OUR LONG TERM VOLUNTEERS

Our long term volunteers live at a house donated by Dan Redgate, a Stonehill Graduate, who for several years lived in Guaimaca some months at  a time.

 Dan helped out in a variety of ways:  tutoring, sorting out medications, being a eucharistic minister, visiting the sick with Sr. Lucía, joining the efforts of other friends volunteering at the moment.

 This  is the third year that we have the Stonehill Extension Program in Honduras. They are graduates from Stonehill College volunteering for eleven months at the CMP.  Helen Rodríguez and Alicia Talty's experience is enhanced by the fact that they are sharing their life and mission with Jenny Jordan, a Catholic Medical Mission Board volunteering at the clinic.

 
For us, the Sisters, it is a joy to have these young women giving their time, energy and talents to help us bring "the knowlege of Jesus Christ and his mysteries" to the poor we are trying to serve. It is certainly a tremendous support for us in our different ministries.


They work with the local tutors not only with the academic subjects, but also with different activities to provide a comprehensive formation to our students.

Students receiving healthcare from Jenny

A good picture of our tutors

Helen and Alicia visiting a home of one of the students

Doing yoga together

Our volunteers are a good role model for our students. They enjoy being and working with the local tutors.

The weekend of April 12-14 was a special one for our mission: Father Mark Cregan, took time from his busy schedule as President of Stonehill College, to visit our Stonehill Volunteers. He spend time visiting with them and with Jenny Jordan. 

  As it can be seeing through the pictures, this was a unique experience. Fr. Mark is an excellent cook! He teamed up with Alicia, Jenny and Helen and prepared a delicious brunch for the volunteers and for us: Sisters María, Marta Inés, Olga and Teresa María.

Father Mark spent quality time with each one of the volunteers and also took them out to eat at a restaurant in the nearby state of Olancho. They truely experienced much support from him!

 

On Saturday evening we had the celebration of the Eucharist. Our Lay Associates participated with us. It was a special paschal liturgy.

Now we keep Fr. Mark in our prayers as he went back to his last months at Stonehill College. We will always be thankful to him for the great support he has given to our mission in Guaimaca and for making it possible to have the Stonehill Extension Program volunteers at the Marie Poussepin Center.

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PASTORAL MINISTRY AT THE CLINIC

These past weeks have been filled with emotion at St. Rose of Lima Clinic as  the staff tries to respond to the needs of Heydi Julissa, a young girl who came to the clinic with her father. Heydi Julissa had been sick and with a distended stomack for several years.  The family had not taken any steps to access healthcare for her. As she was examined by Jenny Jordan, our Medical Mission Board volunteer, she could see that she was suffering a serious condition and needed to be sent to the Hospital.

She presented the case to Sr. María Ceballos, who confirmed the seriousness of her condition.  Both Sr. María and Sr. Olga Diaz, in coversations with the father, realized Heydi had not been baptized. Given the seriousness of her condition, the possibility of being baptized was presented to both Heydi Julissa and her father and both agreed to it.  

 

It was providential that Fr. Jonathan, the pastor, was available and as soon as he was contacted he came to the clinic. So, what started as a normal consult, became the opportunity for this child to be baptized and both Jenny and Sr. Olga, became involved in a very personal way:  Sr. Olga as the sponsor and Jenny as a witness.  This was a priviledge moment for both of them, as well as for the rest of the clinic staff.  For Jenny, a very committed Christian in the Presbiterial Church, was certainly a moment of faith celebration.

 

 Heydi Yulisa has been to the Hospital in Tegucigalpa several times, and is still waiting for the appropriate diagnosistic testing, including a biopsy. This shows the poor healthcare service in Honduras, especially for those who do not have any financial means. 

In one of the times she was sent back to Guaimaca, both Jenny and Sr. Olga went to visit her at home.  We can see some of the pictures of this emotional and happy visit.

  





These encounters and the baptism have had a great impact in all those involved. We are still hoping for good healthcare for Heydi Julissa and hopefully the improvement of her health condition!

