This week I went out twice to the village of San Antonio,
Dolores, Copán.
On Tuesday I accompanied Mauro who is one of the workers in
the Dulce Nombre agricultural project. The project, in its last year of
financing by Manos Unidas. is working in 18 villages in promoting better
agricultural practices in growing basic grains (corn and beans) as well as
promoting family gardens and reforestation.
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| Mauro distributing vegetable seeds. |
In the first two years the project made fertilizer available
on credit, but because of the cut backs in funding, the time schedule for this
last year of the project, and the failure of some to repay the loans, they
decided not to do that this year.
In one community, most of the men withdrew from the project
because of this. However, in the same community, ten women are enthused about
the garden projects.
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| yucca |
In San Antonio, 18 families are working in the project. For
two years they have worked on a joint project growing yucca.
I visited a few houses with Mauro. In one the woman told Mauro
how proud she was of the mustard greens she was growing. She lamented that the
rains had washed away another crop. As we sat and talked Mauro began to recite
the numbers 1 to 10 in English to the three year old who echoed them back – for
the most part – with an unexpected precision.
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| Precocious three year old. |
Later, before the meeting of the group on Tuesday, Mauro
showed them how to use small planting trays for growing sweet pepper seedlings.
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| Seed trays |
At the end of the meeting he distributed small packets of cucumber, cilantro,
and radish seeds. (I'm going to talk with Padre Efraín to see if there might be some way to continue providing the seeds for vegetable gardens after the project funding runs out.)
The project has enabled several communities to build up a
small amount of capital to use for loans to those involved in the project. In
San Antonio is about $250.
Mauro was particularly happy to share how some groups have
not only built up capital but are changing their ways of thinking – especially
in terms of raising their own vegetables for consumption and sale.
Wednesday was the feast of St. Anthony, the village patron.
A Mass was scheduled for 9 am (but started at 10:30) with 43
baptisms and 5 first communions.
Early Wednesday I received a text message from Scott
Satterlee, who is with La Finca del Niño in La Ceiba. I met him last September
at the retreat I led for the Finca del Niño volunteers. He was in Santa Rosa
for a few days. I invited him to come with me to the Mass in San Antonio.
We got there -
a little late due to getting the car stuck in a driveway where people
had told me to park. But we had
time to talk with the people who had come from San Antonio and nearby villages for
the Mass. There must have been more than 500 people there.
The music was very good at the Mass but, of course, the
baptisms were the highlight. Father Henry, the associate pastor, is not a
minimalist in terms of sacramental signs and so the baptized were well-soaked,
especially the last young man, Pedro, who was baptized with loads of water.
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| Pedro's baptism |
It was great to see the baptisms and all the people there. Several
faces were particularly striking including , an old woman, an little boy about to be baptized, and the
above-mentioned Pedro.
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| To be baptized |
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| Doña Maria |
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| Pedro in the front row, pastoral worker Efraín in the second row |
After the 180 minute Mass there was food for everyone. Scott
and I, though, left and ate Pizza in Santa Rosa at Weekend’s Pizza. (I claim it
has the best pizza in Central America.)
Accompanying the people is really what my life is about
here. I do help in formation of catechists and other pastoral workers and I
hope to be able to help develop some programs for agricultural and community
transformation in the future. But the heart of the work is being with the
people.
In one sense, that’s what Jesus did – accompanying the
people in their joys and sorrows. Jesus is a God who does not look on the
people from afar but involved himself in the nitty-gritty of people’s lives.
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