During their visit at Fazenda Philippines in July 2011, the founders of Fazenda da Esperança, Fr Hans Stapel and Nelson invited all the members of Fazenda Philippines to visit the mother community in Guaratinguetá, Brazil, to see the places of the history of Fazenda and to meet other Fazenda people from different countries around the world. After many months of preparation and many beautiful experiences of God’s providence, we are going to travel to Brazil with 22 Fazenda people from the Philippines on November 29. We are going to try to keep this blog updated about our experiences there.
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History
In June 2010 the Statues of Family of Hope, the community that is running Fazenda da Esperança, were approved by the Pontifical Council for Laity. For this occasion, some 300 Fazenda people from around the world gathered in Rome. In order to celebrate this historic event also with the other members of Fazenda da Esperança, some months later a big event, called the Feast of the Family was held at the mother community in Guaratinguetá, Brazil, where most of the 3,000 Fazenda people from around the world attended. Those were very beautiful days of celebration, sharing and praying together, many people were deeply touched, and many new vocations for the Family of Hope emerged. That was the reason why the desire was born to give the opportunity to attend an event like this to each batch of boys and girls who enter Fazenda for their one year rehabilitation program.
And so, beginning 2011, each year there will be a Pilgrimage to Guaratinguetá, organized in different groups separated by regions. When Father Hans and Nelson, the founders of Fazenda visited the Philippines in July 2011, they personally invited all the members of Fazenda Philippines to join the Pilgrimage with the last group in November, together with Fazenda Germany, Russia and Mozambique.
Preparation
With this invitation of course all boys and girls at Fazenda Masbate and Naga were very much excited, and for the next months we were working together on applying for passports and raising funds. Fr Hans had promised that Fazenda Brazil would shoulder our expenses there, so we had “only” to raise the money for the tickets, around 110,000Php per person – in the beginning it seemed almost impossible to raise such an amount, but we started doing our part, and with the help of the families of the boys and girls, and of many friends, sponsors, politicians and a Dutch Foundation, we were able to raise enough money for 22 of us to join the trip, really a very concrete experience of God’s love and providence.
Applying for the passports was at least as exciting as the fund raising campaigns, for many of our boys and girls have quite colourful backgrounds, and often lack the necessary documents. But also here God made a way, especially with the help of the wonderful people at DFA Legazpi, who patiently assisted all our group, and made it their personal project that Angelo, in spite of his late filing still got his passport three days before our departure.
All these were already very concrete experiences which are in a way part of this pilgrimage. The excitement of everybody grew from day to day…
The Trip
Fazenda to Masbate City: We left Fazenda Masbate on Monday, November 28, at 7:55am. 13 of us travelled in our van up to Masbate City, where in the store of Fazenda we met the girls. We had time to fix our baggage, bring the van to the roro-vessel, that will bring us to Pilar. Then in his private chapel, Bishop Joban gave us his blessing for the travel, in a short but beautiful celebration, where we had the chance to forget all our worries for a moment, realizing that after all, God was the one who invited us for the trip, gave us so much providence, so doubtless, he will also take care of us during this trip!
After lunch, we boarded the roro vessel, bringing our van with us. At around 4pm we reached Pilar, Sursogon, where Danny from Fazenda Naga was waiting with another van that he had hired for us. With the two vans we travelled to Fazenda Naga, where we were received from the boys there with a welcoming song and a late dinner. After three hours of sleep we left Naga shortly after midnight, together with three of the boys from Naga. We reached Manila around 9am on Tuesday morning, and went to Mary Immaculate Parish in Las Piñas, where we stood for some hours, arranging our baggage, taking shower, and meeting many family members of the boys and girls and other friends. We were more than 40 persons for lunch, in a joyful, family-like atmosphere, full of excitement.
