GRATITUDE AND NEW LIFE

The Mission in Guaimaca has lived 12 years trying to respond to the call of Pope John Paul II to work as one Church in America. It was in the year 2000 that the Diocese of Fall River sent Fr. Paul Canuel and the first team to Honduras. Our Congregation sent Sr. María Ceballos as part of the Diocesan team. The community was established in the year 2004.

Now Bishop George Coleman needs Fr. Craig Pregana in the Diocese of Fall River and communicated to Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodriguez the end of the commitment and ministry of the Diocese of Fall River in Honduras. Fr. Craig was appointed Pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in New Bedford, and Director of the Hispanic Ministry in the Diocese. Cardinal Rodriguez needed to appoint a new pastor for Santa Rosa de Lima Parish in Guaimaca.

Among the things Fr. Craig did when he first came to Guaimaca with College groups was clearing and cleaning the grounds where today we have the Marie Poussepin Center. Later on he asked Bishop Coleman to be assigned to the mission in Guaimaca where he has been for eight years. He has been the Pastor for the past five years working earnestly to reach out to all the communities and especially the youth.

He has been a good support with our students at the CMP, where he came to celebrate the Eucharist, to give Bible classes to the older students, to be part of celebrations on special days and to bring the monthly birthday cake!

 


Our last Eucharist and celebration with him at the CMP took place on June 25. The students expressed in different ways their gratitude to Fr. Craig and remembered, through a Presentation, some of the memorable moments lived with him throughout the years.

 

 

 

 Saturday, July 14th, was the Installation of the new pastor by Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodriguez. It was also a thanksgiving Mass not only for the 12 years of presence of the Diocese of Fall River in Guaimaca, but for the 8 years of ministry of Fr. Craig Pregana in the Parish. The Church was standing room only and many were outside. There were people from the city and from the different villages of the Parish, a good representation of the City Officials, TV Channels, young and older parishioners. It was an expression of gratitude and love, as well as a sign of the growth of the community with a large presence of the youth.

The Cardinal’s homily, based on the readings of the day, which spoke of being sent and of caring for the community, emphasized both the gift of Fr. Craig to the Parish he had ministered for eight years, and also the fact that he was giving the parish from the best of the Archdiocese in the person of Fr. Jonathan Funes, a young priest with many talents. It was a day filled with emotions and gratitude as well as expectations.

Fr. Craig will certainly be missed. We hope to be able to work with Fr. Jonathan in such a way that we can help the transition thus becoming a time of grace for the parish community. As far as the many people and groups that have contributed to the mission and want to continue doing so, it will also mean an adaptation. However, it is helpful to know that Fr. Jonathan speaks English and counts on their support. One of his main concerns is the financial aspect.

On Sunday, July 15th, both Fr. Craig and Fr. Jonathan celebrated the last Eucharist in their own parishes. Many people came to St. Rose of Lima Church, not only from the city but also from the villages, to express their love to Fr. Craig. The different Pastoral groups from the parish expressed their gratitude in different ways and the young people did it in the evening Mass.

 

Fr. Craig’s departure was on Monday, July 16th. Early that morning many of us gathered outside the rectory to give him a “serenata”. We sang songs we know he likes and others in relation to Honduras, the land and the people he now loves deeply.

We were concerned he had little time to prepare himself to leave for the airport. However, we were happy to see how he did not seem to be in a rush and was enjoying every minute of it. We sang more songs and he offered us some coffee.... very much acculturated!

Fr. Jonathan arrives to Guaimaca on Wednesday, July 18th, and will celebrate his first Eucharist in the evening. He is certainly not a stranger to us. Some of us have known him since 2007 when, as a seminarian, he came to give a vocation retreat to our students at the Marie Poussepin Center. It was then that we heard him singing for the first time. He is not only gifted with a good voice, but with lots of feeling and faith expression in his songs, many of them composed by him.

Later on, Fr. Jonathan came with other seminarians for his pastoral experience the year previous to his ordination as a deacon. He came also a couple of times to offer concerts in the Parish. As a young priest, he can offer good formation to our young people.

For our community and our mission in Guaimaca,

it is a time of transition, and a time of new life.

We certainly count on your continued prayers and support.

PEACE PILGRIMAGE

More than three thousand youth participated in a march for peace from Friday, June 8th to Sunday, June 10th.  They arrived to Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras, on Friday at 6:00 AM to start the 66 kilometers, 41mile march.  Each parish had been preparing the event with reflections on the theme of the march:  "Samaritanos por la Paz" (Samaritans for Peace). 




Fourteen young people from St. Rose of Lima Parish in Guaimaca participated, coordinated by Andrea López the Parish Youth Coordinator, and tutor at the Marie Poussepin Center (CMP). 


 

Sr. Gloribel Mendoza, who works with the parish youth and Mirna Carolina Trujillo, one of the CMP junior high school students who is discerning her vocation, were part of the Parish group.



As it can be seeing in some of the pictures, the young people marched through winding mountain roads that took them to three towns: Valle de Angeles, Cantarranas and Talanga.

It is known internationally that Honduras is a country where violence and crime have been increasing due in great part to drug traficking.  In this context, to have so many young people marching, singing and praying for peace was a tremendous witness to many. Happily it was presented through the different media, both TV and newspapers.

