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The ESL Times / Spring, 2005

An SCJ Experience in Chicago
By: Carlos Andres Martinez, SCJ
(Colombia)

I went to Chicago in March to prepare my entrance into the SCJ community. There I met with SCJ fathers and other candidates from different places in the United States. We met for three days in order to learn more about our future university, to see the formation house, and to share our vocation stories.

In the morning of the first day, we went to Saint Xavier University and to Catholic Theological University. The first place is a huge university where there are a lot of courses about Philosophy and Religion. Saint Xavier University is one of the most important universities in the state of Illinois. CTU is less big than Saint Xavier, but it has a good theology program also.

The second day we had a meeting in order to get to know each other better. We spent a lot of time introducing ourselves, and speaking about our families, our countries, our dreams, and our wishes. Then, we each had a personal interview with an SCJ father. We spoke about our vocation and our hopes for our future in the congregation. Everybody was very happy because the meetings that day were very important to get to know more about each other and to help us to learn more about the SCJ community in Chicago and in the world.

Finally, on the last day, we had a good time also because we spent some time relaxing and enjoying Chicago. Chicago is a beautiful city; and we went sightseeing. We went to different places downtown like The Water Tower Place. We visited Chicago’s Cathedral, and we saw some other historic places.

That day that we were sightseeing was also Saint Patrick’s day; so we saw some people who were celebrating that day. A lot of people were wearing green clothes and hats and green accessories.

In conclusion, the experience was really good. I was able to learn more about the SCJ community, and I had the opportunity to meet with my future seminarian partners. I enjoyed my time with them very much.

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