“Travel is so important, it is a way to immerse yourself in another culture. We go to places that are so different than where we are from. But no matter where we are, we can also feel at home. If I walk into a church, I see the Blessed Sacrament and I am at home. It is the same here, it is the same in Brazil, it will be the same in Asia. I will be at home.”
The quote is from Frater Alexandre Caetano, an SCJ seminarian from Brazil who is in the ECS program (English and Culture Studies at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology) brushing up on his language skills in preparation for theology studies in Macau (China).
“I am far from home, but I am still at home,” said Fra. Alexandre. “I am in a Dehonian community, so I am still with my brothers.” Though he added that his home in Wisconsin is a much colder one than his home Brazil. “It is my first time seeing snow!”
Fra. Alexandre will be a part of a second international cohort of SCJ students doing their theological studies in Macau, preparing for future ministry in Asia. He is the first such student from the Americas.
The SCJ has been in vows just one year; he made his renewal on February 2 at Sacred Heart Monastery. Fra. Alexandre said that it was “quite a surprise” when his superior asked him to consider going to Macau for theology.
“I saw that it was God calling me, this is his plan for me,” said Fra. Alexandre. “I made the decision quickly. And when I learned the name of the university – St. Joseph’s – I felt like it truly was a part of a divine plan. I have always had a special devotion to St. Joseph.”
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