EXPERIENCES IN MISSION

World Youth Day 2013 had two unique components. The first was a mission experience on route to Rio. There were two mission experiences for Victorian Pilgrims; one was Mission Chile and the other Project Peru. Read below for reflections on these experiences from pilgrims from the Diocese of Ballarat:

Mission Chile

On the way to World Youth Day 2013 in RIO, the Ballarat group of teachers who joined up with a Victorian group of pilgrims were fortunate enough to visit parts of Chile though a mission experience. As we were flying into Santiago, we were all trying to catch a glimpse out of the window at the amazing sight of the Andes Mountains. This was only the start of the wonderful sights and experiences our group had across the week.

We stayed at a place called Casa Mater Misericordiae that accommodated us all. It was a nice little place and the hosts were lovely. There was also a little chapel that we celebrated mass in. This place was a nice meeting point for us to reflect on our days happenings and to meet back with our larger Victorian group.

The first few days of our time in Chile were spent meeting the people, learning about their culture and attending masses at the different parishes. The masses were very fascinating and very inspiring. The enjoyment and closeness of everyone at mass was something that stood out for me. The mix of English and Spanish speaking priests and the way it was translated was just one example of how the church brings together people from across the world.

The last days were spent celebrating our time together and the relationship that we had developed with the Chilean people. The music, traditional & modern dances, gift sharing etc. were ways in which we celebrated and communicated the enjoyment of our last few days in Chile. It was quite a sad goodbye for both Chileans and Australians alike however it has been great to be able to continue to communicate with our friends through the use of modern technology. Mission Chile was an amazing experience that I was very fortunate to be apart of!

Shane Bruty

Project Peru With the support of St John of God Health Care (SJGHC), seven caregivers successfully applied for a three week pilgrimage experience to celebrate World Youth Day 2013 and undertake Mission work in Peru. The SJGHC pilgrims were: Michael Trainor (Leader) Director of Mission Health Choices Lydia Whiteside Executive Assistant Ballarat Megan Price Ward Clerk Ballarat Kristy Mippy Outreach Worker Murdoch Sally Taylor Phlebotomist Path West Peter Newsome Program Manager Accord Alana Ainsworth Occupational Therapist New Zealand (Halswell) Fr. Matthew Thomas Diocesan Priest Camperdown Victoria Our SJGHC pilgrims were part of a Victorian Diocese group of forty people who travelled to Peru, later merging into a group of one hundred and fifty in Rio for World Youth Day, and as part of a contingent of 1,500 pilgrims from Australia.

Introduction to Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage is traditionally a journey to a holy place where saints have walked, a place where God has met people and blessed them. People through the ages have journeyed with God on pilgrimage to perform a penance, to ask for healing, to pray for places where there is war or natural disaster and to pray for family, friends and those in need. Pilgrimage is an opportunity to travel lightly, to walk free of daily routines, to meet people, to make friends to enjoy and celebrate God’s creation. An opportunity too in the travelling to enjoy the conversations and the silences and to reflect on the journey of our own lives.

Our pilgrims spent six days working in the shanty town of Pamploma which has a population of 400,000 people to experience something of the poverty of this community. As pilgrims, we went out on a mission to immerse and serve alongside the members of the Christian Life Movement (CLM), whose works of mercy are spread throughout the city. We were invited to reflect upon the call to be missionaries in our own world and discover the joy of team work and the resilience of people.

To give an understanding of the living conditions the residents have no access to running water, no sanitation services (garbage removal, waste water management), erratic electricity supply and the ground is dirt and rocks. The housing is primarily composed of scavenged wood and iron with usually no more than two – three rooms and between three – five people per home. The homes are perched upon various mountains which the locals are required to negotiate to move throughout the community presenting a genuine issue for those who are elderly, have a disability or unable to easily walk on uneven ground.

Why build a staircase

To be recognised as a town by the local government one of the requirements is evidence of infrastructure - including a staircase. By building a staircase this community will be able to apply to the government for access to water, sanitation services and regular supplies of electricity. This is in addition to the obvious benefits of access to a staircase offers to people. The total cost for supplies for the staircase was approximately $5,000 of which SJGHC contributed $2,000.

Our task

Create a staircase of ninety metres. Pilgrims were divided into teams for garbage removal, rock collecting (from the side of the mountain) to bolster the staircase framework and add to the mix and concrete Picture: Before the staircase making. We were provided with recycled wood for a framework, two hammers, twelve buckets, two shovels, rocks, sand and concrete and worked under the supervision of a local builder who opened his home to us for meals and lunch time shelter. With no access to an electrical means of mixing and distributing the concrete, we mixed everything by hand at the top of the mountain and formed a chain along the framework and passed by hand buckets of concrete up and down.

