Six years ago, on June 13, I stepped
into life here in southwestern Honduras as a volunteer with the Catholic
diocese of Santa Rosa de Copán.
Why did I come here? to be of
service to those in need.
When I was discerning whether to
come, my spiritual director asked me why? My original answer was “to serve
those most in need.”
I’ve changed it because serving
means “I” do the serving, whereas “being of service” has the sense that the
people here have something for me to do – or, better, to be.
I’ve done a variety of things,
especially in the first two years: tried to do campus ministry at the local
campus of the Catholic University of Honduras, helped found a lunch program for
kids, helped in a literacy class in the prison run by a Spanish Franciscan
sister who lives near me, helped in a kindergarten in a poor neighborhood here
in Santa Rosa de Copán, visited the home for malnourished kids under 5 run by
the Missionaries of Charity, began to help in the parish of Dulce Nombre de
María. In January 2009 I began helping in the diocesan Caritas office.
I’m no longer doing a lot of what I
did. The lunch program never reopened after the diocese got a new bishop; I
moved on from campus ministry for a number of reasons. I still visit the
kindergarten and the home for kids once in a while.
Much of my time is with Caritas and
with the parish of Dulce Nombre, though I hope to move on to more involvement
in the parish.
In the parish, I’m helping with
formation of pastoral workers, preparation of materials, visiting communities, and serving as a
bridge with several sister-parishes in Iowa.
But what give me life is being with
the people, spending time with them, sharing with them about our lives. I ask the
men, How are the crops? I ask young people, Are you studying in school? I ask
about family members.
Today I asked a friend how his
father was doing, widowed a few months ago after more than forty years of marriage. I also asked
him about his son who had surgery last week to put a pin in his leg after a
traffic accident.
The other day I asked a catechist
how the situation was in her village, after someone had been killed there about two
weeks ago.
I love working with groups,
mostly of pastoral workers, in educational and formation workshops. What is
most challenging and satisfying is struggling to find ways to help people learn
in a manner that respects their dignity and knowledge, that helps them discover
themselves and God. So often they have been talked at. For me teaching is a
mutual process, where we learn together. Sometimes I see my role as helping
them put a name on what they already know.
This entails a lot of accompanying
the people.
In the past few months, I’ve often
accompanied the new priest on his visits throughout the parish, partly to get
to know him, partly to just get out to be with the people.
I’m hoping soon to begin looking for
funding for a few agriculture projects in the parish, but these have to come
from the capabilities and desires of the people. Projects just to have projects
waste money and time.
But when I look back on my past six
years, I am here to be here.
It’s a joy to be here.
Yes, there are difficulties: a car
that usually works but that has needed more than $2,300 for repairs and new
tires and battery this past year; occasional stomach and bowel
maladies; blackouts of electricity.
And there are personal challenges:
feelings of loneliness and inadequacy; lapses in understanding what someone is
trying to tell me in Spanish; frustrations of various sorts.
But I am where I need to be.
And what more can I offer than my
presence, sometimes just by holding a baby.
But, above all, it's a matter of washing feet - as the Master did.
And getting soaked on my birthday.
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