Patty Hinton – Midwest Regional Coordinator, St. Louis Chapter
I had the good fortune to travel with three other Affiliates—Susan Porrovecchio, Jim Comes, and Gerry Mullaney—on our post-MAC tour to the Coatepeque region of Guatemala.
First, we spent time with Sister-Doctor Dee Smith, MM, and saw her tremendous accomplishments—finding and treating those diagnosed with HIV in and around Coatepeque. Most of those infected live in extreme poverty and also must deal with the stigma of this disease and rejection by their families. With a caring and dedicated staff, Sr. Dee has developed an outreach program to educate not only those in schools, but also families dealing with an infected family member.
Sr. Dee began the Santa Maria center in 2004, where attention is given to improving not only physical but also emotional care. They provide counseling, spiritual support, nutrition education, and physiotherapy as those inected continue their anti-retroviral treatment. Part of their holistic approach is to encourage the families to establish gardens with vegetables and healing herbs, as nutrition is key to strengthening immune systems. The center needs two new exercise bikes to help counter the various degrees of paralysis the disease can cause.
Then we were on our way to Catarina, San Marcos, to visit Sister-Doctors Jane Buellesbach and Mary Lou Daoust, MM, at their clinic where they see patients on Mondays. The rest of the week, they travel to 15 pueblos in rotation. They have a pharmacy and lab as well as a diabetic clinic which offers testing, treatment, and monitoring. While there, we also met a group of health promoters who were having a training session. They are educated by the sisters to diagnose through observation and treat common illnesses. They can dispense the basic medication the pharmacy provides.
Several of the outlying clinics are associated with fincas (large farms), where the workers, usually with several children, live in substandard housing and work under deplorable conditions, making about $7/day. Despite working long hours, they volunteer their time to staff the clinics one day a week. The sisters also have a vented woodstove project, as well as a water filtration project, where the families pay half and the Maryknoll Sisters pay the other half of the cost of home water filters. These projects help alleviate a variety of lung and parasite problems.
As with all mission trips, I discovered the connections that exist between all of us, and that even though we are many, we are one!
Mary Ryan-Hotchkiss – Portland Chapter
CONTRASIDA* was the mission of Maria Recinos and Irma Ventura de Ábrego years before they began attending the Maryknoll Affiliate gatherings. Dr. Mary Annel, MM, founded the CONTRASIDA Center in the 1990s in one of the poorer districts of San Salvador, El Salvador. Sr. Gloria Ardenio Agnes, MM, is now the only Maryknoll sister at the CONTRASIDA Center, but several other of the Salvadoran Maryknoll Affiliates also volunteer there. Affiliates and CONTRASIDA volunteers Norma Araujo de Orellana and Luis are in the photo. Affiliate Irma, not pictured, said she had worked with Sr. Mary (who only recently returned to the US due to illness) at CONTRASIDA for 13 years.
Sister. Mary initially wanted to elevate the dignity of the AIDS patients, to prepare them to die, but now the center prepares the patients to live fully. Their 170 patients range in age from 2 to 74 years. After receiving retrovirals, one patient has now survived 22 years.
A Pilgrimage Immersion Experience in Guatemala’s Western Highlands
Written by John MoritzJohn Moritz – Southeast Regional Coordinator, Northeast Florida Chapter
Following MAC 2017, 11 of us journeyed via the Pan American Highway into the western mountains of Guatemala. Our trip took us first to the beautiful volcanic area of Lake Atitlan and the towns around the lake, where one of our guides, Sr. Bernice Kita, MM, spent many years in pastoral ministry. We traveled by water taxi from San Antonio Palopó across the lake to the town of Santiago Atitlan, where we saw the location of Fr. Stanley Rother’s martyrdom, and, perhaps more poignantly, the massacre of many indigenous peoples with whom he lived in solidarity. This was a prayerful and meditative time for all of us. Because of her close association with Fr. Stan, Sr. Bernice made this experience come alive for us.
Then we visited the mission site of our second guide, Maryknoll Affiliate Steve Barrett. in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala’s second largest city. There, street children who work in the marketplace from a young age are provided with onsite learning opportunities that complement rather than conflict with their necessary work time. This ecumenical effort offers fundamental educational opportunities as well as vocational training, within an incredibly holistic approach to becoming a fulfilled human.
