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- Mission Mentions -

St. Joseph in Colombia

St. Joseph Day is the “Day of Married and Engaged Couples” in Colombia. On March 19 you can see many couples at the Eucharist who come to give thanks for their family life and blessings on their union. A special blessing is given to all the couples present after the Communion of the Mass. It is especially warming to see families, children present with their parents who come in thanksgiving.


Blessed Beans

Many of the traditions connected with St. Joseph began in Sicily in the Middle Ages. During one particular famine, the people prayed to St. Joseph for relief. The end to their starvation woes came in the form of the humble fava, or broad bean. The people noticed that although most of their other crops failed, this sturdy bean, previously only grown as fodder for livestock, continued to produce well. Interestingly, this is the only bean known in Europe until the discovery of the New World. The people began to eat the bean as well as feed it to their cattle and found them to be nutritious as well as delicious.

Today, wherever Sicilian immigrants have settled, fava beans blessed in honor of St. Joseph are Today, wherever Sicilian immigrants have settled, fava beans blessed in honor of St. Joseph are distributed on his feast. Sicilians laughingly tell you that if you carry a blessed bean in your pocket or purse it will never be empty! Please write to Father John in you would like to have one of these blessed beans for your pocket or purse.


New Basilians in Colombia

Three young men have accepted the call to the priesthood in Colombia and have made first vows as Basilians. They are William and Joaquin Rubio Viasus and Camilo Moreno Edson. They join Jose Edward Escobar and Oscar Gomez in Bogotá where they are studying theology.

William Viasus, Jose Escobar, Camilo Moreno,
Oscar Gomez, Rubio Viasus

Seeing Double?

No, you aren’t seeing double if you think two of the new scholastics look alike. The two on the ends are William and Joaquin Rubio Viasus – twin brothers.

William Viasus, Camilo Moreno,
Father Rafael Lopera, Rubio Viasus

They are shown above with Father Rafael Lopera and another scholastic, Camilo Moreno Edson. All are shown wearing the religious habit adopted by the Basilians in Colombia.

New Basilians in Mexico

The community in Mexico, too, is happy to announce new scholastics: Arturo Tapia Carrera from Santiago Acatepec and Alberto Juárez Sandoval from Puebla. Alter making first vows as Basilians, both are currently studying at the Major Seminary in Xalapa, Veracruz.


Despite all Odds

Shortly before making his first vows as a Basilian, Alberto Sandoval was almost killed in an accident last summer. He was riding a bicycle and was in a collision with a car. With sheer determination to serve the Lord, Alberto made his first vows in a wheelchair!




Reminder of the Resurrection

Father Ken Decker snapped this photo of a butterfly pausing on the wall of the new church of St. Basil in Olaya, a suburb of Medellin, Colombia. Long a Christian symbol of the Resurrection, the butterfly reminds us of the hope our missionaries share with the people here.


Smiling Faces

These children at St. Basil’s Center in Olaya (Colombia) smile in anticipation of the fun and educational activities they find at the center daily: