Our Home Away From Home in Bolivia
The beautiful and historic Convento San Severino in Tarata, Bolivia, has been a tranquil respite for Solidarity Bridge and Puente de Solidaridad staff and missioners for the past several years. The Convent was constructed in the late 18th Century by the Fransicans to house and train missionaries. Today, the convent and grounds are primarily used as a retreat center.
The original purpose of the Convent, as a sanctuary to house spiritual travellers, is equally apt today. Solidarity Bridge first made the Convent its homebase for our 2016 Multi Specialty Mission Trip (MSMT). We returned for our next three MSMTs and also utilized it for our 2017 Leadership Retreat for the combined leadership teams of Puente de Solidaridad and Solidarity Bridge.
The Convent seems perfectly designed to inspire deep reflection. Upon entering the grounds, one is struck by a sense of stillness and peace. A large central courtyard is filled with trees, flowering plants, and a fountain. White-washed walls are adorned with bursts of color as abundantly flowering vines climb the walls. The convent houses two chapels, which offer space for prayer, reflection, and liturgies. On our mission trips, we have the opportunity to begin our day together in prayer in a chapel graced with stained glass windows that frame the mountain views outside.
Simplicity in the accommodations helps to focus the mind and spirit. Each missioner is assigned a sparse room designed only for sleeping. But from every window the outside beckons, with vistas of the expansive grounds filled with blossoming trees, clusters of flowers bordering winding paths, and innumerable bushes, vines, and cacti of the Bolivian countryside. The magnificent mountains, are ever present, in view from every vantage. Chairs and benches, found on terraces, in the courtyard, and throughout the grounds, invite guests to quiet contemplation.
Solidarity Bridge is grateful to have found this deeply and powerfully prayerful space. As missioners return to the convent each evening after long days of working with our Bolivian brothers and sisters in need of medical care, this sacred space grounds us in the truth that our work is guided and blessed by the something holy.
