In
January eight parishioners and our seminarian, Ryan Holly,
travelled to the Dominican Republic bringing with them the
funds to build a sturdy cement block chapel at La Cuesta del
Jobo. Participating in this year's mission work in Yamasa
were some returning for the third and fourth time, like
Charles and Lucie Langlais, Paul Tremblay, Ed Stechishen,
and Janet du Manoir, as well as first time paricipants, like
Norm Pothier, Nancy Schmeing, and Yvonne Poulin. Below are
some of their thoughts and pictures.
At the end of today’s gospel,
we hear how the man who encountered Jesus returned to his
hometown to tell others what had happened to him. With
similar joy, we return here to our parish community to share
with you our encounter in the Dominican Republic.
The seeds of this encounter were sown at the end of last
year’s mission trip, when a community elder by the name of
Socrates chased the group down with a letter of request to
assist the people of La Cuesta del Jobo in the building of a
new chapel. Since that time, the mission group and this
parish have endeavored through fundraisers, socials and
meetings to make the project a reality.
It didn’t take long for me to
realize upon arrival at La Cuesta that this was more than
the construction of a chapel. Although
the physical structure of their chapel was beyond
dilapidated, the faith, energy and determination of this
group were strong. The church was alive and well in
that little community and now since they had the material
support from our parish, they were coming together to labour
with pride in the building of their house of worship.
When
we arrived at the chapel building site, the footings had
been poured and the concrete blocks, bags of cement, piles
of sand and gravel, and barrels of water had all been
delivered, making everything ready for block laying to
begin. Within two days over 1000 concrete blocks were laid.
How did the work proceed so quickly? Well, the Dominicans
themselves did it! Villagers came from many directions, from
the very young to the very elderly. It was very obvious that
some of them were skilled masons and they took on much of
the responsibility for the overall construction, but every
one helped. In essence you have provided the funds to buy
the blocks and mortar so that the people of La Cuesta del
Jobo could build themselves a place of worship, and a
storm-resistant refuge shelter when threatened by
hurricanes. This new church will be called the Chapel of St.
Joseph in honor of St. Joseph, the patron saint of Canada.
Because
of the additional funds and time at our disposal, we also
poured cement floors for several families that had been
identified by the Grey Sisters and local Dominicans as being
extremely needy. Today, thanks to you, three additional
families no longer have to step in ankle-deep mud when
getting out of bed during the rainy season, making a
significant difference to their well being. Most of the
people, because they’ve never seen a map, do not know where
Canada is on the globe but they do know that it is a country
with caring people.
Seeing
with my own eyes some of the humanitarian work being done in
Consuelo and Yamasa by the Grey Sisters definitely provides
a different perspective. I was awestruck by their many
facilities and activities, catering to the abandoned, the
sick, and the impoverished, as well as fostering education
and self-help skills for the young, all performed under the
leadership of only a few sisters. To accomplish so much they
appear to have developed effective networking, involving
local “associates of the sisters”, teachers, villagers and
others all working together. As well, their goal of
empowering the people they serve appears to have been
achieved in Yamasa, where, even though the Grey Sisters no
longer live there, the work they started continues on
through a strong Christian community.
I’d like to tell you about the people we serve
in in in in in Yamasa.
The
area was settled by escaped workers, people of African
descent, seeking refuge in its uncharted hills and craggy
mountains. By their wit, wisdom, and cooperation, they
survived. Their descendants have built a community where I
felt remarkable harmony and hospitality. I saw no one
starving on the streets and felt no danger of violence in
Yamasa.
Worshipping with the people in and around Yamasa
was always uplifting. Let me relate one experience. Shortly
before our departure, all nine of us boarded the cab and
flatbed of our old truck and set off on the paved road, and
then onto the hilly clay trail to Our Lady of Good Counsel
chapel at Antonci, built as part of Mission 2001. The
inhabitants of Antonci are primarily Haitians, brought there
to cut sugar cane. Because most fields are not in production
now, they have little or no work. We arrived early, before
the local people. Hanging on the wall behind the altar, we
saw the picture of this church and the picture of Our Lady
of Good Counsel that we gave them as gifts during our
mission last year.
Soon the people of Antonci began arriving.
Repeatedly, we were greeted with a smile and an embrace, and
the word “hermana”, sister. The choir began to warm up.
Angel was playing his new guitar expressively, and with
obvious appreciation. It was provided for him by a family in
our parish. Others were playing the new tambourines sent
down this year as gifts. Soon the pews were filled. The
ever-busy young Yamasa priest Father Jesus arrived in his
truck, counted hands for communion, and the service began.
Father Jesus told the congregation that though they were the
poorest of people, they had a beautiful place to adore God,
because of the generosity of this parish. He said that he
had learned much about being a priest from Father Bill, and
led us into a moment of silence to pray God’s blessings on
Father Bill and his family. Representing this parish, we
were called forward for prayer and blessing of the crucifix
and Stations of the Cross that Ed had made, and we placed
them on the chapel walls. How much they added to the visual
presence of the Lord!
The mass is celebrated, with singing to make your feet tap
and a spirit of love borrowed from heaven.
From
the very beginning, with our welcome at the airport by
Sister Noelia and 6 others, I knew these people were very
warm and open. But the next day when we arrived in La Cuesta
del Jobo it was the children that stole my heart. It was
Epiphany or Little Christmas and each and every child had
received a small gift. They seemed to be so excited and
proud to show us their little treasures no matter how small
or simple. That first day I felt so sorry for them and I
felt like crying when I saw how delighted they were with so
little. But as I quickly befriended them, or more accurately
they befriended me, I realized that my pity was not
necessary and now I delighted in their contentment and
cheerful curiosity. They quickly sensed that they had a
captive audience in Lucie and myself. The grandmother in us
must have been showing. We were proudly escorted to their
homes and met their mothers. We had a tour of the communal
gardens down the hill from the worksite. We were offered all
sorts of foods to try and bravely we never refused .We were
escorted even farther down the hill to the river to see
where they washed and how they brought water back, usually
on their heads, for their homes.
