Br. Peter (right) enjoys a meal with (left to right) Fr. John Alexander Avellaneda, CSV, Pre-Novice Ángel Felipe Vásquez, Br. Edwin Barreto, CSV, and Br. P. Enrique Medina, CSV.
Learning a second language can be helpful professionally, can make traveling or experiencing another culture more accessible, and connect us more with neighbors. Each of these things are true for Br. Peter Lamick, CSV, with another unique layer added: “I really wanted to have a Spanish learning experience living with other Viatorians,” Br. Peter said. “I certainly could study Spanish here in Chicago, and there’s plenty of opportunities to practice. But I wanted to live with our guys and have the opportunity to learn and use my Spanish while also trying to get to know them.”
This summer, Br. Peter spent 10 weeks living in Colombia, and he shared stories and reflections from this experience on Episode 118 of Viatorian Voices: Conversations on the Way.
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He moved into Casa San Justo (Saint Just House), our house of formation in Bogotá, with our three postulantes (pre-novices), formation director Fr. John Alexander Avellaneda, Br. Edwin Barreto, CSV, and Br. Juan David Ramírez, CSV – plus a short overlap with Fr. Juan Carlos Ubaque, CSV, before he moved to Rome for studies.
During his time in Tunja, Br. Peter enjoyed time with Fr. Fredy Contreras, CSV (left), and Fr. Pedro Herrera, CSV (second from left), as well as Danilo José Hernández Cantarero (right), a teacher from Centro Educativo San Viator (Saint Viator Educational Center) in Jutiapa, Honduras, who was making a professional visit to our Tunja school with a colleague.
In addition to lively community life, it is a convenient base to take public transit across Bogotá to an international language school where he could study Spanish. “When I arrived in Colombia, my Spanish was very basic – greetings and that type of thing. Then by the time I left, I felt like I could have like conversations with my confreres in Spanish,” Br. Peter said.
Br. Peter joined meals, prayer, and social life with his housemates, both at home and around town. He took a weekend in Tunja to stay with our community there – Fr. Fredy Contreras, CSV, Fr. Pedro Herrera, CSV, and Br. Carlos Suárez, CSV – and take part in their youth day, even giving a Spanish-language talk to an auditorium of high school students. He went out with one pre-novice for a weekend at his family home.
One big takeaway for Br. Peter was how well the pre-novices could articulate our charism and their potential vocations. “They had such a grasp of the charism. They could communicate it. They could tell me about it. And they could really clearly articulate why they had intentionally chosen to enter the Viatorians as opposed to another congregation,” Br. Peter said. “They could clearly tell me that they had this attraction to the Viatorian charism and the way we work with young people, our passion for education, and a certain spirituality with the way we connect with people.”
Listen to all of Br. Peter’s stories and reflections on Episode 118, available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.