Miles to go

by Bishop John C. Nienstedt

This past summer I was able to make my first pastoral visit to our Mission of San Lucas Toliman in Guatemala. The origin of our close, ecclesial association with this parish goes back to the first session of the Second Vatican Council when Pope John XXIII asked first world bishops to twin with third world bishops. The bishop of the Guatemalan Diocese which now includes Solola and our own Bishop Schladweiler were seated next to each other in the Council Hall, having been named bishops at the same time. They formed a pact, accepting "Good Pope John’s" challenge and a match was made!

Monsignor Greg Schaffer and Father John Goggin have been assigned there for forty and thirty-seven years respectively. They have provided wonderful, visionary leadership, sometimes in the face of violent opposition, but always with an eye to promoting the dignity of the devout indigenous people as heirs of God’s Kingdom both in heaven and on earth.

The history of Guatemala is the story of the land. Whoever has control of the land has held the political power over the destiny of the people. (One of my guides called this "land power," an expression I had never heard before.) Colonial powers came from abroad and conquered the land by force. They subsequently indentured the native people to work the plantations (fincas). The landowners were expected to provide housing, food and religious services for their workers. This was done with varying levels of generosity, usually on the lower end of the equation.

Armed with the Catholic theological principles of the dignity of the human person, solidarity with the poor and a methodology of subsidiarity, our diocesan priests have provided a vision for the people to obtain their own self-sufficiency as well as the means to achieve it. An infrastructure has been established: education was needed and so a school was established; health care was a requirement and so a clinic, providing both medical and dental assistance, was set up; land was purchased and a construction crew was subsequently assembled; work was a necessity, so a factory for processing coffee beans was founded; trees needed to be replaced on the hillsides and a program of reforestation was the response. All these elements, though physically tangible, have given birth to something even more important: a sense of hopefulness for a better, more prosperous tomorrow.

On the Sunday after my arrival, the parish (made up of twenty-two distinct communities) held a fiesta in honor of my thirtieth anniversary of priestly ordination (July 27). I would have been embarrassed if I thought this was just for me. In reality, it was the heartfelt expression of a grateful people for the more than forty years that our Diocese has supported them and their parish community.

That Sunday I was awakened at 5:00 a.m. to the singing of a hundred or so young members of the assembled youth groups. The idea behind this practice is that your fiesta should begin with beautiful thoughts that last all day. That turned out to be true!

At 9:30 a.m. we celebrated an outdoor liturgy with about 2,000 people present. The townsfolk began at 4:00 a.m. to make a traditional alfombra or carpet that ran from the street to the altar. It was brightly colored with pine needles, dyed sawdust and an array of flowers. When I arrived in the procession, I was told to walk on this beautiful construct. Though I felt guilty, I did. These people really know how to show their hospitality!

I celebrated and preached in Spanish and the congregation seemed to understand my American accent. After Mass, everyone present had a chance to greet me with a hug. The better part of two marvelous hours was spent in this way! A meal of stew and tamales had been prepared for everyone present. So, I was asked to bless this carefully prepared meal before anyone ate.

I spent several mornings visiting the villages and projects that make up the parish. Each afternoon Father John and I would celebrate Mass for a different community, where people arrived early for personal prayer and stayed after for an instruction by a catechist.

Here I found a wonderful model for what we are proposing as "oratories" in our Plan for Parishes. People come to the main church for Sunday Mass, but find another time during the week to use their local chapels for gathering the neighborhood folk. I saw no dichotomy or "turf" distinction evident between the two. These people simply knew they belonged to a larger reality of "church" on Sunday, but during the week they were content to gather as small based communities to share and grow in their faith.

I am aware that many people in our Diocese have formed the opinion that the "oratory" status is the "next best thing" to closure. I would argue that this thinking is too short-sighted. I believe that an oratory could effectively breathe new life into an Area Faith Community. Granted, a certain creativity will be called for, but these smaller communities could form groups for religious instruction, Eucharistic adoration, spiritual support or social apostolic outreach. It won’t be your Father’s Oldsmobile, but there is no reason to believe it cannot be effective. But again, much will depend upon the ingenuity of those who are authentically open to the Holy Spirit in making it work.