We met Nana, a mother of 4,
and Francisco who shinnied up a 40 foot tree to fetch us
coconuts- and slid back down in 3 seconds. We met Carolina
who found us a rake for the cleanup, and Esmaralda who was
known as the “Queen of Baseball “, whom we made sure
received one of the Canadian baseballs we gave out the last
day. We met Angelica and so many others. It was a joy for us
to see their obvious delight when we were able to show them
images of themselves on the viewer of our digital camera.
Communication was never a problem –smiling, hugging and
touching is the same in every language.
The time I spent with these children will always
be one of my fondest memories of this remarkable experience.
There is another message this morning but it is
not about our trip, it is about you. We speak for the people
of Yamasa, the people of Antonci, the people of La Mina and
now the people of La Cuesta del Jobo—we speak for all these
people as we thank you for your continuing generosity and
support over the past four years. In this past year alone
you have raised over $8,000.00 by attending the fundraising
events and you donated another $8,000.00, far exceeding our
expectations and hopes.
The final message comes in the form of a request
from our friends in the in the in the D.R. Each year as we leave, they
ask that we keep them in our prayers. These are people who
know the power of prayer; they pray for us. Please continue
to pray for them. These prayers are the greatest gifts we
can give one another.
When
we arrived at the chapel building site, the footings had
been poured and the concrete blocks, bags of cement, piles
of sand and gravel, and barrels of water had all been
delivered, making everything ready for block laying to
begin. Within two days over 1000 concrete blocks were laid.
How did the work proceed so quickly? Well, the Dominicans
themselves did it! Villagers came from many directions, from
the very young to the very elderly. It was very obvious that
some of them were skilled masons and they took on much of
the responsibility for the overall construction, but every
one helped. In essence you have provided the funds to buy
the blocks and mortar so that the people of La Cuesta del
Jobo could build themselves a place of worship, and a
storm-resistant refuge shelter when threatened by
hurricanes. This new church will be called the Chapel of St.
Joseph in honor of St. Joseph, the patron saint of Canada.
Because
of the additional funds and time at our disposal, we also
poured cement floors for several families that had been
identified by the Grey Sisters and local Dominicans as being
extremely needy. Today, thanks to you, three additional
families no longer have to step in ankle-deep mud when
getting out of bed during the rainy season, making a
significant difference to their well being. Most of the
people, because they’ve never seen a map, do not know where
Canada is on the globe but they do know that it is a country
with caring people. 
Seeing
with my own eyes some of the humanitarian work being done in
Consuelo and Yamasa by the Grey Sisters definitely provides
a different perspective. I was awestruck by their many
facilities and activities, catering to the abandoned, the
sick, and the impoverished, as well as fostering education
and self-help skills for the young, all performed under the
leadership of only a few sisters. To accomplish so much they
appear to have developed effective networking, involving
local “associates of the sisters”, teachers, villagers and
others all working together. As well, their goal of
empowering the people they serve appears to have been
achieved in Yamasa, where, even though the Grey Sisters no
longer live there, the work they started continues on
through a strong Christian community.
The
area was settled by escaped workers, people of African
descent, seeking refuge in its uncharted hills and craggy
mountains. By their wit, wisdom, and cooperation, they
survived. Their descendants have built a community where I
felt remarkable harmony and hospitality. I saw no one
starving on the streets and felt no danger of violence in
Yamasa.
From
the very beginning, with our welcome at the airport by
Sister Noelia and 6 others, I knew these people were very
warm and open. But the next day when we arrived in La Cuesta
del Jobo it was the children that stole my heart. It was
Epiphany or Little Christmas and each and every child had
received a small gift. They seemed to be so excited and
proud to show us their little treasures no matter how small
or simple. That first day I felt so sorry for them and I
felt like crying when I saw how delighted they were with so
little. But as I quickly befriended them, or more accurately
they befriended me, I realized that my pity was not
necessary and now I delighted in their contentment and
cheerful curiosity. They quickly sensed that they had a
captive audience in Lucie and myself. The grandmother in us
must have been showing. We were proudly escorted to their
homes and met their mothers. We had a tour of the communal
gardens down the hill from the worksite. We were offered all
sorts of foods to try and bravely we never refused .We were
escorted even farther down the hill to the river to see
where they washed and how they brought water back, usually
on their heads, for their homes. 
We met Nana, a mother of 4,
and Francisco who shinnied up a 40 foot tree to fetch us
coconuts- and slid back down in 3 seconds. We met Carolina
who found us a rake for the cleanup, and Esmaralda who was
known as the “Queen of Baseball “, whom we made sure
received one of the Canadian baseballs we gave out the last
day. We met Angelica and so many others. It was a joy for us
to see their obvious delight when we were able to show them
images of themselves on the viewer of our digital camera.
Communication was never a problem –smiling, hugging and
touching is the same in every language.
There is another message this morning but it is
not about our trip, it is about you. We speak for the people
of Yamasa, the people of Antonci, the people of La Mina and
now the people of La Cuesta del Jobo—we speak for all these
people as we thank you for your continuing generosity and
support over the past four years. In this past year alone
you have raised over $8,000.00 by attending the fundraising
events and you donated another $8,000.00, far exceeding our
expectations and hopes.
HOME
