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Rosario Community, Argentina PDF Print E-mail
We are three sisters now in our Rosario community, Ana Maria Rodaro, Augustina Villafañe and myself, Joan O`Shanahan.

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Right to left: Augustina, Joan, Anamaria, and Ronnie (visitor)

 

Anamaria, 86 years old, skilled photogapher, is also a computer expert and prepares christmas/event cards, course materials and has written up her memories....she writes to prisoners, mends their bibles, does the community accounts, chronicles, etc and reminds us of our retreat days and whatever. 

Anamaria is an expert in crochet and arts and crafts of all types and collaborates with our classes, workshops for local organizations. Being wheelchair-bound  does not seem to stop her too much,  though she has had a painful tumour on her shoulder for   quite a while now.  Pastpupils communicate constantly with her and Augustina. Not to mention calls and visits from the people in Sanchez where the sisters lived and visited over a period of twelve years.  Cheerful, full of hope...she is a living witness of how to grow old with a smile.

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The Dominican sisters in Rosario organised help for victims of flooding in Santa Fe. This photo shows Ana Maria with boxes of shoes en route to a children's school.


Augustina is a philosopher, artist and linguist who keeps the house looking like the botanic gardens. She is a wonderful administrator and cares for those who are down and out and needy like Alicia and Graciela who have been handicapped for many many years. In fact we consider them as part of our community as they come weekly, as does Tere a past-pupil.  Augustina visits families who are needy and does a full days work inside and outside the house.

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Augustina

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Celebrating Alicia's Birthday


Last week during a visit to Sanchez to celebrate its 112th anniversary during a festive meal with 600 people present The Lord mayor presented us with a plaque to honour our Congregation for our presence and work in Sanchez, an hour away.

 

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This photo marks the beginning of a mission in Sanchez.  Ana Maria, Augustina and Joan were present at the inauguration Mass and the family celebration afterwards in the community hall

 

Joan gives  network training to  local organizations and  trains people in human rights and  peace education in Rosario and in Sanchez, as well as working with a liberation programme for poor women in Argentina.

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Joan and some of the CODALC team planning a 3 yr peace-education collaborative project between the Peace-Education foundation, South and North American dominican sisters, family in Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Argentina, Trinidad/Tobago. This programme is being implemented in all of these countries.
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A day of recreation for the children of the fonavi flats Rosario organized by all the popular organizations who form a network....it was a wonderful day for the children who spent it peacefully in the open air...the children had a snack also.

Flora, the fourth member of our community had Alzeimers  for a long time and after a long period of  care she went to the Lord R.I.P. just this February. We all contributed to writing an account of her life in spanish and english.

The nearest community of our congregation is in Victoria. Recently a new bridge has been built from Rosario to Victoria, spanning the Parana river and all its tributaries - 75 km in length. What used to be a 5 hour journey triangle is now a 1 hour journey. That means that Hortensia, Matilde and Antonia (from Victoria) can visit us more often. We share vegetables, eggs, honey, cheese, fruit, reflections, films and we play a lot of cards and games at night when they come over by bus.

We offer you this extract from our friend  George Bernard Shaw who said : "I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privelege  to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. Life is  no "brief candle" for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."

 

 
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