High school trips are impactful opportunities to learn outside the classroom and make unique memories, and thanks to our global Viatorian Community, our students on both sides of the Atlantic share a new connection.
Ann and Kurt with an icon of Saint Viator.
As part of a Saint Viator High School spring break trip to Spain, Spanish teacher Associate Kurt Paprocki arranged an intercambio (exchange) with Colegio San Viator (Saint Viator School), one of our Viatorian schools in Madrid. Though our American group had traveled over 4,000 miles away, they quickly felt right at home.
“Our students quickly noticed the Adorado y Amado Sea Jesús (Adored and Loved Be Jesus) messages, and we saw the same images of Saint Viator and Fr. Louis Querbes that we see in our own school,” Kurt said. “We felt so welcome, more like a family reunion than a simple school visit. Our Viatorian brothers and sisters led us through their school, and it felt like visiting their home.”
Associate Ann Perez, Saint Viator Vice President of Mission and Identity, chaperoned the trip with Kurt, and she reveled in this rich sense of community. “Even in another Viatorian community in another country and a different culture, I felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity,” Ann said. “They gave a presentation in English while we enjoyed churros con chocolate (churros with chocolate), sharing all kinds of interesting things about their school, culture, foods, and more.”
Fr. Diego Millán García, CSV, welcomed the group with the students and staff. Students broke into mixed small groups to tour the school, get to know each other, and practice language skills. Fr. Diego gave Kurt and Ann a tour of the school, and Br. Adolfo Velasco Sanz, CSV, later took Kurt and Ann out to lunch and a tour around the neighborhood in Madrid.
Ann and Kurt with Fr. Diego (left) and Br. Adolfo (right).
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Our Saint Viator High School delegation enjoyed a great presentation from the students in Spain (top) and tours of the campus and school (bottom).
The students traded social media handles, took photos together, and traded gifts, including San Viator crosses given to each American student. Kurt and Ann brought Saint Viator scarves to give as gifts, and they each received a school mug to bring home.
“It was almost like seeing your cousins who, maybe you don’t see quite as often as other family members, yet are so familiar, welcoming, and easy to be with,” Ann said. “It was all a great reminder of our worldwide Viatorian Community. We experienced our mission lived out in teaching the faith to young people and raising a community of faith, just as we do.”
Kurt is a seasoned traveler who loves learning other cultures and consistently incorporates intercambio into his teaching, including email exchanges, live chats, and videoconferences with Viatorian schools in Spain and Colombia. These experiences nourish his Viatorian spirituality and are essential to how he teaches and forms his students.
“Our visits with Fr. Diego and Br. Adolfo felt so familiar. I could feel the same warmth, spirit, and charism with the Viatorians in Madrid that I do with the Viatorians I see regularly here at home,” Kurt said. “And then our students don’t just share a common Viatorian atmosphere at our schools – they also share the experience of being normal teenagers. Intercambios build bridges, reach out to our Viatorian brothers and sisters around the globe, and show that our Viatorian journey is a shared journey.”
