A lost month?

I haven’t written in this blog for almost a month. No excuses - just a bit of laziness, I guess.

January is often a quieter month in pastoral work here in western Honduras. But here's an update.

COFFEE

Most of the people are going out each day to harvest coffee, earning between $1.00 and $1.25 for a five-gallon bucket of coffee in cherry. Most experienced people can pick between four and six a day, though I know some young people who claim they can pick between twelve and fifteen. I don’t doubt this since I’ve seen some who can harvest the beans extremely rapidly and carefully.

The coffee harvest is one of the few ways that most people here can earn cash. For this reason, we limit our parish activities, though the pastor still has Mass in at least two villages almost every day.

The coffee situation is extremely precarious this year. The fungus roya has come back and has infected some of the newer varieties of coffee. This can cut down the harvest which especially affects the small coffee farmer who may not have the financial resources to fight the fungus.

But even worse, for the small farmer, is the price that coffee is bringing in – one of the lowest in years. Most farmers sell their beans after they have had the pulp removed and the beans washed, but before they are dried. From what I have heard they are getting less than 70 cents per pound.

The association I am working with will be able to export and sell a small part of their harvests for a decent price to El Zapote Coffee in Ames, Iowa. But most people don’t have that option.

As a result of this and the rising costs of basic goods, the economic situation for most Hondurans continues to worsen. The extremely dry and hot days, unusual for our rainy season, make matters worse.

Volunteers in the parish coffee fields

EMIGRATION

I am thus not too surprised to hear of increased emigration from our area. Until about two years about I had not heard of many leaving, trying to reach the US. But in the last few weeks I have heard of five leaving from a village I know as well as a woman whose four sons left. This does not include the many who have left in the last four or five months – some who made it to the US, some on the border.

HEALTH

The health situation in Honduras is still extremely poor. Funding for health is not sufficient to meet the needs of the people.

One of the most moving parts of my diaconate ministry is visiting the sick.

Each Sunday I try to visit a different community for a Celebration of the Word with Communion. I usually try to visit the sick and home bound.

A few weeks ago in Granadillal, I went with about twelve people, including some young people, to visit four people who were home-bound. We prayed, I share Communion with the sick, and the group sang.

The next week I only had time to visit two persons in San Antonio El Alto. One of the church leaders told me how they go and visit the sick, even going to pray with a non-Catholic. I visited one man, confined to the bed. We prayed and talked. I noticed his prayerfulness and faith and I not so subtly asked if he might want to get married in the church so that he might receive communion.  He said yes.

Then I visited a neighbor. The woman had broken a bone near her ankle but was still experiencing a lot of pain. As I entered the house, I noted two older women applying a poultice to her ankle to relieve the pain.

I spoke with the woman who was clearly experiencing a lot of pain. I could see the tears in her eyes. After praying I shared Communion with her. Before I left I gave her one of the hand crosses for the sick, as a reminder for her of the presence of Jesus with her in her suffering.

SICKNESS

I myself have not been totally healthy. I’ve had a bad chest cold for more than two weeks. I went to a local private clinic and got a shot of penicillin as well as some medicine. However, I had an allergic reaction to one of the medicines and returned to the clinic with swollen lips. That was cleared up with an injection and a change of medicine.

But while I was there, Don Raúl, an older man I know was there with his step-daughter. He had obviously had a stroke (not his first) and was waiting for a ride to the hospital in Santa Rosa. The ride came and he spent a short time there and then returned to his home.

On Saturday we had a meeting of the parish’s delegates of the Word, who lead Sunday celebrations in their communities. Padre German had asked me to do a presentation on the Gospel of Luke, helping them put it into context, as part of the meeting.

I got a phone call from Padre German early that morning, asking me to take over all the morning portion of the meeting. He had gone to visit a sick man in one of the most remote villages – so remote that he had to go on horseback for the last part of the journey. He would not get back to Dulce Nombre for the meeting until late morning. I, of course, agreed.

When I went into Dulce Nombre, I gave a ride to Gloria from Plan Grande. She and Elsa, both communion ministers, had gone the night before at about 10 pm to visit Don Raul. They had to go by car and didn’t get back home till about midnight.

During the meeting, Gloria got a call from a daughter of Don Raúl. When Padre arrived, we told him how Don Raúl was asking about getting married. I told the pastor that I would finish up the morning and that he could go. He went – and Don Raúl wed his wife of many years and received the sacraments of the sick. What joy. I later saw one of his sons, who was baptized at the Easter Vigil about three years ago, and said he has to have a party for his parents!