After lunch we left for the airport. The check in of 22 Fazenda people was an adventure for itself, but even more challenging was to pass the immigration with everybody. Of course, the immigration officers noted right away that this was not quite an ordinary group, and had a lot of questions. Luckily enough we had a letter from the Brazilian Ambassador, who had visited us some weeks earlier at Fazenda Naga, and had given us a letter, confirming that we were traveling to Brazil in order to attend a Pilgrimage. Without this letter we surely would have been lost, but even with it, is was a hard test for our patience to keep smiling and in good mood for almost two hours of investigation, with not almost too polite officers. At the end they had me sign a document, promising that all those boys and girls would return to the Philippines with me, and I was told that I would be facing lifetime imprisonment for human trafficking, if only one of them would not return with us.
Well, we agreed that this experience was a good start for our pilgrimage, and a nice exercise in loving the “enemy”, who sometimes is an officer with ill mood.
After this, the rest was easy – at security control we learned that packaging tape is not allowed on board, because we could use it to handcuff somebody (the captain? A nasty seatmate?) – I am happy they didn’t reject my dental floss for the same reason!
The flight to Hong Kong was smooth, for some of us the first flight in their life, and a good warm up for the two inter-continental flights to Johannesburg and Sao Paulo. From Hong Kong to Johannesburg in South Africa it took us more than 13 hours, but there we were received like air force one, with the figher fighters spraying water as a welcome ceremony – even if the reasons was not us, but the captain, who was landing his last flight before his retirement…
After three hours of waiting, and being send to three different boarding gates, we took the last leg of the trip, another ten hours to Sao Paulo, where we also passed very smoothly through the immigration and customs control, and were then warmly welcomed by to very special persons: Nelson, co-founder of Fazenda, who had come to the airport, and Fr Dekson from Naga, who is at Fazenda Brazil for some month already, and was very happy to meet a group of his countrymen. Another three hours by bus to reach Guaratinguetá, where we first left the girls at the centre for girls, before traveling the last kilometres to Pedrinhas, the Fazenda community in the mountains, where we arrived at around 10pm, still being welcomed by the group of Germans who had come to attend the pilgrimage also. After our first rice and beans dinner (the staple food of Brazil) and a lot of chatting with new and old friends, we went to bed around midnight, but were all awake again before 6am, because of the 11 hours of time difference to the Philippines.
The Pilgrimage:
First day
The first day already started with a full and beautiful program. Right after breakfast all of us went together with the German group and all the 120 boys from Fazenda Pedrinhas down to the second community in the city, where we met the boys who live there, and the community of the girls, all in all there were around 350 boys and girls from Brazil, plus the group from Germany and us Philippinos. Together we received the visit of a very special group: 50 superior generals of different congregations of religious sisters had come to visit Fazenda and learn about our life! So the different groups were presented to them, and one boy or girl of each group shared his or her experience of overcoming addiction through a living God’s word. The sisters were very much impressed by the openness and deepness of these sharings. Together we celebrated the Holy Mass with around a dozen priests present.
After lunch, the whole group went to attend the funeral of the father of Antonio, the first boy who had entered Fazenda for rehabilitation over 28 years ago, and who is now living with his family at Fazenda. His father had died a day earlier, and in Brazil it is custom to have the funeral right the next day.
After the funeral we had a beautiful afternoon with the whole group, where the different groups presented their culture through dances, plays and songs. The girls from the Philippines presented a dance, and received standing ovations; the boys presented one of the songs that we had practiced for the Mariapolis last month, also a success!
So the first day was very full, we had not even time to think about how tired we should be after all the trip, but instead we made a lot of new friends, and also met a lot of old ones: TJ, Alexandre, Makoy, and so many others…
Second day
Also the second day was very full and beautiful. Right after breakfast we went together with the German group to visit the Basilica of Nossa Senhora de Aparecida, around 30km from Fazenda, the second biggest church in the world, after St Peter’s in Rome, and the biggest Marian Sanctuary worldwide, big enough for up to 45,000 persons. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the Brazilian spirituality, seeing their devotion to Mama Mary. At 9am we attended the Holy Mass, that was broadcasted live via nationwide television, and where around group was also presented. Then we had around two hours to tour the whole basilica, listen to it’s history, and learning more about the miracles that happened since the discovery of the statute of Our Lady of Aparecida in 1717, and the devotion of the people of Brazil.
