to Bolivia, and I learned just how unique and diverse a country it is. It’s All About Education The political, cultural, social and economic struggles of people who live in this mineral and hydrocarbon rich, landlocked country affect nearly every project and plan the Society of Jesus has undertaken. Inequalities, uncertainties and opportunities abound. For many years, the Jesuits and their colleagues in ministry have invested huge amounts of creative energy, time and resources into education, much of it radio-based. For example, they operate hundreds of educational sites throughout this incredibly rugged country. As a result, through a network of radio stations and projects in Spanish, Quechua, Aymara and Guarani languages, about half of the radio audience in the country listens to “Jesuit radio” each day. The strong emphasis on popular education and literacy in all of the national languages is reinforced by constant emphasis on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and community building. The radio network, part of a larger effort called ACLO, Acción Cultural Loyola (Loyola Cultural Action) represents the best of pastoral collaboration, human resource development and management, and a trust in the power of education and reason to help resolve age-old social, economic and cultural conflicts.
Another successful educational venture in Bolivia are the Fe y Alegría (Faith and Joy) schools. In conjunction with other reli- gious congregations and with considerable government support, nearly a quarter of a million students attend the Fe y Alegría schools, part of a network of schools throughout Latin America. The network employs more than 10,000 teachers and staff. The schools are also part of the colossal effort to educate and form people from the lower socio-economic classes into active, responsible participants in civil, church and political society. One indicator of the success of the Fe y Alegría schools is that many graduates are now ministers and functionaries in the new government since the January 2006 election of President Evo Morales, the first indigenous chief of state to be elected in Bolivia. At the same time, though, few of these graduates have much experience in large scale management and administration, and they have to learn on the job. Huge challenges exist, largely around new distribution of political power among the indigenous, mestizo (mixed race), and blanco (white) groups. The country is in the midst of a process of writing a new Constitution to recognize and address the political, social and economic realities which have been ignored for centuries. What a task! One small but potentially important effort of the Jesuits and their colleagues is the creation of the Cuarto Intermedio, a reflection center and neutral space for national level dialogue and exploration of alternatives to violent conflict as a way to resolve differences. A large scale violent confrontation in Cochabamba this past January surprised and frightened many leaders in the civil and government arenas. Both sides in the conflict pulled back eventually, and the provision of a neutral space for dialogue may prove to be critical for a stable outcome. The center carries on the traditional Jesuit ministry of reconciliation by publishing reflections and research articles and by hosting public discussions. TOMORROW'S JESUITS
The Bolivian Province is both old and young. Its origin is the Peruvian mission during the Spanish colonial period and includes colonial universities and churches as well as some of the best preserved Jesuit mission churches and schools in the Amazon region. Many of the religious and musical traditions of the missions survive in the Guarani communities of the Amazon region. The modern Bolivian Province owes its vitality to Jesuit missionaries from Cataluña, Spain, who came as young men in the 1950s through the 1980s and stayed the rest of their lives. These are now the ¨senior¨ Jesuits of Bolivia. Part of my reason to visit Bolivia was to participate in the annual Province Assembly, held in Cochabamba. I gave a presentation on the history and works of the Maryland Province Jesuits. Looking out at the audience I was struck by the youth of the Bolivian Jesuits. The Spaniards are retiring and moving on to “the heavenly court” Jesuits think of when we take our vows. The province now numbers about 137 men, 90 of whom are still in formation, and all of them Bolivian, many of them native speakers of indigenous languages. Even with the older Spaniards, the province median age is 51, more than 10 years younger than that of the Maryland Province and other U.S. provinces. These young men are the future of the Society of Jesus in Bolivia.
William Rickle, SJ, is director of the |
As part of the relationship with the Maryland Province, some
of the Bolivian priests and scholastics have come to Jesuit communities
and universities in the U.S. to study English and take
other courses. In addition, through this relation between both
provinces, Saint Joseph’s University (SJU) in Philadelphia, has
partnered for the last five years with Fe y Alegria schools. University
faculty, staff and students travel annually to Bolivia for
immersion trips, and Fe y Alegria administrators visited SJU in
2006. Additionally, partners continue conversations in hope of
fostering the mutually beneficial relationship in new ways. The
warm welcome I received in every Bolivian community and
work was partially a recognition and expression of gratitude for
our solidarity with them in their own journey.
I left Bolivia with deep impressions and concerns for the future.
The Jesuits in Bolivia have many social and pastoral projects
and commitments for which they will continue to need
visionary and courageous leadership. That leadership, if it is to
materialize, will come from two sources: young Jesuits now in
formation and lay colleagues. They will all need technical and
spiritual formation and education to carry on their mission. I
look forward with great hope and enthusiasm
to the next steps in our journey together.