SACRED HEART

German (Beuron)

Devotion to the Sacred Heart can be seen as early as the second century with St. Justin Martyr and in the 7th century with Pope Gregory the Great. Writers throughout these centuries emphasized the pierced side of Christ as the inexhaustible source from which all graces flow upon mankind and the blood and water as symbols of the sacraments of the Church. With the coming of St. Bernard of Clairvaux and  St. Anselm in the 12th century, there was a sudden increase in direct reference to the love of the Sacred Heart for every person redeemed by His Passion and Death.

The widespread influence of Franciscan and Dominican Friars enkindled this devotion in the hearts of the faithful who heard their preaching. The focus on the Sacred Heart moved from being a symbol of the sacraments, to the symbol of Divine Love.


In the Middle Ages Saints Gertrude and Mechtild further this devotion. The editor of St. Gertrude’s writings, Revelations, (Dom Boutrais of Soesmes) stated: “Never before…has anything been written on the effect of the divine Heart and its relation to men, to saints, to the souls in Purgatory, such as we find in the writings of St. Gertrude and St. Mechtild´.

Odilon Redon (d. 1916)

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-90) was the cloistered nun  who we think of when we mention a saint devoted to the Heart of Christ. She entered the Daughters of the Visitation, founded by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal, in 1671. Although devotion to the Heart of Jesus was already important to the order prior to St. Margaret Mary’s entrance, it would be through her that public devotion to the Sacred Heart would be practiced universally in the Catholic Church.

St. Margaret Mary- C. Giaquinto 1725

She had help to carry out the mission entrusted to her, with St. Claude la Columbiere, a Jesuit priest, who became  her Spiritual Director. He was the first to believe in the revelations of the Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary. Thanks to his support, her superior also believed, and wide spread propagation of the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the Universal Church began. From then on, the Jesuits became the chief propagators of the devotion to the Sacred Heart which flourished throughout the subsequent centuries.

My own Jesuit academic and spiritual adviser in College (Creighton U.) had a great devotion to the Sacred and wrote a very scholarly book entitled The Sacred Heart: A Commentary on  Hauraitis Aquas.  Thus Father Alban  Dachauer, S.J. enocuraged me in this devotion and today it remains one of my favorite feasts of  the year.

"He showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin into which Satan hurls such crowds of them, that made Him form the design of manifesting His Heart to men, with all the treasures of love, of mercy, of grace, of sanctification and salvation which it contains, in order that those who desire to render Him and procure for Him all the honor and love possible, might themselves be abundantly enriched with those divine treasures of which this Heart is the source".

Br. Mickey McGrath

"He should be honored under the figure of this Heart of flesh, and its image should be exposed…He promised me that wherever this image should be exposed with a view to showing it special honor, He would pour forth His blessings and graces. This devotion was the last effort of His love that He would grant to men in these latter ages, in order to withdraw them from the empire of Satan which He desired to destroy, and thus to introduce them into the sweet liberty of the rule of His love, which He wished to restore in the hearts of all those who should embrace this devotion.”…. “The devotion is so pleasing to Him that He can refuse nothing to those who practice it.”
 -Revelations of Our Lord to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

St. MM- Br. McGrath

The Devotion to the Divine Mercy, given to St. Faustina Kowalska in 1931, is a broadened devotion to the Sacred Heart. From this devotion our trust in God’s limitless love and mercy is rekindled. The incomprehensible treasures which we have in the sacraments are symbolized in the blood and water gushing forth from the Heart of Christ. The devotion to the Sacred Heart has flowered and has seemed to come full circle in the devotion to the Divine Mercy, particularly in its emphasis on the graces flowing from the Heart of Jesus, healing and forgiving souls, through the Sacraments of Mercy. 

POVERTY & RICHES IN PIURA

Farmers returning home- Ayabaca

PIURA  is a land of unique algarrobo trees, a variety of mesquite similar to the carob, and it is the region with the most equatorial tropical dry forests in the whole Pacific.

