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1/5/1956 - The Maryknolls by William H. MacLeish

NOT FOR PUBLICATION INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS Casilla The laryknolls Arequipa Per January Valter S Rogers Institute Current World Affairs Fifth Avenue New York New York Dear Rogers When reached adobe chapel Ccaccallacco There sfade rocky hillside Indians grouped chapel stood patiently harsh waiting priest The drought severe pampas farmers working distant fields trying plant crops powdery For reason there group color their clothing among brilliant orange women skirts priest walking through field caapel American His black cassock taller blonder really The church officials slope traditional embrace greeting women stepped aside The American walked slowly altar built outside chapel sheltered pampa blankets He stopped greet women children disappeared interior building confessions The three Indian catechists assembled congregation started uchua The strained reach notes voices women keening Although eading words hymnals catechists occasionally places faltered Then smiled sheepishly The chapel Ccaccallacco their friends waited catch right words strong voiced From heavy suitcase sacristan priest vestments altar cloth articles attention laboring choir except stern catechists theymade particularl mistake priest sunlight ments began The replaced their bowler embroidered shawls bared their The voice priest droned behind congregation sheep belonging villages dozed Lambs wandering chapel snatched women rocked their until slept Crying babies passed until reached their mothers Women spread their shawls protect their children The congregation progressed Shepherds coming pampa their sheep village herds joined group kneeling Indians One carried letting itsuck thumb comfort The arrivals stood congregation Women carrying babies their backs moved their torsos gently sleep The movement unconscious deeply absorbed priest saying After priest spoke congregation halting uechua He should spend studying catechists practicing prayers Theyw learning apidly there still Theh while sacristan colored picture Nativity explained story birth Christ He pointed kneeling characters picture repeated their names several times congregation mumbling trying correct pronunciation spoke words The catechists divided congregation three groups began their classes The subject Catechism questions responses Quechua The priest notified there lying about chapel Someone poncho storm clouds racing hills Then mounted horse trail slope A minut later storm broke savage storms altiplano Thomas Verhoeven priest He member iaryknoll mission Azngaro travels hundreds miles visiting isolated hacienda villages hills pampas district He chance altitude every months short aryknoll tablishments Arequpa Lima leave every Years During however among Indians altiplano Like aryknoA missions Puno young energetic The oldest snoll priest sierra forty years intensive study seminary Hudson River trained medicine other valuable skills theology He occasion those skills almost every With three other priests comfortable house Azngaro parish church condition visit lonely settlements which reached horseback rainy season himself silent plains altiplano He priest doctor carpmnter outdoorsman The aryuolls parishes Department Puno Ayaviri Azngaro Huancan Ilave Puno In addition there aryknoll missions Bol Cochabamba valley primitive jungle Beni2 B their first sierra parish WHIg early bishop Departnent asked missionaries solving great problem giving religious instruction Indians At first aryknolls active opposition priests indolent formalities Tey kindly young gringos little They drive which priests tackled their shucked their cassocks donned working clothes occasion demanded Some clerics reacted spreading tales about newcomers The common story icans churches their altars images On seeing wooden cases which iaryknolls Arequipa filled provisions puneSos believed trumped story Hostility laryknoll fathers forced barricade themselves their church while outside howled their blood To instigators Aaryknoll unknown puneSos Today after fourteen years adminisT tering spiritual physical needs their parishioners aryknolls welcome sierra As ituuo schoolteacher T really Catholics think first going movies riding trucks without their cassocks better They speak think teach people being Catholic doesn going while In opinion reason success iiaryknolls Puno roots characters selves So alike priests Facher lurphy their frankness dedication Ichu Stain almost there aryknoll sheep blood priests I placed there during talked senses humor Some house building smoke drink monies pression being relaxed capable spirits Father artin lurphy Irishman early hirties example aryknoll He lived Puno years travelling dangeroas sierra roads motorcycle Recently Father Vluphy isolated Ichu where living alone small studying Aymara language The Indians Ichu_ rebellious Their distzust white legendary Jen walked streambed serves street aOccasionally children behind patio walls bobbing behind boulder staring darkness doorway But Fathe liurphy pared In pockets assock several pounds candy parochial school btates He blank small suddenly appeared He looked distrustfully Peggy n4yself climbed perch accept candy dignity The villagers Father iZurphy trusted judging smiles faces officials greeted In Ichu smiles white complimen indeed Before Ichu Father urphy visited house woman shriveled lines skull She filthy blankets corner inhabited daughter three grand children One naked crawling circles The family younger members crowded close doorway priest saying vurphy taled Aymara bedside manner professional doctor soothed until began smile When woman followed During lived Puno Peggy I