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Fr. Brian Fischer
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What Does It Mean To Be A Missionary? |
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Written by Fr. Brian Fischer
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Monday, 14 April 2008 |
Fr. Brian is the Latin America Apostolate's newest priest missionary serving in Bolivia. He is currently serving the people of Maria Reina Parish in the city of La Paz.
 What does it mean to be a missionary?
Or even, what does it mean to do service? I have been thinking about this quite a lot. I guess the reason is quite obvious … since I am now a missionary priest in Bolivia. But the longer I live and work here – I find the answer changing. My eyes and heart are being opened, in a way.
When I first started thinking about coming here, I thought about all the good I could do, all the love I could share, and in what ways I could help make this a better place … But the longer I am here – I am realizing that service and missionary work is not about changing their world, but about changing mine.
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Walking in the Desert |
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Written by Fr. Brian Fischer
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Monday, 17 March 2008 |
Fr. Brian is the Latin America Apostolate's newest priest missionary serving in Bolivia. He is currently serving the people of Maria Reina Parish in the city of La Paz.
 This has been such an eye opening, inspiring and different Lenten journey for me this year. It has been awesome to walk with the people here, and to share in their lives a little bit more each day.
First of all – Lent started kinda rocky for me. I was supposed to celebrate the early morning Mass on Ash Wednesday, but my body had another plan. I woke up in the middle of the night sick as a dog (I’ll leave out the details), not that I really have seen a dog sick like that … I stayed in bed all day, except for a quick visit to the clinic. The doc thought that it was a simple bacteria infection, gave me some antibiotics and sent me home. I was supposed to be getting better immediately, according to him. It did not quite work that way. I got worse and worse as the day went on, so much so that Sr. Guichy, who runs our parish clinic, said that she was going with me in the morning back to the clinic to demand tests.
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The Power of Water |
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Written by Fr. Brian Fischer
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Thursday, 07 February 2008 |
Fr. Brian is the Latin America Apostolate's newest priest missionary serving in Bolivia. He is currently serving the people of Maria Reina Parish in the city of La Paz.
 I have been contemplating lately on the many aspects, and power of water … for a few different reasons. One, we have entered the season of Lent – we have entered the desert of Lent – when we strip ourselves of all that is baring us down; and allow the heat and warmth of the Son (sun) to burn away all the excess junk we carry: sin, pride, doubt, and fear. We have the beautiful prayer of the blessing of water in the Easter Vigil – where we remember the new life won for us, and we are born anew as we celebrate our baptism, and those whom Christ welcomes into His Church as His new sons and daughters ... Water.
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Cave |
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Written by Fr. Brian Fischer
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Wednesday, 02 January 2008 |
Fr. Brian is the Latin America Apostolate's newest priest missionary serving in Bolivia. He is currently serving the people of Maria Reina Parish in the city of La Paz.
 Reflecting on this past Advent season … the time when we wait with an urgent expectation for the coming of Jesus into the world, and into our hearts ... Jesus, the Light of the World, is coming. When I was growing up in Sacred Heart Parish, we began every Sunday in Advent with the same phrase as the wreath was being lit, “The people waited in darkness for the light, Jesus is that light!”
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Climb Every Mountain |
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Written by Fr. Brian Fischer
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Monday, 12 November 2007 |
Fr. Brian is the Latin America Apostolate's newest priest missionary serving in Bolivia. He is currently studying the Spanish language in the city of Cochabamba.
 This past weekend, we had a pretty amazing experience. Twelve of us climbed the tallest mountain in central Bolivia, named Tunari. We set out at 5:30 a.m. for the 8 hour climb (4 hours up, with time at the summit, and about 3.5 hour descent). It was so amazing.
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Poverty of Possessions vs. Poverty of Spirit |
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Written by Fr. Brian Fischer
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Sunday, 07 October 2007 |
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Fr. Brian is the Latin America Apostolate's newest priest missionary serving in Bolivia. He is currently studying the Spanish language in the city of Cochabamba.
I have been living in Bolivia for almost three months now, and I really enjoy this country that is my new home. My only task now is to learn the language, and so I study, and study. Some days it comes quite easily; others, not so much. I long for the day that I can speak the language without popping a few blood vessels in my head as I translate everything! I just want to think it! Patience, they tell me. In one moment of quasi-frustration with indirect pronouns, I laid my head on the desk and sighed to my language partner, “This would be so much easier if I were fluent!” Then the realization of what I just said set in. We laughed for a good five minutes.
Coming down here to serve as a missionary priest has meant that I have left so much behind in St. Louis: my family, friends, parish, language, all my “stuff,” and all that is familiar. And now I live in a world where water is scarce, and hot water, a rarity. A place where many of the people make $2-3 a week. At first, I desire to congratulate myself on all I have left behind. I say, “Look at me!” and I find myself caught in a web of my own making.
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Archdiocese of St. Louis: Mission Office
20 Archbishop May Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63119 • missions@archstl.org
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