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By Brother Tomas
This report describes the new life of the Conyers monk founders
in Venezuela. Brother Tomas was known as Brother Edwin in his 38 years in
Georgia.
Our group of founders reached La Azulita on Mother Mary’s
birthday, Sept. 8, 1987. Quickly we settled into our rented eight room house in
midtown La Azulita, our home for the next 15 months.
The people are warm and generous. They dropped in frequently with
gifts of vegetables and fruit. Though we missed the extensive building and
grounds of our three founding houses, our mini monastery did provide us space
for a chapel, library, kitchen, dining room, and sleeping quarters.
Nevertheless, urban monasticism was definitely a challenge for each of us
accustomed to the tranquillity of rural life.
We were agreed that this stage of our Venezuelan adventure should
be as short as possible. After our superior, Father Manuel, contacted several
contractors, we decided to go with an industrious, intelligent young man, Mr.
Tomas Silva, who was quite sure he would have us living on our 110-acre farm
site in six months.
However, owing to the fact that there is a great scarcity of
earthmoving equipment in the Andes and that the Venezuelan Christmas extends
from mid-December to early January, construction didn’t begin until
mid-January, 1988. On workdays we monks would drive the four-and-a-half miles
from town to the farm to “do our own thing” - clearing pasture and
pruning hundreds of guava trees. The contractor had his own crew so we
didn’t get involved except as the sidewalk superintendents.
Since Tomas maintained a work force of usually 10 men and used
very little machinery, our temporary monastery (it would be our guesthouse
later on) was longer a building that we had anticipated. Shortages of vital
materials also retarded progress. Though we impatient Yankees were champing at
the bit, we were aware that Andino construction though slow, is sure. Our house
is truly well built to withstand the elements, especially the rains.
In the fall of 1988, Tomas promised us that we’d certainly
“be home for Christmas.” He was ready for us by mid-November. We had
been moving some of our non-essentials to the farm on our daily trip. For the
essentials we decided to make the definite move Nov. 23. To our surprise we had
everything moved (with a little help from our friends) and in place by 6 p.m.
that day.
There are adjustments which will take time. They are a new
language, a different culture, a climate pleasant for the most part but made
challenging by a rainfall of 70 inches per year, breathtaking mountain scenery.
All of this balanced off by the fact of farming this rugged terrain and the
change from a machine-dominated culture to one in which hand work (machete, ax,
hoe, etc.,) predominates. Then there are the inevitable changes of diet, most
of which in our case promote good health.
While living in La Azulita we received no candidates because of
our lack of space and also due to the fact that we would not have been
presenting our candidate the typical Cistercian life. Now that we are once more
in our regular monastic milieu, we are beginning to accept observers and
postulants. Hector, an enthusiastic, prayerful young man from Caracas, brings
our community up to six. A number of other young Venezuelans, having made
retreats with us, have expressed interest in joining. Like the mahogany shoots
which the department of forestry planted in our uplands, we plan to grow slowly
at Our Lady of the Andes.
These have been two difficult years for us but two beautiful years
as well. In our efforts to implant the male Cistercian life among the wonderful
folk of Venezuela, we have been constantly aware of the prayerful support of
our founding religious communities, New Melleray, Gethsemani and Holy Spirit;
of our extended lay communities, and of our families and friends.
Though we have changed our domicile from the South to the deeper
south, we remain one with y’all in Christ, His church. Please continue to
pray for us and our Venezuelan brothers and sisters, as we assuredly do for
you. |
