Some Provincial Delegations landed on Peruvian soil days before this fraternal meeting with the joy, closeness, and fraternity that characterize them. They were thus able to learn a little about the cultural richness and history of the country and the Province: the Shrine of Santa Rosa da Lima, the Convent of Santo Domingo, the Catacombs of San Francisco, the Parque de la Reserva, the Historic Centre of Lima, Plaza Mayor, the Parque de la Muralla, the Church of San Francisco...

Yesterday, Tuesday 28 March, the first delegation, the Salesian Province of Mexico-Guadalajara (MEG), led by Fr. Filiberto González, arrived at the “San Juan Pablo II” Conviviality House, the venue for the meeting.

Another group soon joined them. On board a bus, more than 50 Salesians arrived from the provinces of Colombia Medellín (COB), Colombia Bogotá (COB), Antilles (ANT), Central America (CAM), United States East (SUE), United States West (SUO), Mexico-México (MEM), Venezuela (VEN), Bolivia (BOL), Ecuador (ECU), and the Vice-Province of Haiti (HAI), together with some of the Rector Major’s Councilors, such as Fr. Gildasio Mendes, General Councilor for Social Communication, who has been in Peru since 26 March.

The Rector Major, Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime, arrived at the retreat house at around 6.30 p.m. from the city of Piura. The Provincial of Peru, Fr. Juan Pablo Alcas, had arrived a few minutes earlier.

After settling into their rooms and taking a short break, everyone gathered for dinner at 7.30 p.m., where the most moving moment was the birthday song sung by all present to Fr. José Pastor Ramírez, Provincial of ANT, who just yesterday celebrated his birthday. 

Before the end of the day, a cultural evening was held with the participation of the dance group ‘Todas las sangres’: a moment to convey Peruvian culture through art. “We welcome you with open arms, welcome to our Peru,” were the concluding words of Fr. Alcas.

The retreat venue was also designed to foster an atmosphere of recollection and fraternity. The retreat center, belonging to the Neocatechumenal community, is located in the Balneario Santa Rosa, north of downtown Lima, in an area whose beauty immediately struck even the first Salesians to set foot in Peru. “It is a luxury that, in the middle of the desert, there is so much greenery,” they exclaimed.

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