Bolivian Dominican, Fr. Adhemar Ventura, O.P., spent a week in mid-January visiting the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great, spending most of his time visiting the city of Chicago. Fr. Ventura is currently transitioning out of his two year position as Student Master of the Bolivian Vice Province. With Bolivia becoming its own Province, leadership positions will change, and Fr. Ventura will no longer serve as Student Master. He is excited for this transition, as well as continuing to work alongside the next Student Master to help him with his new responsibilities in the role.
Originally from Bolivia, Fr. Ventura was born in 1972. His first exposure to the Dominicans was when he attended a seminar in Santa-Cruz, Bolivia, when he was seventeen years old. Such exposure sparked his interest in the order, leading him to begin as a Novice in Columbia in 1994. Fr. Ventura completed his studies in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and was ordained in 2001.
After his ordination, Fr. Ventura continued his studies by completing his Masters in Philosophy and Theology in Bogota-Columbia. Following the completion of his Master’s degree, Fr. Ventura worked for four years as a pastor, serving ten small towns in Bolivia, visiting all ten towns every week for masses, services, and ministry.
In 2005, he spent one year in Cologne, Germany to learn German. From 2006-2010 he studied Psychology at Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy while living at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum).
Fr. Ventura was named Student Master of the Bolivian Vice Province in 2011, where he has served for two years. From here, Fr. Ventura hopes to assist the future student master with his role, as he understands the demands, as well as how to connect with the students. Fr. Ventura hopes his next journey leads him to working on a Doctorate in Moral Theology, and he hopes to teach at the university level.
Fr. Ventura greatly enjoyed his time in Chicago, visiting with other friars, as well as exploring many museums and learning the city’s “El” train system.