visited three parishes Azngaro llave Puno The setup about place priests working together responsible share The iaryknoll quarters comfortable As Father Peter Halligan Ilave parish In cases Peruvian priests these parishes before forced alone villages Taey other priests uncon sciously lowering their style living The result adopted manners habits Indians among Ichu cidren living With different Ve threes fours supplied enough money materials comfortably It stands reason better enjoys comforts company friends In llave district where poverty ignorance climate abiding human values knolls maintain standard living Their recently completed modern their meals American traiaed The house equipped books records fortable furniture The three priests there obviously friends Their leisure hours advantage joking relaxin together In every parish staffed Maryknoll priests staringoo llave Azngaro Puno suffering acute W overpopulation ministering thousands ndians village group impossible To reach their parishioners possible iests inaugurated prooam Indian catechists reliable speak Spanish willing several hours receiving instructiQn Maryknolls giving classes Bible history simpler Catholic doctrines people their villages The system worked AzAngaro where hundred thousand people small towns The Indian group select their catechists handful choices proved wrong Using uechua translations prayers hymns responses catechists successful giving their people solid professed religion before Only catechists accept position because social prestige Poverty caused overpopulation ignorance modern farming techniques another element which faced aryknolls As Father Daniel icClelIan pastor parish San Juan You raise standard living people before expect benefit anything Out simplest religious instruction At present Indians refuse deposit their savings banks afraid cheated misti Therefore Indian money portunity borrow money organization which member Father cClellan other aryknoll priests Puno established system credit unions their parish Father McClellan talking passion fights flying Lima person convince Govemment authorities treat sound order presidential decree legalizing unions There hundred members Puno credit union Indians They pledge themselves soles month deposited union oficials responsible banking On basis individual savings loans granted those members extra money improvement their farms special equipment other projects wich_have approved credit union Fater McClelzan convinced credit union system would bring Indian national economy raise standard living He hopes unions installed aryknol parishes quickly possiOle If overpopulation poverty constitute iaryknolis greatest physical problems resistance cange indians sincere religious convictions among upper pessin spiritual The conservatism In mestizo resulted recent misunderstanding which could serious consequences In keeping their policy keeping their churches clean llave arynolis their helpers began cleaning altar images church San liguel The robes adorning image saint himself found grest priests rectify situation They already disrobed San iguel criwd began collect cmurch The women keened wailed taled excitedly spread ryknolls going steal images United States Those ignoran rumor horrified images removed pedestals those believed ready action Surely saints spirits because Although offic quieted crowd nothing could cleaning San iguel Father icClellan aryknolls first arrived found themselves center large group thinkers Catholicism obsolete inadequate religion Church attendance those puneos roundly scorned In succeeding years thinkers changed their views rejoined Church instances influenced aryknolls faith which priests would still lacking circles Puno society A layman friend acquaintances conside themselves Catholics simply because street processions occasionally Iass Their minds rarely bother venture beyond mechanical trappings their faith Although their verbal support someties florid monetary contributions Chtrch between The aryknolls found their Indian parishioners deeply devout people leagues sierra rains Mass confessed But I pointed previous newsletters average Quechua kymara Per little Catholicism really means Four centuries priestly effort convert persuasion force groggy confused times filled hatred religion priests In describingthe karikari spirits Aymara legends Harry Tschopik Jr These spirits deceased Cat priests wander roads night knifing their victims Tschopik quotes informant saying They They Franciscan Fathers He continues Tis belief certain tales representing priests immoral individuals indicates suooressed hatred underlying attitude Aymara toward clergy point documented other situations other sources Under above conditions obvious decades before aryknolls succeed replacing hatreds sense trust Church priests The accepted Indian communities illustrates gress which already completion future Having their program solid footing aryknolls probably withdrawn Puno Father priests recalled fifty years By sufficient number eruvians rained knoll seminaries Puno Cuzco parishes managed Americans several arycuo trained working conjunction misszons thepresent After talking young eruvlan Angaro obvious Hary Tschopik Jr T_he Aymara Chucuito _agic Vol Part nhropological Papers American useum Natural History New York WH seminary informal energetic black cassocEe working The American priests early forties small group suffering acute mountain sickness their first parish In those health serious thought given shutting mission Today younger better equipped being health problem minor With their customary energy which legendary Puno Maryknolls doing religious secular education which unequalled other Catholic missions sierra Sincerely William H iiacLeish Received New York