For lunch we went to the centre of Fazenda girls in Guaratinguetá, where we also spend the afternoon, visiting the seven houses in the beautiful, park-like compound, meeting the girls under rehabilitation, some of them living there with their little children A very deep and special moment was the visit at the house Sol Nascente, a house that welcomes people with AIDS, most of them very sickly, and not able to stand or walk. We had the chance to talk with them, listen to their experiences, and we could see how happy their were about our presence, our attention for them, having a group from all the way from the Philippines visiting them.
One of the nurses, also a graduate of Fazenda, explained to us more about their situation and the sickness. We learned that through new medications, the so called cocktail, the sickness is not as deadly as before anymore, and people are able to survive for many years with it. But still their biggest suffering is the fact that often there are rejected from their families, from society, and carry with them the burden of the sickness, blaming themselves for what they had done to be infected. Before leaving them, we sung for them all together a song about the love of God.
At the Escola de Comunhão, another house at the compound, we also met Nene and her son Francis from Masbate, who are living here already for around half a year, undergoing a formation program at Fazenda. Francis now is already fluent in Portuguese, and it took him a while to understand our Tagalog again.
Third day
The third day had a very special program: The four founders of Fazenda stood for us for the whole day, sharing their experiences, and meditating about the will of God and the Charisma of Fazenda da Esperança. We had very deep moments of sharings, and the opportunity to know much better our founders and their personal stories, as well as the history of our community. We also had the opportunity to ask many questions and to share of our own experiences. It was really a day full of grace, where we could feel God’s presence very strong and touching.
After the mass and the dinner we closed the day with a round of sharing among the Philippine group, where we could listen to the joy of everybody, the experiences of the last three days, a moment of deep joy and gratitude for having received so many graces during the last days.
Fourth day
Sunday, visit day at Fazenda Pedrinas, many of the 130 boys here received their families here, a very beautiful day. In the morning we celebrated mass with more than 500 people, at the end some of the boys who finished their one year rehabilitation term received their “Fazenda Diploma”.
In the afternoon we had the chance to listen to the two people in charge of the formation of the members of Family of Hope: Fr Cesar and Angelucia, who shared for us about the meaning of suffering and about different ways of giving oneself. We close the day with a sharing of expressions, a very deep and beautiful moment, where many of us could express our gratitude for being able to join this pilgrimage. Many of the German also talked about how they learned to love their new brothers and sisters from the Philippines, for their being simple and joyful. In fact some of the people in charge of the Fazenda communities in Germany are requesting if some of our graduates would like to welcome there…
Fifth day
Rio de Janeiro! Together with the group from Germany we left Fazenda Pedrinhas at 2am, and arrived the famous beach of Rio, with huge waves. While waiting for the other van to arrive, we took our breakfast and played soccer on the large white sand stripe.
Then, all together, we went to the statue of Chisto Redemptor, on a rock 710m above sea-level, overlooking the whole city. Our busses could not go up the stiff roads, so we had to hire smaller vans for the whole group. Half way up there was already a spot for
picture taking, with the statue as background, and 20 minutes later we were up there, after climbing the last stairs. From up there you have a beautiful view of the city, laying between rocky hills, the river and the bays of the sea. Even though sometimes the clouds covered the view and the statue of Christ partly disappeared, at the moments when it was fully visible the crowed of tourists took the chance to take pictures, and we enjoyed very much this opportunity, too.
We took lunch in a traditional churrasco-restaurant in the city centre, a typical Brazilian meal with rice, beans, and a lot of meat.
And then, finally, we had two hours to enjoy Copacabana-beach! The waves from the open Atlantic Ocean were huge, and when we entered the sea too euphoric, the bay watch team prohibited us of entering too far in the surf, because really the backflow of the waves is very strong. But still we enjoyed very much to swim, play in the waves near the shore and to take advantage of the 500m wide white sand, playing volleyball and soccer or just resting and watching this famous icon of Brazilian lifestyle.