Standing on the side of a mountain, in a foreign country, passing buckets of concretes, causes you to stop and contemplate life, the graces you have received, and connection to the SJGHC Mission. The motivation for this project was to honour the dignity of the human person lived in community and to literally be the arms and legs of the Mission in a different environment.

Our Pilgrims discussed acts of compassion, the importance of social justice and finding ways to use this experience as a way to stay connected to the Mission in our high tech world of medicine. Recognising also that our existing roles are important in the realisation of the Mission and meeting our obligations to maintain human dignity in our approach to care, service and healing. We got a real sense of what trying to achieve great acts with limited resources was like and thought about our pioneer Sisters and the simple words of St. John of God “Do good for yourself by doing good for others”

Almost half way

Before the staircase

The City of Pamploma

As news of our progress spread we were assisted by more community members who stood beside us and laughed at out attempts to speak the language (or perhaps that was just me). It was humbling to see the appreciation they had for our efforts and a privilege to be working with and learn more about how they lived.

The impact

When you witness people experiencing disadvantage and marginalisation you begin to appreciate their vulnerability and lack of power. Although we were initially shocked by the standard of living it was hard to ignore and be impacted by the genuine happiness and cohesion of the people. They have the greatest sense of family, community and hospitality and it reminded me that the acquisition of wealth and material possessions should not be the driving force in our lives. Interestingly, we sometimes found ourselves wondering who was feeling sorry for whom? It’s amazing how you can have nothing and yet have everything.

Commissioning ceremony

To officially open our steps and to hand ownership of them over to the community a commissioning ceremony was held and each step blessed by our priests. It was a great time of celebration for our partnership with the community and the achievement of team work.

Leaving

When the time came for our group to leave the community formed a line and hugged each pilgrim and thanked them for their contribution and the difference it would make to their lives. Many had tears in their eyes saying “amigos para siempre” which means friends for life. In closing about Project Peru I want to mention the healing Mission of Jesus and to advocate for opportunities for mission immersions to give perspective and to gentle remind everyone that Jesus is hidden in those most in need; to reject them is to reject God.

Final Reflection

We worked side by side with a community and learned what living in community really means. We were challenged by the way of life we encountered and discovered what really mattered in our own lives. We built a structure of hospitality and learnt the value of working as a team. We struggled to reach a goal and were strengthened by the value of service to others. We reflected on our own lives and discovered the Graces we have received. We explored different forms of prayer, reflection and meditation and recognised its place in our lives. We came with open minds, hearts and hands to witness the power of the Holy Spirit at work through us. and most importantly.... We started this pilgrimage as strangers and left as friends.

Acknowledgement

On behalf of the pilgrims I would like to thank the management committees of St. John of God Health Care for supporting our pilgrimage experience and to all caregivers who assisted the pilgrims in fundraising to enable this Mission work to be achieved.

Michael Trainor

A step we dedicated to St. John of God Health Care

Pilgrims (clockwise) Fr. Matthew Thomas, Alana Ainsworth, Lydiard Whiteside, Kristy Mippy, Michael Trainor, Sally Taylor, Megan Price and Peter Newsome.

Mission Chile / WYD

Two weeks ago I was one of the 3.7 million pilgrims who gathered in Rio with Pope Francis for World Youth Day. The first week of our pilgrimage was spent working with the Columbian Mission Society on the outskirts of Santiago in Chile.

When I walked out of the airport I was taken aback by the beauty of Santiago. The city was sprawled under the towering snowcapped Andes Mountains. However, as we drove to the outskirts of Santiago where we would be staying and working, my impression of the scenery began to change. The streets were filthy, there were stray dogs everywhere and the houses looked more like cages. Iron bars covered every entrance and instead of nature strips with picket fences, there were metal gates with barb wire lacing the top.

The need for this sort of protection was vital for the people living in this community, as there were lots of violent gangs and people who were under the influence of drugs and alcohol who seemed to roam and control the streets. You may expect people who live in this kind of environment to be depressed, angry or violent however the people we met from the St Matias parish were the exact opposite. I don't think I've ever met people so warm, generous and friendly. As soon as we walked off the bus, the community greeted us with big hugs and presented us little badges they had made. Together we went to our first Mass.

Mass was quite different to the services we have here. For one, the music was very loud with drums, whistles and lots of clapping. Instead of shaking hands and saying 'peace be with you', everyone moves around the pews sharing a hug and a kiss on the cheek. This takes at least ten minutes! During the homily parishioners called out what I think were words of support and encouragement to the priest. For example if Father Bill (Port Fairy's parish priest ) said something really inspiring instead of just sitting and nodding in agreement, we would yell out and say things like “that's right Father Bill!” Father Bill has already informed me he does not need me or anyone else to yell out any words of encouragement during his homilies! The last big surprise was that everyone is welcome to the services, including the stray dogs. Yes, there were quite a few dogs that just came into the church. One even sat next to me!

