What was our Reverse Mission About?
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What is a reverse mission you would probably ask? When someone is categorized as a missioner you instantly picture someone proclaiming God’s word, helping in any particular project to better a community or even someone who leaves everything behind to live with the poor. Reverse mission is in some way something similar but reciprocal, both sides get benefit from the mission.
St Francis has done this reverse Mission for a number of years together with Fr. Steve Dudek, and this year I was able to participate, which it was a great blessing for me. The experience could vary from person to person and I can say that for me this was a very profound experience. I am first generation immigrant and my roots came actually from Oaxaca and that is why this trip was very special for me. St Francis has a sister parish call Sto. Thomas Ocotepec and that is where we stay most of the time during our trip. This place still conserve its native tongue which is Mixtec, however there are different types of dialects in Mixtec and also some called triqui. In a way that is what we both parishes share in common: a very diverse parish.
It is a wonderful experience to share with the people its traditions, and being a witness of their hunger for getting to know God. We went around the area which consists of over 60 small communities in the rural area. It was hard to visit all the communities but manage to get to some of them. The name of the priest of our Sister Parish is Fr. Arturo, who was recently assigned to the parish and the 60 surrounding communities. We got to celebrate mass with 7 communities and visit the sick in the communities as well. It was so precious to see how the people rejoice with our presence; due to the many communities and only one priest, some of the communities have only one mass every month or may be not even, since there is a rotation in order to have everyone an opportunity to celebrate mass. The area is rural so the distance from one to another community is quite a ways. It is hard especially for the older and the sick to move around from one community to another. When a mass is announced through music played in speakers, the surrounding communities make the effort to attend mass at Sto Thomas Ocotepec Church.
We got to know so many wonderful catechists who are so committed and so good in preaching God’s word to children and adults in their native tongue. The children also are beautiful involved in the church and that was so gratifying to see. The way of communication is hard since the distance and the location made it hard for cell phones to get reception. Every community has people assigned as the officials and they are the ones to go to for anything going on in the community. Their way of communication is through a two way radio and they are the ones in charge to get people informed and also in charge of their safety.
Why the benefits are reciprocal you might ask? Well for starters I am so grateful for our diversity in our church, knowing that we are not the only one with challenges in understanding different cultures and languages but we all have something in common and that is God and that bring us together. Also looking at their struggles to even have a regular mass, all I can said is that we are so blessed to have so many to choose from on Saturday and Sunday. My faith not only grew these days but also make me hunger to know more about God, and it was so easily see God’s face in the face of my brothers and sisters in Oaxaca. I want to help out in any way I can to make their faith grow more and more at the same time my faith grow with them. I know that God is everywhere you go, you just to look closer and see through their eyes that God is present with them, with you and with everyone. There is a saying that pictures are more than words, so I leave you with some that speak for themselves. What we did at the communities was so small in these few days, but for them was so significant. We were able to celebrate mass with them, anoint their sick, visit families whose relatives recently died, celebrate the feast of Jesus of Nazareth and even celebrate a wedding. Not only the gratefulness of the people was sincere but also how their hospitality was felt in our hearts.
I invite you in future if you have the opportunity to live this reverse mission, take it and embrace the benefits of it. I am so glad I was able to live it this year and I am looking forward God willing to be able to do it again.
By Fran Flores
Reflections from the Group
It was wonderful to be in Latin America again experiencing the joy of the people – their simplicity, their deep faith commitment. The warmth of the weather was reflected in the warmth of the people; young and old, healthy and sick welcomed us with pure delight. In the villages we were busy about some of the work of the Church celebrating a multitude of Masses and hiking primitive paths to bring the sacrament of anointing the sick to faith-filled, appreciative people. The beginning and the end of our trip was in Oaxaca City from which we did a couple trips to amazing ruins (Monte Alban and Mitla). In two years perhaps you will feel called to be part of this parish ministry; it’s well worth it!
Sister Noella Poinsette,
Pastoral Associate for Outreach/Social Justice
Our Lady of the Lake and St. Francis de Sales Catholic Churches