In the late afternoon we split up: The German group went to a hotel near Rio for some days of rest, while we went to visit Casa do Menor, a community taking care of street children. We arrived there at 10pm, and due to some kind of mis-communication, they were not aware of our coming. But the group of German volunteers we met were very kind and not shocked about the fact that suddenly a group of 26 people was knocking on their doors. Together they contacted the other staff members, and finally they were able to organize a house for us to stay with some foams to sleep on, and even gathered all the food they could find in their house for a late dinner. We really could feel God’s providence in their spontaneous love for us, and slept happily and grateful.
Sixth day
After a good rest, we took our breakfast together and attended the morning prayer with the community of Casa do Menor, where we were asked to introduce ourselves, share our experiences and sing some songs. After the celebration, some of the volunteers told us about the history of their community, which almost at the same time at Fazenda, its founder, Fr Renato, an Italian priest, being a close friend of Fr Hans, the founder of Fazenda. The two communities have a long friendship and are working together in different projects. Casa do Menor is taking care mainly of street children, abandoned children, often having also problems with drugs. They offer them a family like community in their different houses.
First we visited their formation centre, where they offer different technical curses for he children who are staying with the community as well as for young people from the neighbourhood. The training centre is very beautiful and well equipped, they offer curses for electricians, mechanics, cooks, barbers, waiters and computer technicians.
Then we visited two of their many houses, where the children are living, accompanied by different volunteers and house parents. In the first house children from zero to five years are living, very cute to see them, and everybody wanted to hold them, hug them, take pictures with them. Most of those children still have parents, but for different reasons the parents are not able to take care of them, often they have drugs problems or very difficult family situations.
In the second house we visited, 16 boys from eight to fourteen years were living together in a very beautiful environment, with a huge garden and even a swimming pool, where they enjoyed to play. Most of them are going to school during the morning, and come back in the afternoon. It was very beautiful to witness who joyful these children with often so painful histories are living in the community, experiencing real love and family affection.
After lunch we said good bye to our many new friends and boarded again our bus back to Fazenda Pedrinhas, where we arrived at 5pm, still in time to attend the mass with the boys from Fazenda and Fr Márcio.
Seventh day
Again a day of spirituality, in the morning we went to attend the Holy Mass in the Fazenda centre in Guaratinguetá, together with the boys there. As every week, this mass is broadcasted live via television all through Brazil, and a way for all Fazenda communities to be united in a very special way. All other communities use to watch the mass and take the Holy Communion at the same time.
During the mass, Makoy shared his experience, as a Philippino who has been staying in Brazil for two years of formation, and is now going back to the Philippines to help the Fazenda community there. His words were very deep and touching, he was speaking about the true meaning of being a family, that he discovered at Fazenda, uniting people from different nations, religions and backgrounds in a beautiful community.
Also, the community of the Clarissan sisters had a special celebration during this mass: These contemplative sisters are living at a convent at Fazenda Guaratinguetá since 1998, in a live of prayer. For they have many new vocations, now is the time for the community to split, and to send seven of their sisters to a new founded community in a different place in Brazil, really a reason for joy and thankfulness.
We also celebrated the birthday of one of the Franciscan brothers who is living with Fr Hans here.
The Philippine group again was asked to sing a song during communion, and many people were touched to tears by the beautiful Tagalog song and the sweet voices of our boys and girls.
Then for the whole day we had meditations and topics. First with Fr Márcio, who is living as a volunteer at Fazenda for 15 years, and later with Evilázio, who founded the third Fazenda in Sergipe, Brazil, and has a very beautiful experience. He has a very deep wisdom, being an artist and a psychologist, he helped us very much understand deeper our life and vocation at Fazenda, and the personal decision each of us has to take.
In the evening we were invited to take dinner in the famous Esquina da Esperança, a restaurant, established at the very street corner, where 28 years ago Nelson met with the first group of drug addicts, and where the experience of Fazenda started. The management of Fazenda for girls treated us with very delicious Pizza, and for the Franciscan brother also came over for his birthday celebration, we closed the day with a lot of singing in a very beautiful atmosphere.
Eighth day
Work. We were invited to join the boys of Fazenda Pedrinhas in their daily lives. Two of us went to each of the houses for the morning meditation and breakfast, and then joined the boys for their different work assignments. Some went cleaning newly planted trees, widening irrigation canals, or cutting grass for the cows, others stood inside the house making rosaries. For all of us this was a very beautiful opportunity to come closer to the boys living here, and learning more about their lives and their experience, and also to understand better their daily life.