AUTO BREAK DOWN

Last Monday, I was going to pick up some workers to harvest coffee in the parish fields. The car stopped – but later started. Trying to take people back home after the harvest, the pickup broke down again. I got it home and got it partway to Santa Rosa before it broke down again.

A variety of things led to a breakdown of the engine which, at this moment, is being rebuilt. I should have it back on Wednesday afternoon. Not cheap, but a necessity. My resolution: be much more careful about the pickup, checking fluids, etc., several times a week.

UPCOMING

This Wednesday, we have a meeting of all the catechists of the parish. This year I plan to initiate a small team to help with our formation for catechists and will introduce this to the assembly. We will also begin special formation for new catechists. In addition, I am hoping that we can introduce a new way of doing religious formation in communities where there are more than a few catechists. Up to this point, much of the religious formation of children has been sacramental preparation. The Honduran Bishops’ Conference now has some material to do formation by levels – starting with six year olds. At least one community will be starting this program later this month and I’m hoping that there will be a few more. The material is good, though limited to about 24 sessions pre level. We’ll try to supplement this with material so that there is enough for almost every week of the year.

This Thursday, we have called for a meeting of two representatives of Social Ministry from every community. I am hoping that we have a good turn-out since this is an area that needs a lot of work – both in the formation of people in the parish on the social mission of the church and in response to some serious problems.

One of the most serious problems emerging this year is water. On one part of the parish, the run off from coffee processing has polluted a river causing a terrible odor in several communities and contaminating a source of water. This needs to be investigated and monitored. There is also the problem of water for the communities. Most of the communities get their water from springs in the mountains. There is sometimes a problem of contamination of the source and there is definite a need to monitor the sources and ensure that there is sufficient forestation. There is also the problem of scarcity of water in some places, especially this year. We have had a very dry wet season with much higher temperatures than usual. This is probably due to general climate change but also to the deforestation that we see around us.

I hope that we can organize the parish Social Ministry to respond to these and other needs.

DIOCESAN MEETING OF RELIGIOUS AND CLERGY

Last Saturday, the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the temple, the diocese celebrated the Day of the Consecrated Life – remember the women and men religious who have dedicated themselves in a special way to service of God and God’s people. This year the bishop also invited the clergy to attend for a presentation, a Mass, and a meal. It was good to be there, seeing some of the sisters whom I’ve known for several years, as well as meeting other as well as some Capuchins from Ocotepeque. It was a day of blessings.

AND MORE

On the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, I went for a Celebration of the Word with Communion to Agua Buena, Concepción, which had initiated a new water project last year. After the celebration we walked up to the water tank, prayed, and blessed the tank. It was a rainy morning and the way up to the water source was too muddy to go there. So we put off that thirty-minute trek to another day.

I went to San Agustín one morning last month to visit the sick. I try to get there every few months since there are so many ill and home-bound. What struck me this time was that three of the persons I've visited, either alone or with the pastor, have died within the last few months. How important it is to accompany the people in their last few months of life. 

One other point about visiting the sick. When i visit them in their homes I often ask about those who are taking care of them. I take time to often them thanks for what they are doing and offering words of encouragement and patience. My experience caring for my father in his last years impressed on me the importance of being present not only with the ill and dying but also with those who are caring for them. They are often very stressed. A word of thanks and a prayer for them seem to be important.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Where I park my car outside the house is muddy when it rains.

I finally got around to paying someone to pave it with concrete. The car will still get muddy in the rainy season, but I’ll be able to park it where there is no mud.

THE NEXT FEW DAYS

Today and tomorrow I’ll be preparing for my meeting with catechists and social ministry, but I am really looking forward to being able to get around a bit more, visiting the communities. 

The pastor is taking a needed break for about a week. So I'll be leading a few more Celebrations of the Word with Communion on Thursday night in Dulce Nombre and in four or five locations on the weekend.  I better take enough time to prepare my homily.

A FINAL WORD

A few nights ago, unable to sleep because of some stomach problems, I began to think about my ministry here. Suddenly it came clear to me what motivates it. I turned the light on and wrote:

“I want people to know that they are loved by God.”

That’s it - together with a photo of a flowering hibiscus, sign of life, and a partial rainbow, sign of hope.