Over our week in Santiago we visited the local hospital, which looked more like our clinics. Here we provided biscuits and sandwiches to the people waiting. We were told that for many of these people, this would have been their only meal for the day. We learnt traditional songs and dances from the youth group. We spent a day at the Comedor (we call this a soup kitchen). This again, was a very simple building run by volunteers. The meal we had here was delicious. It was a soup, filled with pasta and beans. Before we came to Chile, the students in my school and the parish held fundraisers and raised just over $800.00. I presented Father Willie Lee, the priest in charge, with this money and he informed me the money we raised would be used to help the comedor.

One day we went with the youth group into the city. The city was beautiful and looked very similar to our own cities here. We visited the cathedrals and museums. It was such a great day. We found out after talking with the youths that this was the first time many of them had been to the city. To put that into perspective, that would be like people in Port Fairy never going to Warrnambool.

It was amazing to see how supportive this community was to one another. They looked after each other and always shared what little they had. I saw a group of five teenagers sitting around talking and they didn't know I was watching them. One of them was excited as they had a chocolate bar. It looked to be the size of a Milky Way. Without being asked, he took a small bite then passed it to the person next to him, this person then did the same. They did this until every person in the group had a piece. We saw this thoughtfulness every day.

Each night our group would have time for reflection. A point was made in our group discussion, 'who are the poorer people, those who live in poverty or those who are confronted with abundance of choice?' The facts that we have so many opportunities, resources and choices can often make us selfish and make us give priority to the wrong things. It was a privilege meeting and working with the people from the St. Matias community. This experience reminded me that it is the invisible things and actions that should drive us in life, not the material things.

The next two weeks were spent in Rio. Approximately 1,500 Australian pilgrims gathered at the warehouse on Pier Mau, which would be known as Aussie Central. These warehouses were to be our home for the next week. We spent the mornings going to catchesis and listening to bishops and cardinals from around the world discuss issues the church was facing today.

Whole group of Mission Chile

Samantha and Fr Michael

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, was my favourite speaker. He spoke about the term 'hope' and how we are living in a day where many people don't believe in God because they can't see him. Some people say they only believe in things that are visible but invisible things such as love, loyalty, trust friendship, hope are true too. These are the things that should drive our lives.

Cardinal Dolan discussed how other people, the world around us, ourselves and time, can all be enemies to hope and therefore enemies to our belief in God. We often ask God for help and because we do not get answered straight away, we lose our hope and belief in God. Archbishop Dolan used a great metaphor in response to this. He said “We are impatient people, we are like microwaves, wanting things ready quickly but God isn't like a microwave, he is like a crock pot. He takes his time but the food is tastier and always better.” Therefore, he reminded us that sometimes our prayers won't be answered immediately, however they will answered in time if we are patient.

The theme for WYD was 'Go and make disciples of all nations' which is a quote from Matthew's gospel. Now as Pope Francis made very clear, this means it's not enough to just go to church. He said it's very important to attend church as it's here you experience the Eucharist, however to be a true disciple of God, you have to physically do things for others. It may mean supporting a good cause, visiting people who may be lonely, including others or taking part in a community organisation. These are things we can all do.

In the afternoons, we had special Masses on Copacabana beach. Pope Francis came to these and I was lucky to get very close to him. I think he actually waved at me! Millions of people came to these services. Every group held a flag that represented their country and it was an amazing sight being part of a huge crowd, all flying their flags and being united through Christ.

On our last night in Rio, we were supposed to sleep in a huge field on the outskirts of the city, however it rained so much, the field turned to mud. This wasn't the problem. The organisers said we could sleep on the mud but then at the last minute they changed the sleep out to Copacabana beach. We later found out it was because four alligators were caught the day before on the field!

So, on the final night, 3.7 million people and I slept on the beach and waited for 10:00 am when Pope Francis would arrive for the last time. He led our Mass and then announced that the next WYD would be in three years time in Poland. WYD was a wonderful experience which left me feeling rejuvenated, deepened my understanding about our faith and helped me develop a better relationship with God.

I would like to thank all of the students, staff and parents at St Patrick’s School Port Fairy as well as Father Bill and the parish for their support, prayers and assistance with fundraising. I would also like to thank the Catholic Education Office Ballarat for the support and encouragement they gave me throughout this whole experience.

Samantha Reicha

3.7 million pilgrims on Copacabana Beach for sleep out

Ballarat Diocese Pilgrims at Copacabana beach