Hello readers!

My name is Shannon Moore, and I am a current junior at Providence College studying History and Spanish. I will be using this blog page to share my experiences in Tucumán, Argentina during my six-week service trip that will begin in May.

I first heard about the Fr. Smith Fellowship program last February after teaching a Wednesday night yoga class at PC. Fr. David Orique, O.P., an avid yogi himself, approached me to chat after I finished teaching the class, and somehow, the topic of the Fellowship came up. When Fr. Orique first mentioned the program, I immediately dismissed it in my head as something that “brave” or “adventurous” people do – never something that I could do. I told Fr. Orique that although the program sounded wonderful, I was too fearful about traveling and would never be comfortable being so far away from home, no matter how rewarding the experience might be. He responded with just a few words that have stuck with me and motivated me ever since: “Be a creature of faith, not a creature of fear.”

Looking back on this memory from a little over a year ago, I now realize that this conversation was God’s way of directing me to follow the path that He had planned for me. A few unusual and coincidental circumstances brought about this initial conversation with Fr. Orique. First, I usually would not have been teaching that yoga class. I was covering for another instructor, so my presence in that yoga class was not a typical occurrence. Also, before this moment I had never met Fr. Orique, yet I found myself speaking to him as if I had known him for a long time. It seems out of character for me to confess to someone that I never met that anxiety was holding me back from certain experiences, but there I was, in a dark yoga studio, sharing my doubts with a person who would later become my most important adviser at PC!

The coincidences surrounding the first time I heard about the Smith Fellowship have shown me that God is at work in my life, striving for me to realize that I am called to do something more with my college days than attend classes, write papers, and teach yoga. More steps along the way – including my growing fascination with Argentine Literature in Dr. Javier Mocarquer’s class and Dr. Pat Breen’s casual mention of the Fellowship as the perfect opportunity for me – pointed me in the direction of Tucumán. I am thankful for every person and every moment over the past year that has nudged me towards taking this leap of faith.

Thankfully, I will not be alone on this trip. Trevor will be joining me as well, and I know that having a fellow Friar with me will be the best medicine for assuaging any lingering doubts and fears!

While in Argentina, Trevor and I will be staying with the Dominican Sisters in Tucumán, and we will be volunteering in the English department at the Colegio Santa Rosa, a primary and secondary Catholic school. I am so excited to finally get to meet Soledad, the director of the English department, and Sr. Cynthia, our primary contact at our service site.

There is much preparation to be done before we depart for Argentina on May 16th, but I find myself filled with more excitement than nerves – at least for now. I find solace in trusting that the path I am on is the one that God has planned for me.

Follow my journey as I continue to become a creature of faith.