My enclosed garden - Piura

These eco-regions carry a unique variety of orchids, birds, reptiles, plants and mammals. Piura is known for the best and oldest lime-lemons in South America (they use them in everything and taste nothing like our limes or lemons) as well as South America's finest mango (tropical dry), which I do not like.
With Lambayeque, it is the original home of Pima cotton. Piura also produces bananas, coconuts, rice and other fruits as local income.

Its development has been favored also by the petroleum found in the ocean of Talara Province, fishing is blessed by two ocean currents, silver mines are common and phosphate plants popping up along the coast.

Farmers

It is not mine to get into the the politics of a nation I do not live in. In my visits to Piura I hear what the locals say, and as anywhere, they complain about government not doing enough. My friend Cliff who brings me to Piura with his wife Judy, says he has seen great economic improvement in the past six years, compared to ten years ago. In 2011, amidst an ongoing global recession and against a historical backdrop of political violence, social instability and economic vulnerability, Peru grew its GDP by 6.9 per cent.

Rural women buying bread
(Jeremy grabs some for us)

According to government statistics, less than a third of the Peruvian population now lives below the national poverty line, compared with around half in the early 2000s. But for many hundreds of thousands it is not fast enough. The poorest of the poor in Peru are in the arid Andean highlands, where a large majority of the indigenous Quechua and Aymara communities live below the poverty line .

I remember when Jeremy and I were trying to track down weavers on the coast, we came across some pretty rough areas with dirt roads, no plumbing or electricity, grandparents raising the children while both parents worked menial jobs, and yet there was always amazing hospitality and graciousness.

Many agencies, local and from abroad, are working to help peoples in rural areas to better their lives, especially in better agricultural practices.

Rural school- note desert

Women & children getting water

Here I present some photos I took of the contrasts of this area. For me the riches went far beyond the materialism I found in the "upper echelons" but was found in the people themselves.

Rural home

"The goat-lady" who grazed her goats in our wealthy area- Piura

30 cents taxi- Piura

Future farmer?

Ayabaca sweetheart

Elena shopping- Piura

Fishermen who give best fish in world!

POTTERY OF NORTHERN PERU

Vicus owl pot



I have always been drawn to the art of ancient cultures especially their jewelry and their pottery. In Northern Peru their works are less known but not any less beautiful.

VICUS peoples (400BC-600AD) were known for their work in ceramics, copper, and gold. Living mainly on the coastal deserts, they used the native clay and local dyes to produce natural and religious symbols; modern day pottery from the town of Chulucanas is said to closely resemble the ancient art. They created Double spout and bridge vessels that created whistling sounds when pouring liquids.


MOCHE potters (100-800AD) produced a great variety of exquisitely decorated vessels. The ceramics incorporated a wide-ranging subject matter, whether the actual form of the pot or the fine line paintings on them, of representations that included people, animals, and gods hunting and making war, music making, visiting rulers, burying the dead, curing the sick, anthropomorphic and ritual scenes. Moche ceramics illustrated all manner of behavior, both human and divine, through expressive modeling and painting, but there were certain reoccurring narrative themes throughout that defined their ideologies.

Moche pottery- note various themes

Pottery representing actual people in Moche ceramics is one of the best known art forms from the Andes.The pieces are very realistic, representing specific individuals, most likely that of important people or rulers.These portrait jars depict weaknesses and physical disabilities accurately; a wide variety depicts disfigured individuals and individuals with genetic defects, giving archeologists an insight into this ancient culture. For these ancients, the processes that created disfigurements were treated with respect and the people they affected were considered part of the normal human condition.

CHIMU (900-1470) ceramics are all black. This culture  is also known for its exquisite and intricate metal-working, one of the most advanced of pre-Columbian times.  Chimú ceramics were crafted for two functions: containers for daily domestic use and those made for ceremonial use for offerings at burials. Domestic pottery was developed without higher finishing, while funeral ceramics showed more aesthetic refinement.

