CONVERSATIONS AT THE CENTER: Encountering Immigrants as our Siblings in Christ - pdf file

Sunday, January 8, 2017, the first “graduates” of the newly inaugurated novitiate in Brazil made their first vows in the presence of their religious and natural families as well as many other guests, including many sisters from the Assumption Family. Br. Jefferson de Oliveira Marques, Brazilian, and Br. Jonathan Esteban Ruiz Rivera, Chilean, completed their year’s formation in Espirito Santo do Pinhal, some 3 hours west of São Paulo. The novitiate is located in the former high school seminary established by Dutch Assumptionists in the 1950s.

For many years the South American novitiate was located in Chile. In a renewed effort at collaboration among Assumptionists working in South America it was decided to refound a common novitiate in Brazil in 2016 and a common house of theology in Buenos Aires, Argentina the same year.

Br. Jefferson will soon be moving to Buenos Aires where he will begin his theological studies while Br. Jonathan will return to Chile to complete his studies at the Universidad católica de Chile. Upon completion he will pursue a licentiate degree in canon law in Buenos Aires.

- What were your expectations prior to attending the Provincial Chapter?

- I didn’t really have any expectations prior to the chapter.  I imagined it as a kind of retreat with meetings.  Other than that, I wasn’t sure.  I figured I would just be flexible and “go with the flow”---I could do that!  I couldn’t imagine how we would fill our days, let alone the evenings.  I wasn’t sure if I could survive without a television.

- What were some of your actual experiences of the chapter as a Lay Assumptionist?

- Where do I begin talking about such an amazing, fulfilling experience?  In trying to describe it to non-religious and to my family, I had two analogies:  it was like a retreat on steroids.  Also, it reminded me (as a former educational administrator) of a week-long professional development experience during which time our focus was to write new curriculum or revise existing curricula.

- Bro. Daniele, would you share with us a bit about your background: your family, childhood, early education etc.?

Bro. Daniele – I was born in August 1990 in Bergamo, Italy to an Italian father and an American mother. They had met in the States when my father was studying English (they met at a New Year’s Eve party, oddly enough!), and had since moved back to Italy. I have very fond memories of my early childhood: I’m blessed to have a very warm, loving family, and this was only magnified in Italy, where family of key cultural importance. When I think back to that time, I remember smiling and laughing with friends in my preschool class and listening to my Nonna talk about life.

My sister was also born in Italy, three years after me, and very soon after she was born my father accepted an offer to head a new United States branch of the book binding company he works for, Meccanotecnica, Inc. As he is wont to do, my father accepted this challenge with gusto, so we moved to Redding, Connecticut when I was four years old. This transition really was my first educational experience. I experienced what it felt like to be a foreigner in the States, and the challenge of learning English. I dealt with a lot of bullying those first years, but, with the care of my teachers, I eventually was able to integrate myself into my new environment.