On December 17th, Mount Carmel’s beloved Brother Pedro Mira renewed his Carmelite vows in the Cacciatore Gym, confirming his path to be ordained as a priest. As part of his journey, he will depart from MC on December 20th to continue his spiritual journey in El Salvador.
Though Br. Pedro must leave, he cherishes his time at MC.
“It is part of my present, but soon it’s going to be part of my past,” Br. Pedro said. “I am not sad at all, I am not melancholic at all, because the joy that I have here made me feel complete.”
When Br. Pedro first arrived on campus this August, he had mixed feelings.
“I was curious and insecure,” he said. “When I came here my English was not too strong. But I feel that I am a positive guy, and I will try and do my best to create a good environment for me and the people around me.”
The student body helped calm Br. Pedro’s nerves. In the halls, students always greeted him, and during classes students welcomed Br. Pedro’s company.
“At the beginning I thought they don’t know me, and I don’t know how to match with them,” Br. Pedro said. “Then I realized that by trying to be present, I discovered that the kids here at Mount Carmel are wonderful.”
Senior Grant Best appreciates Br. Pedro because he was constantly present at events like basketball and football games. When Best was offered the chance to speak at his vow renewal ceremony, he jumped at the opportunity.
“He’s just a kind person,” Best said. “Any time you see him he makes you smile. He’s really supportive, too.”
In addition to the students, Br. Pedro quickly made friends with faculty.
“I built a really strong connection to the teachers that joined last year,” he said. “We started this journey together. We learned together. That was a wonderful experience.”
Mr. KC Perlberg found common ground with Br. Pedro since his first meetings as a faculty member.
“I will very much miss our Friday night rituals of hanging out on the sideline [at football games],” Mr. Perlberg said. “He was always there right around the 20 yard line.”
Mr. John Stimler got to know Br. Pedro from the noticeable impacts he had on campus, like substituting for teachers who were out of the building, chaperoning for Impact Weeks, participating in masses, and much more.
“It seems like Brother Pedro just got on campus and got straight to work,” Mr. Stimler said. “He has done so much in the year-and-a-half that he’s been here that it feels like he’s been here much longer than a year-and-a-half.”
From Br. Pedro’s various impacts, Mr. Matt Petrich learned more about Carmelite values.
“I have learned through Br. Pedro the value of service to the Carmelites,” Mr. Petrich said. “They have this idea of service, to be of service everywhere. I think that’s probably one of the things Br. Pedro does best.”
Now that Br. Pedro is leaving, people around him comment that he must miss the warmth of El Salvador because of how cold Chicago can be.
“I can handle it pretty well, and I can adapt to different situations,” Br. Pedro said. “I made Chicago my home.”
As he leaves for El Salvador, Br. Pedro has a departing message for the MC community.
“Everyone has been involved with me during my internship here. I really enjoyed it, I have good wishes for the people here, and I will pray for everyone.”