Of course, depending on their walking customs, there were some pilgrims who fainted or had swollen and blistered feet. In the case of the pilgrims from the CMP, Mirna Carolina is used to long walks to travel back and forth to the CMP from her village, Andrea, as a city young woman, was very tired and Sr. Gloribel was welcomed by the Community with a special wheel chair!

All together, for our three pilgrims it was a great opportunity to sacrifice for peace, to be part of a large effort to change our society and to act according to their values.

As coordinator of the Pilgrimage, Andrea was able to experience the Lord's presence and work throughout the journey... in faith she could see Him taking care of everyone!

SISTER GLORIBEL MENDOZA'S NURSING EXPERIENCE

Sister Gloribel is in her second year of Nursing, which in Honduras means a whole year of practice at a health center.  Happily she is able to do it right in Guaimaca.  Her supervisor at the Health Center allows her to still work two days a week at the St. Rose of Lima Clinic with Sister María Ceballos.

These past months have given Sister Gloribel a variety of experiences in many aspects of nursing: triaging and treating patients, record keeping, vaccination campaigns,  etc.

During the three weeks of the vaccination campaign, she saw herself vaccinating at the Health Center, in the villages, the different barrios or neighborhoods of the City of Guaimaca, and also at the Marie Poussepin Center.


 

 



We can see Sister Gloribel visiting different homes.

       At the Marie Poussepin Center Sr. Gloribel vaccinated many of the younger students.   

 


Andrea López, one of the tutors,
was also vaccinated
She had just turned 21 years old

 

Meriboni Bonilla, a 2010 graduate,
who was visiting at the moment,
also benefitted from the onsite vaccination.

It is good t see Sr. Gloribel being more familiar witht he different aspects of healthcare. 

This is certainly a great asset to the community and to the mission!

THE MANGO TREE AT THE MARIE POUSSEPIN CENTER

Those who have been to Guaimaca and specifically to the Marie Poussepin Center, know of our mango tree in the middle of the patio. This is a very special place for our students, who love to gather around the mango during their breaks and study times.

It is also a place where some parents wait for their children on Fridays or sit for a while to talk with them on Monday mornings before they go back to their villages.

The first months of school, the mango tree is always a temptation because the flowers gradually turn into small mangoes, which our students love to eat….However, they know they are not to “abort” them before they are ready to eat…and ready for them means “green” (not riped) to be eaten with salt and spices.

This year, our three Stonehill Volunteers spent some time on a Friday afternoon, once they students had gone home for the weekend, picking the mangoes from the tree as it can be seeing in the pictures. Needless to say they had a good time!

 



Matthew Rigby and Alex Flores

 





Christine Martone

 Also, our students had a good time, during the following weeks, as they enjoy the mangoes during during their break…Most of the time they have eaten them green, but also they have helped to peeled them for Digna, the cook, to prepare a delicious desert with the mangoes cooked with panela o raspadura (a dark brown sugar).

THANKS TO OUR MANGO TREE

 AND TO OUR VOLUNTEERS!

BISHOP COLEMAN'S VISIT AND CONFIRMATIONS

On March 5,2012 fourteen young women were confirmed at the Marie Poussepin Center's chapel by Bishop Coleman. This was a time of grace, not only for them, their families and sponsors, but also for everyone at the CMP.

 

 

 

 

 

Last year it was a year of preparation for each one of the students.

Sr. Teresa María and the tutors had followed them up to this moment.

For the sisters and the CMP community this was the highlight of the Bishops visit to Guaimaca. 

He actually spend most of the morning among us.

GROUPS HAVE DONE GREAT WORK!

The projects of the Dominican Sisters in Guaimaca exist thanks to the collaboration of many people and groups from different parts of the USA.  For over ten years, generous people, young an older, have been coming to Guaimaca to make possible different ways of responding to the needs of the poor.  Through their time, talent, work and financial help they make it possible for us to incarnate the charism of Our Foundress, Marie Poussepin, in the education, health care and human promotion through work of the poor of Guaimaca and its villages.

Two other groups that have been very faithful year after year, are the one's from Lexington, from two parishes of the Archdiocese of Boston, and the "Hope Group" from Stonehill College. Here are a few pictures of some of their activities during the time they were in Guaimaca.

Sr. Marta Inés Toro with Larry Maloney, Frank Bellini and Tom Lukez, from Lexington, viewing the possible projects for the week at Nazareth Farm..

Larry gets to work!  An irrigation system for the noni and vegetable beds.

Also, a place to wash the produce baskets and to refresh from a day's work!

Larry also works at the other project...a roof on the compost shed.

The shed really needs a better roof!              Varena gets to work......
  
        One that doesn't leak....             
                                                                                It helps to be tall!

It is important to measure well.



by the end of the week...





Completed new roof!


The "Hope Group" from Stonehill was very involved in different activities at the parish and at the clinic.  At the Marie Poussepin Center they spent time with the students and with Chrisitna, Alex and Mattthew, the three Extension Volunteers, in different activities.  Some of the members of the group painted the values of the CMP on the walls to replace the ones painted by a previous Hope Group a few years ago. 

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!