Chimu llama head pot

The main features of Chimú ceramics were small sculptures, and manufacturing molded and shaped pottery for ceremonial or daily use. Ceramics were usually stained black, although there are some variations. Lighter ceramics were also produced in smaller quantities. The characteristic brightness was obtained by rubbing with a rock that previously had been polished. Many animals, fruits, characters, and mystical entities have been represented pictorially on Chimú ceramics.

When I was last in Piura, an old woman whose family I knew well, showed me about six pieces  that her husband has collected- legally or illeglly, I do not know. She later offered me one, which I took, knowing I would never get it out of the country.  I gave it to her daughter to keep for her children, as it is part of their heritage, not mine.

Inca ceremonial vessel

 INCA (1438-1533) ceramics were painted using the polychrome technique portraying numerous motifs including animals, birds, waves, felines (which were popular in the Chavin culture) and geometric patterns found in the Nazca style of ceramics. Without a written language, ceramics portrayed the very basic scenes of everyday life, relationships and scenes of tribal warfare. It is through these preserved ceramics that we know what life was like for the ancient South Americans.


THE POTTERS OF CHULUCANAS - The town of Chulucanas is famous for its pottery. Originally dating from pre-Inca times it is today exported all over the world. The potters of the Vicus culture in the coastal deserts of Peru were known throughout the land as the finest ceramic artists. Using the clay beneath their feet, the natural symbols around them and a strong religious inspiration to guide them, they fashioned elegantly shaped, subtly painted ceramic pots. Designs are varied, but are predominated by black and white. There are several bigger companies but a lot of small manufactures are in Chulucanas itself and in the nearby villages of Quatro Esquinas.

Studio of  Maneno- polishing my purchases

Chulucanas is the home of Maneno. He was born, raise and still living in this town. In this town of artisans, Maneno decided to be a ceramist at the age of thirteen. He learned from his uncle Polo Ramirez, a great ceramist.  When I was last in Piura, we made a trip to this desert town, in evening (due to the heat of day), to visit Maneno and buy some of his wares. It was an amazing experience.

Victor Manuel Juarez is a young artist in search for his own style..." That is what the art critics say about Maneno, but he says he is neither young nor looking for a new style. He is believed to be one with his ancestors that have been making pottery for thousands of years. He is called LLINQA RIMACHIQ "The one that makes the clay speak".

Maneno

His work reflects the waves, the wind, the mountains and the melted snow. His style is the same used by old communities of Simbala, Chulucanas and Vicus. Maneno has represented Chulucanas all over the world in many occasions.

One of the kilns at Maneno's

Mother & Child & bird with llama from Maneno  (OLR Christmas card)

PIURA - OLD AND NEW

I am now in PIURA, located in the northwest corner of Peru. It is the oldest Spanish town in South America. It was here that Spanish Conqueror Francisco Pizarro founded the first Spanish city in South America, San Miguel de Piura, in 1532, thus earning the modern day city its Peruvian nickname: "La Primera Ciudad"- meaning: the first city.

The Spanish named the city from the Quechuan word, pirhua, meaning abundance. Nowadays, Piura is known as the "Ciudad del eterno calor" meaning "The city of the eternal heat" because it is hot all year round.

When most people think ancient Peru they think Incas, but actually this civilization was more recent and very short-lived, lasting less than 100 years (1438 to 1533).

Like most of northern Peru, the territory of Piura had been inhabited by indigenous groups of natives called tallanes and yungas. These lived without an organization or single leader to rule until the Moche culture (100 to 800 AD) eventually took control. The Moche built great pyramids, spread-out towns and an extensive network of roads and water channels used for farming in a very dry region. They buried their elite with an impressive share of gold and precious stones. On my last trip we visited some amazing museums & pyramids of this culture near Chiclayo, several hours south of Piura.

Moche burial, Sipan, Peru

The Moche culture overlapped with the Vicús culture (200 B.C.-600 A.D.) which reigned in the northernmost corner of Peru´s coastal area where I am visiting. Several details of art and architecture link it with the Moche culture, but just as many details point to local development and influence radiating from the direction of Ecuador, which is not unusual considering Piura is on the border of Ecuador. After the Moche civilization disappeared mysteriously, the Chimor civilization ruled the northern coast of Peru, beginning around 850 and ending around 1470. Chimor was the last kingdom that had any chance of stopping the Inca conquest which began in the 1470s.

