Miscellany

Tonight I am present in prayer with the delegates to our Congregation Chapter, and especially with the Sisters who have been nominated for leadership. Tomorrow the process of election will begin with the election of the new Congregation leader. May the Spirit be hovering over Elberon, New Jersey, and over each of these women! We will be blessed in the outcome.

On a much more mundane note, my friend Pat wrote to ask who the Próceres are and how they march. She's referring back to yesterday's blog about El Salvador history. A Prócer, my dictionary tells me, is an important person, a great man, a leader. And Los Próceres are the founding fathers of El Salvador. They are memorialized, in the Boulevard de los Próceres, by very large, blocky head-and-shoulder statues without much individuality or expression. I would have tried to photograph one, but stopping on the Boulevard de los Próceres would be a suicidal act.

And on a more joyful note: I went to the La Laguna botanical gardens today with Ana Lazar, who is down here from the University of Southern Maine on a teaching Fulbright. Getting there was quite a challenge, as it's down in the middle of an industrial district, and there are no signs to guide you, but it's a beautiful place where the city feels far away. Above are flowers from the garden, a purple orchid and a red vine flower, colors to make you sing.