| Living in a Catholic Country |
| One interesting thing about living in Peru is the Roman Catholic influence in daily life. Being Catholic myself, I am enjoying it. They celebrate some feast days in the streets, the schools allow missionaries from the churches to teach some Catholic stuff in the schools, although, I don�t know to what extent. Before you get all preachy about separation of church and state, remember, Peru is not the United States. It is a very different culture and society where the church is a part of many people�s daily lives. There are other denominations here in Piura, and I know that in Lima, protestant evangelism and prostheletism are common, but the vast majority of Peruvians are Catholic and it provides an interesting contrast to how Americans practice their faith. One of the first things I noticed after coming to Piura was the apparent faith of the people here. Compared to us, they have nothing. But they love God and trust God to provide for them. And somehow, it looks like everyone gets what they absolutely need, a roof over their head and food in their stomach. People appear to be fed and there really aren�t many beggars. Plenty of people ask me for money, but I think that is just because I am an American and they know I have money, very few are actually sitting on the sidewalk with a cup. So despite, the 60% unemployment here, it appears that God provides, and I feel proud to be one of those vehicles through Santisimo Sacramento Church. The Catholics here are a bit more charismatic than at home. Mass is celebrated twice a day and most Masses during the week are at least half full if not completely full. Piuran Catholics also outwardly show respect for the Eucharist moreso than what you see in Oklahoma. The church seems to be always busy with activity. The whole Catholic atmosphere just has a good feel to it. |