LAY ASSOCIATES REFLECT ON BIOETHICS

The nine men and women who made their commitment as Associates in our Congregation on November 21, 2012, started to have a bimontly afternoon of reflection and ongoing formation on February 9, 2013.  In planning what could be  more appropriate for them in this first gathering of the year, we thought a Session on Bioethics would respond to realities they face in their lives and at the same time it would give them the opportunity to experience the life of the Congregation at this moment.

Thanks to the fact that Sr. Marta Inés Toro was in Bolivia helping out as translator, she was able to get first hand not only the rich experience of the event, but also some of the presentations.  So, we had a full afternoon of sharing on the reality encountered around us in relation to respect of life, nurturing of life, care of creation, respect and preservation of the environment.  They all encounter some of these situations in their daily lives, in their families, and some of them in their work at the farm or in the office of forest preservation.

We were able to delve into the main content presented in Bolivia by Fr. Marcio Fabri, using the power point presentations he prepared and trying to relate it to the Lay Associates' experiences. It really brought to them how we need to open our eyes to the realities around us, have strong principles of respect for life, discern in everycase how to act according to the Gospel asking the Lord to be our guide in every circumstance.  Some of the Associates, who are tutors at the Marie Pousspein Center, talked about some of their experiences in helping the young ones to be formed in these attitudes of respecting and fostering life.

We ended the afternoon with evening prayer in the Chapel, using one of the prayers prepared by some of our sisters for the Bioethics Meeting in Bolivia. 

 

This was just a start in this direction to which we have 

committed ourselves as a Congregation, 

thanks to our own motion as a Structure. 

We just pray it will gradually have a ripple effect around us!

NEW YEAR CELEBRATION AT THE FARM

It is the joined effort that makes possible 

any of our missions here in Guaimaca. 

This is a very concrete reality at the Farm, 

where we have: 

• Professional people, like Joel Espinoza, a young agronomist engineer, a graduate from Zamorano University, and Manuel Martínez, his assistant, who is also a Lay Associate of the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation.
   

• We also have many young workers in different capacities, many of whom have been able to complete their studies while working with us.

 

• The Marie Poussepin students who go every week during the school year to learn and to contribute with their work.

• There are also many volunteers who come during the year with different groups to Guaimaca and who spend their days at the farm helping in different capacities.

Every year we have some time of celebration with the regular workers around the Christmas holidays, ususally at the beginning of the year, close to the feast of the Epiphany.    

This year, the four sisters went to the farm on January 3rd to thank them for their work and dedication.

We brought some "nacatamales" the typical food to celebrate during Christmas time, coffee prepared with coffee beans cultivated and harvested at the farm. 

 

We also gave them 
some backpacks 
as a small gift 
to each one of them.

 

Of course, we also had some time of prayer and song, animated by a couple of guitarists

and all of them singing.

 This year the celebration had a special meaning because we were very thankful to them and to the Lord 

for a good end of 2012 and beginning of 2013 with good and abundant crops. 

May this be a sign of a fruitful 2013!

DECEMBER AT THE MARIE POUSSEPIN CENTER

During the first week of December we were happy to have among us some people from St. Nicholas Parish in Dighton, MA.  The came ready to help us in whatever way it was needed.  Since our students have been home on vacation and working picking coffee, our volunteers worked on some maintenance projects at the Marie Poussepin Center that were badly needed. They certainly accomplish a lot in just a few days!

 

Nancy and Brian Brown meet Mirna Carolina,
the best student at the Marie Poussepin Center.

The students had finished the school year, but there were six of them waiting for their final exam to be able to graduate.  The day finally came when Sr. Teresa María received a phone call that four examiners were coming on December 7th.  Although sometimes the phone signal  does not reach all the villages, she was able to reach the six students to ask them to return to Guaimaca. 


They did very well presenting their social projects: to teach the basics of reading, writing and math to some adults and to plant medicinal gardens to process the medications and teach others their benefits for good health.  

Each one signed the Graduation Act 

       All the students were congratulated  by the examiners.                                             

The graduates pledging to use well what has been received and to put it
at the service of the their communities and the country.

 Now it was time to gather with their families and have a Thanksgiving Mass. This took place on December 14th, at the chapel of the Marie Poussepin Center.

The graduates with some of their tutors

The gazebo was a good place to celebrate with their families and tutors.

May this fifth group of CMP graduates continue their growth to be the best of themselves for their own happiness and the good of their communities!