Curitiba Pilgrimage 6 (11/21 To Londrina: Paroquia São Lucas and a Night on the Town)

On Saturday (sabado) we started our road trip to visit other cities and congregations in the State of Paraná.  Our traveling team consists of the six pilgrims from the Diocese of California, Michael the missionary, Rev. Roberto, and the driver.  Everyone had warned us that Londrina was hot and our other destinations hotter, but it was actually cool this morning after the recent rains, making Nancy and me wonder if it was wise to leave our windbreakers in Curitiba.

To be sure, it did warm up, but the van was indeed air conditioned, and the drive to Londrina was long and uneventful.  Someone inadvertently suggested that we not stop when we came to the place where we were supposed to have lunch — later on no one could even remember being asked — and this meant that we all now were trying to guess where we might find another suitable eating spot on what was mostly a rural highway through rolling farmlands.  In our group meeting at the cathedral in Curitiba, we had talked about what we had done and could do to bond better as a group.  Well, there is nothing like spending several hours together, riding side-by-side in a vehicle.  During the drive to Londrina, some of us shared our life stories with our seatmates.  Since we range from 47 to 72 years of age, each of these stories is long and eventful, with many twists and unexpected detours that led to where we are at this time.  Following the occasional stops, some of us changed places in the van and then shared with different seatmates.

The entire trip took about six hours, and we arrived in Londrina at about 5 in the afternoon.  Londrina is the second largest city in the state of Paraná, with a population of about 500,000, and my impression is that it’s a college town.  São Lucas is located on a corner near the heart of the city.  It is really a remarkable piece of property for a church in the center of a city.  It includes a church building (I’ve been hearing church building translated as “temple”), with a capacity of maybe 60-80, and several other buildings around an expanse of grass and some mud (attesting to the recent rains) where people can park.  There is a sexton/cook Yvonne (we’re guessing that it’s spelled that way though pronounced “Ivani”, since many first names are ones we use in the U.S., with identical spellings but a Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation) who lives in one of the buildings with her family and several pets.  We were greeted warmly by our hosts — don’t know long they were waiting for us to arrive — and driven immediately to where we would spend the night.  They put Nancy and me up at a hotel just a couple of blocks from the church; while the four other women stayed together in the home of one of the parishioners, and Michael and Roberto stayed separately in two other parishioners’ homes.

We returned to the church at 7:30 for a service, which included a reading of our companion diocese prayer, and concluded with Kate leading us all in singing Amazing Grace.  I have heard Kate chant in ordination services before, but this is the first time I have really heard her open her pipes. (Did I mention before that Kate at one time was a professional opera singer? I know I did.)  After the service, Revda. Magda introduced us to the parish and community with Cesar, a young medical student, translating.  She introduced other key members of the parish, including Cesar’s mother Selma, who was described as something like Magda’s right hand in all the ministerial work of the parish, and the family of Takeshi, Regina, and their children, who seemed to be helping with everything going on during our visit.  São Lucas itself was founded in 1942 to serve an Anglican community of Japanese immigrants.  I think I heard that about 40 percent of the population of Londrina is descended from Japanese immigrants.  Recently the parish decided to take advantage of its location by opening its doors, literally for several hours each day, to invite the surrounding community in and show that it is a part of that community.

After the service, we went over to the parish hall for dinner, where we were joined by some other family members and young friends, including a couple of more English speakers.  The members of our group were introduced and presented with gifts from the congregation.  As we proceeded through a buffet and then sat down to eat, there were many individual conversations about ministry there and here.  Selma in particular, who was previously married to a priest and now feels she may be called to ordained ministry, was talking to each of us, in very passable English, wanting to know more about our street ministry and campus ministry and counseling and labyrinth (which the members of São Lucas thought they might have a place for in their open grass area).

After another long day and evening, some  most all of us were ready for a drink, and our hosts were ready and willing to oblige by driving us to an appropriate downtown spot that was lively but not too loud for conversation.  We ended up at a place named “The Beer House” and sat down at a table for 20 to drink caipiras and/or beer, and to laugh and continue getting to know each other.  When we filed out around midnight, I thought we must have been on the A list as I saw the large number of pretty people (the cliché is true – all Brazilians, no matter their age, size, or heritage, are good looking) still waiting in line to be allowed in.

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A Prayer for the Diocese Anglicana de Curitiba e Diocese da California

O God, who created all peoples in your image, we thank you for the wonderful diversity of races and cultures in this world.  Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of fellowship, and show us your presence in those who differ most from us, until our knowledge of your love is made perfect in our love for all your children; through Jesus Christ our lord.  Amen.  [BCP p. 840]