From Bogota to Las Vegas to Chicago, Viatorians Honor Their Patron
10/27/2011
On Oct. 21, Viatorians all over the world acted in solidarity with one another as they celebrated the feast day of their patron, St. Viator.
Whether they were among the more than 500 priests and brothers living in 16 countries or the more than 300 lay associates, they all stopped to honor their namesake, the 4th century saint from Lyons, France.
The simplicity of his life, dedicated to sharing the gospel message and awakening faith in young people, continues to inspire a worldwide congregation.
St. Viator Day celebrations took on many forms. In Las Vegas, at St. Viator Church the third annual “Taste of St. Viator Day — Celebrating Our Diversity” festival drew 800 parishioners who sampled Indian, Cajun, Polish, Italian, Filipino, Hispanic, American, Irish and English delicacies. A similar ‘taste’ took place in Chicago at St. Viator Church, where parishioners took their patron’s mission to heart and embraced diverse cultures.
In Japan, Fr. Mark Francis, CSV, superior general, led an anniversary Mass that recognized the Viatorians’ 60 years in Kyoto, serving as educators at St. Viator Rakusei High School and at St. Viator Parish.
At Colegio San Viator in Bogotá, students gathered for Mass on the feast day, as they did at Saint Viator High School in Arlington Heights, where Fr. Robert M. Egan, CSV, blessed 65 Eucharistic ministers, “dedicated to living their lives as people of faith.”
Down in Belize, students at Chunox St. Viator Vocational High School celebrated the feast day at Mass with their newly ordained Viatorian priest and a Belizean native, Fr. Moses Mesh.
At the Viatorian Province Center in Arlington Heights, students in the Querbes Scholars Program interviewed Viatorians to gain first hand accounts of their ministries. “How appropriate that on St. Viator Day,” said Fr. Corey Brost, CSV, “these students came face to face with the living history of our mission.”