Sister Helen's Despedida - Guatemala Chapter

Photo by Ginny McEvoy

Last Saturday, 7/3 the Guatemala Affiliate Chapter held a Zoom “despedida” (goodbye) celebration for Sister Helen Werner MM, who had spent many of her 101 years of life among the Guatemalan people in the village of Lemoa.  As the Guatemala Chapter does so well, the celebration was beautifully formatted, touching and spiritually based.  It was also in English to accommodate many on the Zoom who didn’t speak Spanish.  That is a tribute to Colegio Monte Maria, established in 1953 by the Maryknoll Sisters where so many Guatemalan women learned English and a deep commitment to justice.  What a commentary!

Sister Helen is a small woman with a soft voice and gentle way about her.  Those characteristics however, cannot hide a deep commitment to her vocation and to the Guatemalan people she came to love in her time there. Truly, love and a bigness of spirit are visible the very first time anyone meets this kind and gentle woman.  If there were only more Sister Helens in the world!

There is always a certain sadness in having to say goodbye but this celebration was so beautiful and so heartfelt that a sense of peace and gratefulness stayed with all of us who participated.  Helen will return home to the Sisters’ Motherhouse in Ossining in a few days.