At a conference I attended recently, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said that he believed that the true renewal of parish life today will happen in smaller mission dioceses. This has already been the case at San Lucas Toliman. I hope and pray it will be the same for us in this beautiful, rural Diocese.

May God love you!

October, 2004

Falta Mucho por Recorrer

Por el obispo John C. Nienstedt

Este verano tuve la oportunidad de hacer mi primera visita pastoral a nuestra Misión de San Lucas Toliman en Guatemala. El origen de nuestra cercania, eclesiástica a esta parroquia viene desde la primera sesión del Segundo Consejo del Vaticano cuando el Papa Juan XXIII pidió a los primeros obispos del mundo unirse a los obispos del tercer mundo. El obispo de la Diócesis Guatemalteca que ahora incluye Solola y nuestro propio obispo Schladweiler, juntos en el salon consejal y siendo nombrado obispos al mismo tiempo, formaron un pacto, aceptando así el buen desafio del Papa Juan y se hizo en trato.

Ese domingo después de mi llegada, la parroquia (compuesta por veintidós comunidades distintas) celebró una fiesta en honor a mi trigésimo aniversario de la ordenación sacerdotal (27 de Julio). Me hubiera sentido avergonzado si la celebración hubiera sido solo para mí. La realidad fue la expresion del pueblo agradecido a la Diócesis por su gran generosidad de apoyar a toda su comunidad.

Ese domingo me despertaron a las 5:00 de la mañana y junto con cientos de grupos juveniles cantarón. La idea detrás de esta práctica es que su fiesta comience con pensamientos hermosos que dura todo el día. Resulto, que fue verdad! A las 9:30 a.m. celebramos una liturgia al aire libre con 2000 personas presentes. La gente del pueblo comenzó con los preparativos a las 4:00 a.m. para hacer una alfombra tradicional de flores. Dicha alfombra se extendía desde la calle hasta el altar. La alfombra era colorido y brillaba con agujas de pino, acerrin teñido y un arsenal de flores. Cuando llegué a la procesión, me dijeron para caminar por la construcción hermosa. Aunque, me sentia culpable, lo hice. ¡La comunidad realmente sabe como demostrar su hospitalidad!

Celebré y prediqué en español y la congregación parecía entender mi acento americano. Después de la misa, los presentes tuvieron la oportunidad de saludarme con un abrazo. Cocinaron guiso y tamales para los presentes y antes de comer, me pidieron bendecir la comidad cuidadosamente.

Por varios días por la mañana visitaba las aldeas y los proyectos que forman parte de la parroquia. Cada tarde Padre Juan y yo celebramos la misa para las diversas comunidades, donde la gente llegaba temprano para rezo personal y permanecian allí para recibir las instrucciones por un catequista.

Aquí encontré un modelo maravilloso para lo que estamos proponiendo como "oratoria" en nuestro plan para las Parroquias. La gente viene a la Iglesia principal para la Misa Dominical pero encuentra otro horario durante la semana para ir a las capillas locales para reunirse con la gente del vecindario. No veo ninguna dicotomía o distincion evidente entre los dos. La gente sabia que el domingo pertenecen a una realidad amplia de Iglesia pero durante la semana ellos estarían contentos de reunirse en una comunidad de base pequeña para compartir y para crecer en su fe.

Estoy consiente que muchos en nuestra diócesis tienen la opinión que la "oratoria" es el "próximo paso a seguir" y poner un cierre. Yo argumentaría que esta opinión es un resultado a corto plazo. Creo que la oratoria podría ser de mucha eficacia en un Area Comunidad de Fe. Suponiendo una cierta creatividad sea llamada, estas comunidades más pequeñas podrían formar grupos para instrucciones religiosas, adoracion eucarística, apoyo espíritual o promover ayuda social. Nuevo y distinto, pero no hay razon para creer que no pueda ser eficaz. Mucho dependerá de la ingeniosidad de aquellos que acepten el trabajo del Espíritu Santo.

Hace dos semanas estuve presente en una conferencia, donde el Cardenal George del estado de Chicago creé que la verdadera renovación de la vida parroquial de hoy en día ocurre en las misiones pequeñas de las diócesis. Este ya ha sido el caso de la Mision de San Lucas Toliman. Espero y rezo para que en nuestra hermosa Diócesis rural pase lo mismo.

¡Que Dios los bendiga!

October, 2004