Susan Porrovecchio – Missoula Chapter
Montana had two feet of snow on the ground when I left home for this much anticipated adventure. Flying into Guatemala early in the morning, as the sun was rising over the mountains, was an awesome sight I will never forget. I was not prepared for the city hustle and bustle of Guatemala City. But Verbo Encarnado Retreat House was out of the city, in a very beautiful tropical setting, a paradise for the senses, and warm.
In all the church and health conferences I have attended, never have I had a better conference experience anywhere! Rosa Beatriz and the whole organizing committee were amazing. Our every need was attended to. Many times we were challenged to think how we felt about our mission as Maryknoll Affiliates and how we perceived the future. We had many opportunities to meet with and share ideas with the attendees. It was encouraging to see how the Guatemala Affiliates included many young people and their families. The unique character of Maryknoll—embracing and being open to different cultures and walking with the people—was wonderfully present throughout the gathering. The poet and Mayan spiritual guide, Daniel Caño’s presentation was worth the price of admission!
I took the post conference Mission Trip I for its health care focus. We were a small group of four Affiliates, our driver, and our guide, two very kind and thoughtful men who showed us the hill country. They introduced us to the indigenous people who shared their stories and welcomed us so graciously into their homes. It was very evident that the Maryknoll Sisters we met— Dee, Jane, and Mary Lou—had empowered the local people, who in turn were giving voice and ministering to the needs and concerns of others, walking with them and advocating for them.
Mary Ryan-Hotchkiss – Portland Chapter
Many people who attended MAC 2017 visited Caminando Por la Paz in Zone 18 of Guatemala City. Caminando is an example of one possible future for Affiliates in mission. The Caminando was formed by Fr. Tom Goekler, MM, along with several young men who came with him from Honduras. After his untimely death a few years ago, Ron Covey and the Houston Affiliates took a bigger role in providing support and a connection with Maryknoll in the US.
The young men and women of Caminando continue to provide local children tutoring and breakfast and lunch, a safe place to gather, wholesome community activities, and cover age of some school fees. They participate in the Guatemala Affiliate Chapter and helped plan the Conference. The Maryknoll Affiliates/Catholic Workers at Caminando Por La Paz send their greetings:
Carlos Miranda, the house president: ”Come visit us any time you want!”
Fredy Sánchez: ”We work with the good to make it the best.”
Isis Miranda: “We loved the Conference. The Affiliates are amazing.”
Lennie Sazo: “The doors of Caminando Por La Paz are open for everyone.”
Caminando offers ways for Affiliates to participate besides visiting. Extended homestays could be arranged for Affiliates who would like to help tutor the children after school. Some Affiliates have brought or sent games that are not language specific, such as Jenga or Legos, for use at the House. Caminando offers the opportunity to support and communicate with individual children through an annual sponsorship. Some Affiliate chapters help distribute the fair trade Family Coffee that Caminando sells to raise funds for the children’s educational programs while providing a living income to several families of coffee growers in Honduras. Donations of any size are gratefully accepted.
For more information on Family Coffee distribution, volunteer opportunities, or material needs, contact Ron Covey at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Cecibel Flores and Irma Ventura de Ábrego joined the post-MAC Conference Mission Visit No. 4 in El Salvador. The fledgling Salvadoran Affiliate group had sent Cecibel and Maria Recinos as representatives to MAC 2017. Fr. Jack Northrup, MM, who tries to attend Affiliate meetings, joined the tour at AcoMujerza, the mission site of Melissa Altman, a Maryknoll Lay Missioner. Fr. Jack, with whom Cecibel works visiting the sick in hospitals, invited her to an Affiliate meeting three or four years ago. Now Cecibel is the contact person for the Affiliate group. Irma said about six or seven people typically attend their monthly Affiliate gatherings. A Maryknoll sister or priest sometimes provides the program for the Affiliate meeting.
The group often meets where several in the group volunteer—at the ContraSIDA site. ContraSIDA was founded by Maryknoll Sister Dr. Mary Annel (See the ContraSIDA story in this issue.) Irma said she misses Sr. Mary, who returned to Maryknoll in New York the previous week because of deteriorating health. Sr. Gloria Ardenio Agnes, MM, currently at ContraSIDA, may return to New York 2018. The Affiliates also miss Maryknoll Lay Missioner Joe Hastings, who had attended many of their meetings before he also returned to the US.