Vicus, dbl. chambered pot

Piura came under the rule of Tupac Inca Yupanqui for at least 40 years  before the Spanish arrived.

With the arrival of the Spanish in 1532, the current mestizo and creole cultures of Piura were born. This mestizo culture includes influences from Spanish Extremadura and Andalucia, African influence due to the arrival of slaves from Madagascar, the Chinese coolies that migrated from Canton to work the rice fields and replace the slaves, and also Roma Gypsies who came as pirates looking for pearls or incognito as Spanish horsemen. Northern Peru is basically today a melting pot of the many faces of these peoples.

My hostess and daughter

Piura served as the first main port through which the Inca gold the Spaniards had gathered was shipped back to Spain.

While Peru is the Latin American country with the highest levels of economic growth in recent years, almost half the children in the Piura region suffer from chronic malnutrition. This is due to the fact that so many fled the mountainous areas when the "Shining Path" raided their territories. Now these people cram the city, especially along the rivers.

Poverty

Intense irrigation of the desert has made Piura a major agricultural center ( rice, cotton and plantain crops), that feeds the masses. One does not think of rice associated with this land of potatoes, but rice is usually served with every meal.  This is due to the influence of the Chinese who came.

Lush rice fields

I love this area (not the heat) and especially the people, who treat me like royalty.  To see a nun in habit is rare, so they have great respect for religious.
It is hard to see the poverty, but the smiling faces everywhere I go gives joy to my heart and even when I return home, these people are with me.

Quecha and Maria

Susana and her three

Andreas & Luis Antonio with tennis trophy LA had just won

PIURA, PIURA, PIURA

 

Map of Regions of Peru

Cathedral- Piura

PIURA is a city in northwestern Peru. It is the capital of the Piura Region and the Piura Province. The population is 377,496 for the city area, but 665,991 for the region.  At first I found this Province/region busness confusing, till I looked at a map. 

Peru is divided into 25 regions with 195 provinces except for the Lima Province which does not belong to any region. Of the 25 regions I have only been to three: Lima, Piura, and Lambayeque.

In the region of PIURA, there are eight Provinces, again confusing as Piura is the region, the province and the capitol of the province. So it reads, Piura, Piura, Piura.

Piura at night

Ayabaca, one of my favorites places on this planet, is a province within the region of Piura and is the capitol of its province. So it reads  Ayabaca, Ayabaca, Piura.

Ayabaca

My Irish friend, Jeremy, lives in Sullana  (city)  which is in the region of  Piura, and the province of Sullana.

Our famous potters live in Chulucanas  the capitol town of the province of Morropón in the region of Piura.

Chulucanas

 When we travel south to Elena's family in the region of Lambayeque it is to the capitol city of Chiclayo, whose province is Chiclayo. Now do you see why I get confused???? And that is only a small part of the country!

Reed fishing boats- near Chiclayo

FACES OF NORTHERN PERU

Lucio & his sons- my host last visit

The people of Peru are known to be some of the most friendly in the world. They are also not known for their quiet demeanor, though I find the peoples of the highlands and mountains to be less boisterous and much more shy.

Piuranos are characterized by their witty minds, melancolic Tondero music and welcoming personalities. Like all Peruvians, they are heavy drinkers of chicha de jora, pisco or beer and all of them have a tendency towards creativity and art as their source of income.

Here are some photos of my favorites- family, friends and strangers met in travels and I hope on this trip to make many more friends..

Susana's three- my hostess this time

Woman spinning- on the way to Ayabaca

Lucio's wife Elena & Mamma

Dinner with Elena's family-Chiclayo

Abby- on the boat trip of a lifetime!

Prior & Father David OSB - Incarnation Monastery south of Lima

Jeremy's wonderful friends - Ayabaca (Mts.)

MH with Benedictine nuns of Sechura