Bishop's News from Peru

Representatives of the Mission in Juliaca came to Diocesan Synod on the weekend of 18th April. The lay people were proud to bring their new full time minister, Deacon Ruben Mancilla, and he was proud to bring them..... members of his first parish! At the same time they gathered with Luis Vizcarra, the lay minister who will work with Ruben. He is in the final weeks of his seminary training and will have to travel to Arequipa on a weekly basis for his classes. It's a short five hour journey on the bus and he's full of enthusiam to be working there.
One of the first priorities for the team in Juliaca is to put a water tank on the roof, so that they have a supply of drinking water. A second will be to build a bathroom!
Juliaca is a city of commerce and there are markets everywhere. As soon as the two lay reps. arrived at the synod, they got to work selling chocolate to the other participants and raisning funds to cover their bus fares! They'd travelled over 20 hours to get there and had their first experience of Peru's capital city. Both of them are called Celestina - Heavenly.
It was announced at the synod that Ruben will be ordained priest on 23rd May, so we ask your special prayers for him.