The Salvadoran Affiliates were happy to spend time with Lay Missioner Melissa Altman during this mission visit and hope to continue a close relationship with the Lay Missioners. They are learning more and more about Maryknoll and enjoy the No Tan Lejos del Horizonte, the Spanish language Maryknoll Affiliate newsletter. Their love and respect for the Maryknoll sisters, priests, and Lay Missioners brought them to the Maryknoll Affiliate group, but the spirituality and their passion for mission keep them coming.
Roger Schiltz – Seattle Chapter
At the MAC 2017 in Guatemala, we walked slowly, slowly, counter-clockwise around the fire, praying and being with all of nature in the cosmos. Daniel Caño, a Mayan philosopher, poet, and spiritual leader, led the prayer thanking all of nature in the cosmos. We prayed in the circle and discussed the magic in our spiritual being in a circle. Circles are everywhere, in space, math, bubbles. Even honeybees dance in a circle to communicate.
Casa Materna Mary Ann Jackman: Ray of Hope and Legacy of Friendship
Written by Kitty MaddenKitty Madden – Affiliate in Nicaragua
The nights here in Matagalpa grow longer as we await the coming of the Light. I write from the Casa Materna, a project I have helped to nurture and one that has so lovingly nurtured me…for over 27 years. It is an appropriate moment to thank all of the Maryknoll Affiliates who have been a bright light for us both spiritually and financially.
I am remembering the warm invitation I received from Mary Ann Jackman in 1985 to “come and work with me and my people in Nicaragua.” Though she did not live to see the Casa that would bear her name and welcome so many mothers, we feel her presence here with us daily.
In early November, I was overjoyed to be with many of you at the gathering so graciously hosted in Guatemala by our sister/brother Affiliates there. At that time, I shared the somewhat bittersweet news that the work of the Casa Materna would end December 31st. We are grateful that we have fulfilled our primary goal of providing services for rural mothers with high-risk pregnancies, reducing maternal death here in Nicaragua.
Patty Hinton – Midwest Regional Coordinator, St. Louis Chapter
Buen Vivir—“living in harmony and equilibrium with the cycles of Mother Earth, the cosmos, and life in all its forms,” caused me to reflect on Lent in some different ways. This Lent, we might do a few things to connect with all creation:
• Take a walk at least once a week and appreciate the beauty of nature—listen and let it speak to your heart.
• Connect with an Affiliate you don’t know well—if possible, someone outside your own country.
• Read a book and reflect/pray on our connection with all life. Check out Orbis books (http://www.orbisbooks.com) for some ideas.
• Make it a point to use that leftover food and be conscious of not wasting.
• Try a vegetarian life-style, if possible during all of Lent, or at least more often than on Fridays.
• Fast more frequently, in varying degrees: skip lunch and send the money saved to Maryknoll projects.
• Contact your state/local representatives and stand up against injustice. Many issues are described at the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, maryknollogc.org.
• Read NSFA or NTLH cover to cover, and pray for those mentioned.
• Volunteer at a homeless shelter or food pantry/outreach program in your area.
May some of these ideas, and other ways you think of to connect with creation during Lent, bring a sense of new life to you this Easter.
Sister Teruko Ito, MM, – Affiliate Board Member
After the 2017 Maryknoll Affiliate Conference in Guatemala, I reconnected with my former mission site and renewed my life energy and hope in mission. I was able to visit San Marcos, a beautiful town in the Western Highland of Guatemala near the Mexican border located about five hours northeast of Guatemala City, at an altitude of about 3000 feet. Another Maryknoll sister and I, as members of the Diocesan Pastoral Team for Women, visited many of the parishes, empowering their women’s teams.
Many women, mostly Mayan, shared their joy at being able to see the bigger world more clearly, as though being led out of the smoke in their kitchens. Besides themes from the Bible, we discussed women’s health, women’s rights, ecological projects, and managing profit-generating handcrafts. Many women shared their struggle to find safe places.
More...
