Mission Magic
Written by Deacon Wilson Shierk

Each of us carries a lifetime of memories, sad and happy images that cram our long-term memory and often come spilling out when least expected. A chance comment, a long forgotten song, a detour to an old neighborhood, or some other prompt has the power to trigger our memory and pull out images that take us back to another time. Recalling past events often generates unforgettable images of past tragedies and treasures that we continually balance against our present day hopes and joys.

A recent Gospel account revealed what Jesus’ typical day on mission must have been like. He struggled to balance the needs of others with His need for prayer and quiet time, so that He too could bring God’s love and hope to others. It was His love that brought that hope---hope in Him, hope for salvation, and hope for healing and forgiveness. Jesus provides us with a model for our journeys as well. It is our role as disciples to continue to bring that same hope to all whom we meet.

It is hope that allows us to persevere despite rejection and numerous difficulties. Leo-Josef Cardinal Suenens of Belgium, a key figure of the Second Vatican council, expressed his hope in the face of great resistance. He said, "I am a man of hope, not for human reasons nor from any natural optimism, but I believe the Holy Spirit is at work in the church and in the world, even when unrecognized and unnamed….To hope is not to dream but to turn dreams into reality. Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true."

This definition from Cardinal Suenens certainly fits all spiritual leaders who have found themselves faced with great odds. Such is my view of Fr. Oriol, whom a group of us visited last month. He and his Community of St. Paul are currently working to bring the love of Jesus to thousands of people in various places in the Americas. Our visit to La Sagrada Familia Parish, located in the southwestern province of Azua in the Dominican Republic, continues to trigger vivid memories.

During our stay, we built a house for a family of seven, and traveled from village to village bringing hope to people surrounded by fear, poverty and sickness. Fr. Oriol’s efforts to change hearts, to heal illness, to improve living conditions, and to provide basic needs are making a difference. He travels to all parts of the parish encouraging, directing, praying, and celebrating liturgy. Traveling with him to witness his actions and his willingness to work to address the needs of others was both heartwarming and sad. There is so much need and so few resources. Yet, in the midst of great need, there has been some progress, great appreciation and, most important of all, hope!

Each of us is called to mission, wherever we find ourselves. In our struggle to understand and maintain a balance between what God calls us to do and what we might find more appealing, we learn the lesson experienced by all disciples. Discipleship is not all glitz and glamour, fulfillment and recognition. It is also not all work. Rather following Jesus requires quiet moments, prayerful reflection and a focus upon Jesus so that the suffering and rejection, the loneliness and the discouragement that are, at times, an inevitable part of belonging to Christ may be borne with grace and hope.

“Don’t you want to be healed? I do. I could make a list of things in me that just aren’t right. I’m fettered by past memories and mistakes and some big doozy poor choices I’ve made along the way. I’ve had my share of ‘problems of the heart’ that impede my ability to love freely. We go to Confession and the Sacrament of Anointing to offer up some of these items to the Holy healing touch. But if we want deep healing to take place, we have to grasp the hand of Jesus and allow Him to lift us up. "To Jesus, it’s all in a day’s work; but to us, it could mean the fullness of life.” This quote by Alice Camille certainly describes well our mission experience. We who have so much are “lifted up” by those who have so little, yet live as if they are grateful and wonderfully blessed.

My greatest gift, my most enduring memory, and my most incredible image will be the hope seen on the smiling faces of so many grateful people, and the commitment and dedication of my eleven companions in that far-off land. Mission discipleship changes you. It changed me and I will never be the same.

The following message is also from Deacon Shierk:

"The pictures included with this story are of the house that the mission team built last month in the San Francisco neighborhood in the town of Sabana Yegua near La Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) Parish, our sister parish in the Dominican Republic, which we called: The House That Love Built. The mission team this year decided that because of the recent hurricanes and tropical storms, there was a great need to provide suitable housing for many residents in our sister parish. Fr. Oriol worked out the details for us and helped us secure the building supplies needed to complete the home within five days. We had the opportunity to meet the family and experience help and support from the local St. Vincent DePaul Society. With the help of Fr. Oriol, they selected the family most in need of a new home, and the Kenosha Saint Vincent DePaul Council contributed $1,000.00 toward the purchase of materials for the home.

"The House that Love Built," Picture 1

"The House that Love Built," Picture 2

Building a home in a third world country is not part of our work experience, but we were blessed to have Herb Eggert from Delaware and Ryan Ferguson from Iowa who helped us with the planning as well as Willie, a local home builder that Fr. Oriol hired to direct the project. The local missionary team included Dorothy Jansen, Alison Jerdee, Pat Mangi, Michelle Nielsen, Wilson Shierk, Libby Slana, and Eddie Strzelski from St. Mary, Alice Shierk from Chicago, Kathy Norris from St. Mark, and Paula Kubica from St. Theresa parishes."