Fifth diocesan delegation to Santa Rosa underway
By Kevin Reavey
Correspondent
NEW BRUNSWICK — For the final time before what is sure to be an exciting and productive journey, members of the fifth diocesan delegation to Guatemala met June 21 to pray and prepare for their June 26 to July 2 mission.
The team of nine will be working with Catholic Relief Services in the Diocese of Santa Rosa to help determine what aid is needed in the area. Shortly after their arrival, the team will be split into four pairs. Each pair will be assigned a village within the diocese where they will explore areas of need. While in their respective villages, the teams will assess the living conditions and make suggestions to CRS about appropriate programs and follow up. Sister of St. Joseph Veronica Roche, team leader, will travel among the four villages.
The team has been meeting for two months; each meeting, like this one, beginning with a prayer and a meal. The team sat around the dinner table in the rectory of Sacred Heart Parish, home of pastor Father Joseph J. Kerrigan, like a family laughing and sharing stories of their lives since they last gathered.
After the meal, the team moved into the small chapel next to the dining room to discuss their trip which was only a few days away. The room was filled with eager smiles rather than nervous jitters from the mostly rookie delegates embarking on their first journey to Guatemala. After dealing with matters of passports, medical vaccinations and other assorted paperwork, the group discussed the purpose of this particular trip.
Father Kerrigan explained that the members of the group are to get a feel for life in the villages and determine what kind of follow up is needed. The team will focus on a range issues from clean water to the general health needs of the people. Kerrigan told the group that they should ask themselves: “Where is help needed?” and “How can we make things happen within the villages?”
Ernie Revoir, who has made the trip to Guatemala several times but will not be joining the group on this trip, said that the team needs to “hear their stories, hear their needs.” He stressed the importance of not intruding on the people’s customs. Any ideas to improve the quality of life in Santa Rosa must to fit within the village’s capabilities.
Sister Veronica Roche, team leader, reminded the group that there are people in the Diocese of Metuchen who sacrifice to send money to the very types of villages the team will be visiting. The mission’s purpose is not only to better the lives of the Guatemalans living in these villages but to better the lives of the people in our own diocese as well. She believes that the group needs to “let people know how they can help each other, here and in Guatemala.”
The team will spend several days without many of the amenities – such as computers, cell phones, air conditioners or quality showering facilities – that they have at home. They will truly be living as the people live during their stay in Guatemala.
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law