International MSC Latin American Studies
After the post last week about our Canadian Province merging with the Dominican Republic Province, some further news of studies and challenging pastoral work in El Salvador
By Juan Gabriel C. Estévez , MSC, Dominican Republic Province
The Latin American Theologate in El Salvador is a project of the Congregation that arose from the idea of several MSC, who sought to unite in the same place the young people who are in the last stage of formation in the different MSC Provinces of Latin America. They thought that this work would be a great advancement for the Congregation, since sharing the same formative stage opens us to fraternal relationships between the different cultures and inserts us in the shared mission. The headquarters of the Theologate is in El Salvador and is called Casa José María Gran, in honour of the Blessed missionary murdered in Guatemala.
In August 2014, the Theologate was opened, welcoming six young religious in formation, five of them from Central America and one from the Dominican Republic. Over the years the group has increased. In this last stage of formation we are accompanied by a team of formators composed of two priests. The nationalities that have made up this international community have been: Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and Dominican Republic.
We did our theological studies at the Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón Cañas" (UCA). While we prepare ourselves intellectually, we put our mission into action by collaborating in the various communities and pastoral work of the San Luis Gonzaga Parish as well as, in the recovery house for alcoholics, La Esperanza, coordinated by the MSC of Central America.
Our presence has also had an impact together with the Prison Pastoral in the Mariona Penal Centre
and the Migrant Pastoral in the Migrant Attention Centre known in El Salvador as "La Chacra".
Other pastoral work in which we have participated has been in the Divina Providencia Hospital, a place where people in the terminal stage with cancer are being cared for. Through the known parishes, we have been involved in evangelisation work in Honduras, Nicaragua and in the indigenous areas of Guatemala.
As the years go by, we are seeing the fruits of this Theologate. Currently, there are thirteen companions who have already received their ministries, eight of them are priests and five are transitional deacons. The most recent ordained was Jesús De León Mercedes, Noelito. He was the first of the Dominicans to be initiated into the Theologate. With our missionary presence in El Salvador, we continue to make known "the love that God has for us" under our motto: "The Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved everywhere, Forever!
