To really know a culture, you can’t begin and end with a
guidebook. You have to spend time with the people.
That’s why six high school students and five teachers from
the Stella Maris School in Madrid, Spain, spent the morning
of July 21 playing beanbag toss and making lollipop flowers
with senior citizens at the St. Martin de Porres Senior
Center in Alexandria.
These 11 Spaniards stayed with parishioners at Queen of
Apostles Church in Alexandria for three weeks as part of the
Disciples Exchange, a new student and teacher program
organized by Queen of Apostles Church in Alexandria that
allows Spanish and American Catholics to learn from one
another.
Done in cooperation with the Disciples of the Hearts of Jesus
and Mary, the program gives participants “the opportunity of
opening their lives to a new culture, language and
relationships while growing in their faith in a Catholic and
family-centered environment,” according to the program’s
orientation materials.
The Disciples of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is a religious
order founded in the Diocese of Cuenca, Spain, with a
community there and in Littleton, Colo. After learning that
the Colorado community successfully hosted an exchange with
the Disciples-run Stella Maris School for the past seven
years, Father Leopoldo Vives, a member of the order and
pastor of Queen of Apostles, set forth for his parish to do
the same. He announced the initiative from the pulpit in
March, with host family invitations and information meetings
soon after.
Susan Gray, head of the Disciples Exchange at Queen of
Apostles and a parishioner since 2006, said, “Father Vives
really emphasized that this program is about hospitality.
Host families are building relationships in the parish
community and the universal church community.”
The Spanish participants arrived in Virginia July 4 and
returned to Spain July 26. During their stay, they went to
daily Mass, took English classes, went on field trips to
local landmarks of national interest and completed community
service projects. Bonding with their host families allowed
them to pursue activities not on the official schedule, from
going to a wedding in Williamsburg, to hitting Kings Dominion
in Doswell, to sailing on the Potomac River.
Ana Otamendi, 17, said that sightseeing in Washington,
especially seeing the Basilica of the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception, and spending time with her host family
has been a pleasure. With one host parent from Italy and the
other from the United States, she said she’s enjoyed learning
more about American history and U.S. immigrant culture.
Likewise, she’s appreciated the chance to represent her
country.
“Some Americans have this false idea of Spain. They think of
running with the bulls and traditional dress, but you have to
really get to know the culture to get past the stereotypes,”
she said.
Coloma Ledesma, 27, a teacher at Stella Maris, added that
Americans should know about Spain’s “healthy Mediterranean
diet and beautiful history.” Meanwhile, she was thrilled to
take a tour of the White House and get to know her
Filipino-American host family during her stay.
Sofia Fernandez, 25, a teacher at Stella Maris, said she has
loved “getting to know the culture and people, and heal past
prejudices,” explaining she was expecting Americans to be fat
and eat greasy food. She said she has learned that “Americans
are nice and generous. Their capacity to share is amazing.
The Spanish, as a people, are not always like that.”
Staff and parishioners at Queen of Apostles are hoping to
arrange for parishioners to go to Spain soon, though Gray
said the timeline is uncertain.
“Queen of Apostles is an international parish, so this
program fits the community and allows us to model the
universal church,” she said.
Stoddard can be reached at [email protected].
