INCOMUNICADO?

I got an e-mail a few days ago asking if I was well. The person, whom I don’t know, hadn’t seen a post on this blog for about a month and was concerned. 

I was surprised – and, at first, a bit suspicious. But now I am grateful. Someone was concerned about me – since I hadn’t written anything since July 31. That day I wrote a very somber post, reflecting on the plight of migrants. It was a very difficult time for me. I made an appointment to talk with my spiritual director and spoke with her on August 10, the feast of St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr. 

The first half of August I found myself a bit busy, with meetings with catechists in distinctive parts of the parish as well as meetings with the social ministry coordinators in several parts of the parish. These were opportunities to connect with leaders, listen to what they were doing, and discuss what we can do in the next few months. 

Last year much of our parish was affected by the two hurricanes around the beginning of November. Most of the aldeas suffered loss of electricity and water. In various there were very serious damage – with houses and fields lost to landslides, collapse of the earth, and geological faults. We weren’t very well prepared. Here are a few photos from last year.

The forecast for later this year is not good. There could be more hurricanes or serious storms. Climate change could wreak more havoc. 

I told the social ministry leaders to think of what they could do to prepare their communities. At the parish council meeting, the pastor called for a special meeting on September 1 of the leaders of the sectors in our parish to consider what could be done to prepare. A few days before the meeting, he and I met; he asked me to prepare something. He expected to do the first part, in which the people would share what was their experience last year and I would work with them on ways to analyze the situation and prepare responses. 

I few years ago, when I was helping with the diocesan office of Caritas, there was a program to train communities on community -based reduction of the risks of disasters. I found the manual on line and prepared my presentation based on that process.

 The day went well. The pastor had other commitments and so I ended up leading the whole process. He came at the end and spoke about the need to prepare ourselves in all the communities. I may end up having to go to some places and help them get organized. 

Between the parish council on August 17 and the workshop, I got rather sick – congestion, cough, and a low fever. I went to a doctor in Dulce Nombre who gave me medicine to clear up my chest and deal with other aspects. After taking the medicine, I lost my voice for two days. As a result I stayed home. I had hoped to take a wheel chair to a distant community but had to beg off. I hope to be able to take it this week. 

I was better by August 27 and 28, when I baptized nine kids in San Agustín on the feast of Saint Monica and nine more on the feast of Saint Augustine. 

The next day, Sunday, I ended up baptizing a young man who had been preparing during the early stages of the pandemic but had not been baptized. He had been faithful, attending Celebrations of the Word in his village. He was about to leave for the US and had asked for baptism. The pastor approved and I went out on Sunday. I gave him a rosary to pray with on his journey and told him that if he was in any need to look for church people who aid the migrants. 

I don’t agree with the massive emigration from our area, but I kind of understand it. But my first priority is to provide pastoral care and advice for those who are migrating. (I often tell them that I don’t think it’s a good idea – but it is part of our faith to care for the immigrant.) 

On Thursday, I went to San Pedro Sula to give a ride to one of the Dubuque Franciscan sisters who was returning from the US. It was good to be able to do this – and to have the time to talk with her. But the trip back was awful. The road from San Pedro Sula to La Entrada, just north of where I live, is the worst I have seen it in more than ten years. There are potholes that would ruin a car’s suspension and places where you have to swerve to avoid them. There are places where the earth has sunk or the road has been washed away.

At one point, because of a sunken highway, where it took an hour to go two kilometers! Not fun. But I got sister home safely and I made it home before 9 pm.

In the parish, we are preparing for the feast day of the Holy Name of Mary (Dulce Nombre de Mary, in Spanish) next Sunday, September 12. 

The parish is also doing a lot of construction work, partly financed by a contribution from a family at our sister parish of St. Thomas Aquinas in Ames and partly financed by the people in the parish. 

Every Sunday night a group of women prepare food for sale before and after the evening Mass. 

The work now is pouring concrete for the floor of the new area for gathering and educational projects. It will need innumerable bags of cement and so people are being asked to donate money for a bag of cement. 

We originally had hoped to have the church consecrated on the feast day and the new gathering area (to be called Aula Santo Tomás de Aquino) to be dedicated, but that is not possible. So, we are planning those celebrations for January. 

There is enough to do. I still feel a little under the weather but hope to be recuperated by the feast day. After that, there will be work with the catechists as well as with social ministry. We also plan to train missionaries for a mission week in October. 

I hope to also have a different kind of mission week in October, as I am planning to make an official visit to St. Thomas Aquinas at the end of October. 

So goes the ministry. 

I’ll try to write more regularly in the next few months to keep you updated. In the meantime, pray for us.