Small steps

The last two days have been significant for me in small ways.

Franciscans -

Today, Saturday, a young Honduran woman took temporary vows as a member of the Franciscans Sisters of [Mary] Immaculate, the sisters who live down the street from me. The profession was during a Mass at the church of San Martín up the hill from where I live.

The sisters’ congregation was established in Spain and works with the poor, including with lepers in India. Here the sisters – three Spaniards and one from India – work with a variety of people in various places, from rural villages seeking electricity to the local prison where they helped start a carpentry shop, to a project for mentally and physically handicapped children that’s just starting.

Here in Santa Rosa they also house twelve girls from the countryside who are going to school here. Without this help most of these girls would probably never have the chance to get a good middle school and high school education. Lilian who made her first vows today was one of these girls.

The sisters have welcomed me here and helped me find a place to live on this street. I feel almost as if they have “adopted” me. They have made me feel at home and I feel comfortable dropping by every once in a while – and they also want to give me something to eat when I drop by. Typical hospitality.

Sister Nancy, a Dubuque Franciscan sister serving in Gracias, was also at the profession. We had spoken a bit before the Mass – always a blessing – about a number of concerns in the country as well as about our lives. Nancy is responsible for me being here in Honduras, introducing me to the bishop and inspiring me with her commitment and she has been a great friend and support here. Another sister, Brenda, is also in Gracias and they have a young Honduran postulant living with them. It's always a joy to spend some time with them - talking, playing dominoes, and eating some of the good food and desserts (especially chocolate treats).

It's a blessing to have them near.Another blessing is that I am in the process of becoming an associate of their congregation – returning to my Franciscan roots.

A pilot project

Friday I had gone to Dulce Nombre for the Parish Council meeting. About thirty people were there. I had a short time at the end of the meeting to get their input on a process we’re hoping to start up.

Though I’ll continue my work with the diocesan Caritas office and my helping in training of pastoral workers in the parish of Dulce Nombre, I’ll be working with two or three of the poorest villages of the parish. I had been thinking of this and Padre Efraín had also been thinking of something in the same vein.

The idea is to work with the villages in an integral way – from strengthening base communities and religious education to eventually projects to improve the lives of the people in the villages. We’ll go in with no money and no preconceived ideas of what projects to do. It's a long term process.

My hope is that the people will deepen their sense of community and commitment and work together to decide what they will do.

Where will we work?

Padre Efraín had an idea of which villages to choose, but I insisted that we should have the parish council choose. Last month I asked the parish council members to go back to their zones and decide which villages to suggest for the project.

The councils of the three zones made some suggestions which were shared at the parish council meeting yesterday. Then I had them break into small groups and prioritize the list of communities.

I’m not sure they all understood what I was asking them to do but the process worked out well. I was surprised at the result. It seemed clear that two villages that are close to each other – but quite far from the parish center – were their choice. I had expected another village to be chosen since it is extremely poor, but their decision was for these two villages. It's a hard decision since almost all the villages are very poor, but they made it.

After checking this choice with Padre Efraín, I’ll start by going out and meeting folks.

This is for me exciting, though a little daunting. I don’t know exactly what I’m doing, though I do have an idea about the way I’d like to approach this.

But going in without money may actually be quite liberating. We, the people in the villages and I, need to recognize the gifts we have and the successes that the people have already accomplished, and go from there – dreaming of a better village and trying to make that dream real.

So, I’m embarking on a new adventure, something I really look forward to since I love working with the people in the countryside, people with great faith and resilience.

For me this is another way to return to the vision that inspired me to come here – to be of service to those most in need. Now I hope to accompany these villages – in deepening our faith in God and in the service of building a just society.

Pray that we may do this well.