This issue illustrates that as Maryknoll Affiliates, global vision informs and influences our response to problems. We salute the Affiliates and Maryknollers in the Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. Our global vision teaches us that wars and nuclear weapons not only threaten the warring countries, but as President Eisenhower stated in the 1950s,”Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger…” This NSFA offers a Pax Christi prayer to aid reflection on the UN Nuclear Weapon Treaty and on the US role with nuclear weapons stealing from the hungry and the poor.
Kevin Foy’s global vision, developed overseas and in the southern US, leads him to recognize and address racism at home. Marie Venner stresses the urgency of doing something about climate change since the contribution from highly industrialized areas such as the US disproportionately impacts low-lying or poor countries.
Informed by global vision, Affiliates in San Rafael, California, reach out to refugees and immigrants knowing that US trade and immigration policies contribute to the migration. Tell us how your Affiliate global vision shapes your response to the problems in our midst at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Articles in this issue:
- ICAN Wins Nobel Peace Prize
- Our Cup is Full
- Renewable Energy—A Simple 1-2-3
- 5 Things Christian Mission Teaches Me About Confronting Racism
- Prayer for International Acceptance of the Nuclear Ban
- The Catholic Church Moves Towards Nonviolence?
- Caring for Refugees and Immigrants
- I Was an Alien and You Welcomed Me
- A Report on Pace e Bene’s Campaign Nonviolence Event
From the Board and Executive Coordinator:
Beth Begley – New Jersey Chapter
The Nobel committee awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize to ICAN—International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons “for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons.”
ICAN—International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons draws “attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences
of any use of nuclear weapons and [works] to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons.”—Nobel Prize Committee
Maryknoll and Pax Christi International were integral members of the ICAN campaign to achieve the Nuclear Ban Treaty, and their efforts continue toward ratification in each signing nation and entry into force.
It had been very discouraging that our efforts brought so little awareness, especially here in the US. Then we awoke on October 7th to the Nobel Peace Prize. As part of the campaign, my email has been happily flooded with congratulations and encouragement from our campaigners all over the world.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was opened for signatures on September 20th. There need to be 50 ratifications for it to enter into force. Three states have ratified to date—the Vatican was first. In spite of pressure from the US, we expect the treaty to be in effect within two years and to serve as a moral benchmark. (Editor: The US has not signed or ratified.)
Although the nuclear states try to discount this accomplishment, I see it as a part of a new expression of empowerment by the nonnuclear and less powerful states and by a new generation of activists working from the ground up and giving priority to reducing the humanitarian effects of war and violence. The Land Mine Treaty and the Treaty on Cluster Munitions were the first steps in this movement.
Note: To learn more about the negotiations at the United Nations to adopt a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons leading toward their total elimination, read Sister Elizabeth Zwareva, MM’s report in the July-August 2017 issue of NewsNotes at http://maryknollogc.org/article/un-nuclear-ban-treaty-negotiations.
In early November, around 100 Affiliates and friends will be attending MAC 2017, our international Maryknoll Affiliate Conference, in Guatemala. The MAC Coordinating Committee tells us,
The assembly cup is full. We welcome Maryknoll Affiliates who will live the harmony between people and Mother Earth inspired by the theme of Buen Vivir.
The Coordinating Committee asked for responses to these questions: What valuable learnings do I hope to leave with? In what ways would I like to see the theme “Buen Vivir” (Living in Harmony with All) become part of the commitment of the Affiliate Movement? What will be my own special contribution in this MAC 2017 assembly to strengthen the four Pillars (Community, Spirituality, Global Vision, Action) to the Maryknoll Affiliate Movement?
One person shared the thought, “Living in harmony with all challenges us to remember that the Blessing that awaits us is often outside our comfort zone!”
Read more of the thoughtful and inspiring responses they received (in English and Spanish), in the No Tan Lejos del Horizon Special MAC Edition and plan to hear a full report on our first truly international MAC in the next issue of NSFA.
impact on life, health, and wellbeing.
Marie Venner – Denver Chapter
Are you concerned about climate change but don’t know where to start? Here’s a path forward. For cleaner air, more jobs, and involvement for all, think 1-2-3 and prioritize!
- Shift control of our electricity to the community level.
- Electrify everything—no more investments
or taxes supporting fossil fuel. - Efficiency improvements can provide the quickest and best return.
By taking even some of the steps below, we can make progress toward our top priorities!