In the evening we celebrated dispedida, for the German group is going to travel back home the other day. During these days living together a beautiful friendship has grown, and we had a happy celebration, with some artistic presentations, Swiss food and again Philippino songs.
Tenth day
Rest. Time to wash clothes, helping our new German friends to arrange their baggage, walking through Fazenda Pedrinhas…
In the evening we were invited to the house of Luci and Iraci, the foundresses of Fazenda for girls. Luci, who has been to the Philippines twice, prepared a delicious fish meal, saying that we must be missing to eat fish. Before dinner one of their companions showed us the whole house, the chapel and the neighbouring houses for some of the graduates of Fazenda. It was a very beautiful evening, with a lot of singing and talking, like in a big family. We closed the day with a moment of sharing, where many of us expressed their happiness of being able to experience all these graces in Brazil.
Eleventh day
Campus de Jordão. The last two days were a lighter program, with some side trips: First we went to Campus de Jordão, a city in the mountains, build by mainly European immigrates, in a very unique style, obviously influenced by middle European architecture. Rodrigo, a friend of Fazenda, spent the whole day with us, showing us around.
Twelfth day
At the last full day in Brazil we went to a small village in the mountains near Guaratinguetá, called Gomeral, with a very beautiful view on the mountains. We had some hours to rest, to talk about the experiences of the last days, and many of the people we met here came also to join us for lunch.
Thirteenth day
We left Fazenda Pedrinhas in the morning. In Guaratinguetá we still had the chance to visit the church of Nossa Senhora da Glória, where Fr Hans had been parish priest for many years, and where the experience of Fazenda started. There we met Antonio, the first boy who asked for help to get out of drugs, after he met Nelson, who back then was a member of a youth group in the parish of Fr Hans.
Together with Beto, one of their first companions, they also showed us the first house in the city where they started the experience of living together as a community. Listening to them was very much inspiring, we understood better the life of Fazenda does not depend on the place where we are, the it is not only in a protected place as Fazenda where we are able to live the gospel in order to overcome our vices, but that from the very beginning of the history of Fazenda this adventure was lived in the very midst of the world.
Before lunch we went to the house of Fr Hans and Nelson, where we celebrated Mass with them in their chapel. At the end of the mass, all of us had to chance to share about our experience in Brazil, about the things that touched us the most, a very deep and beautiful moment, in an atmosphere of grace and thanksgiving.
Then we had to say good-bye, and went with the bus to São Paulo. Before going to the airport, we were invited for dinner at the Provincial House of our sisters, the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Some 25 sisters welcomed us there, some of them had come already to the Philippines, the others were also eager to meet those people who are living with their co-sisters on the other side of the world. Even though it was not easy to speak with each other because of the different language, communication was very vivid through smiles, laughter and songs – really a remarkable evening.
Trip back
The trip back home was long but smooth, we followed the same route, São Paulo, Johannesburg, Hongkong, Manila, where Louie with our van and another hired van were waiting. After eight hours we reached Fazenda Naga at 7am, where we took breakfast and a shower, before traveling the last kilometers to Pilar, to get the boat back to Masbate, where at the pier a welcome comity was waiting for us.
After one last hour at the road we were back at Fazenda Masbate, happy and thankful to be back home, and about all the wonderful experiences that we could now share to our companions here and which will surely accompany us in our lives.
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The community of “Missionaries of Africa” as well as the dioceses of Masbate and Legazpi have sent different batches of seminarians, to stay between two weeks and three months at Fazenda da Esperança in Masbate.
Listening to the sharing of the seminarians we understand, how many new inspirations they receive from the simple daily life together with the boys of Fazenda. The faith here is not so much intellectualised as often in the seminary, but lived very concretely, a very enriching experience for those seminarians. And on the other hand, to see these young men, who have decided to dedicate their lives to God sharing the same hardship of the life of Fazenda, is a huge motivation for the boys under rehabilitation at Fazenda. They really can understand better the love of God through this example of dedicated mission.
