To the Band of Brothers: BYM Edition
Good morning!
Day 5 is in the books. After much work, the group was able to complete 2 miles of digging trenches, laying pipe, and burying it up and down mountains. It has been very hard work, but the kids have been troopers.
The power of this experience surpasses the encounter with the poor. On the first day, we collected all the phones and literally cut them off from the world they know. You would think it a challenge. But nights filled with playing cards, dominoes, and conversation has helped them realize how life can be fun without an iPhone. I am sorry Apple.
I was moved when one of the students pulled me to the side last night and told me how happy he was we took the phones. He went so far as to say it was the best thing we did. I wonder if they’ll want them back. Probably not.
Our daily Masses have been key. Mass is a great moment for reflecting on the experience and processing what they are living. I don’t preach at these Masses. Instead, I let them share. They stand in front of their peers and lay it on the line. It takes courage, but it is so crucial to building the man. What relief so many feel when they hear their friend say something they too are experiencing.
On Monday night we had adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. I confess we had never done it before. It was voluntary and yet they were all there. Seeing these boys on their knees in prayer in a chapel with walls made of cinder blocks and a roof of tin was very moving. It was that very moment when I realized how much this trip is worth it
Today is day 6 and we have one mile of pipe left. There is excitement in the air since we will soon be turning the valve and waiting to see the fruits of our labor. Keep your fingers crossed and the prayers coming
Auspice Maria
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba, by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the school's property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit is situated on a 34-acre site in western Dade County, just minutes away from downtown Miami.