We feed, rehabilitate and love Argentina's forgotten

“To us a child is born…He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)” Christmas is almost upon us again. I was assigned to Misiones in the north-east of Argentina twenty-one years ago.

I had not opted for this part of the world preferring to stay some where in the northern hemisphere. One of my first reactions was how can one endure Christmas in ferocious hot and humid tropical conditions with temperatures soaring to over 40º C. this imagined culture shock was for me very difficult to think about. A German brother missionary invited me to accompany him to concelebrate midnight Mass in one of the outlying chapels. On my first Christmas night here of red and We bumped over miles before reaching our destination_ a little chapel with galvanized roof, gravel or dirt floor, was poorly illuminated with no windows or doors. Mosquitos abounded and really annoyed one. Our congregation consisted of families from the barrio. This simple celebration brought me face to face with a beautiful Christmas tradition here in South America. The children of barrio acted the Christmas Story and placed a recent newly born sleeping baby boy in the manger. It was a sight to behold to see the children and young people dressed as angels, shepherds and kings. The real baby in the manger really touched my heart. All of this drama really gave me a wonderful sense of the Christmas spirit. This poor chapel without a floor, windows,  door and lit by lamps and candles helped to give one an idea of Bethleham’s cave on that first Christmas night over two thousand years ago. It brought home to me what a great night is Christmas night. These wonderful people inspite of their extreme poverty gave great joy and shared most generously their few material possessions. They gave from the heart. They also helped me appreciate the beauty and importance of the birth of the infant Jesus which expresses itself beautifully in all cultures and climates.

And so it is a joy  to share some of our yearly “happenings” in the light of the great hope which Christ gave to us by becoming one of us.

Bangkok Conference

The ink was barely dry on last year’s Christmas letter when I received an invitation to attend a meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council for Asia and the Pacific with Leonard Cheshire International in Bangkok, Thailand. It was a wonderful and a most up-lifting experience. Just imagine the camaraderie and the energy of spending some days with people of different cultures, such as Buddhist, Islamic, African and others,  from many different countries, such as Vietnam, Cambodia, South Africa, Kenya, Brazil, Afghanistan, India, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and many other countries. The variety of national costumes was most colourful. Lecture themes were most interesting and challenging. It was a great spiritual experience to meet people who go quietly about their business in sometimes harrowing and dangerous circumstances, giving help to the suffering and the hungry. They make no claim to be anything out of the ordinary but their commitment is very far from ordinary.

It was during this Conference that I witnessed a glowing example of how the inspiration and energy of a married couple can benefit thousands of others. I met with Thomas and Andrey Carson Harte from Co. Down, Northern Ireland. They have set up the Cambodian Trust in order to help victims of landmines explosions. This all began some years when watching the horrendous suffering of landmine victims on television. They could not put out of their minds the images of people made suddenly legless, armless, and condemned to life of misery and utmost suffering. Thomas is a manufacturer of orthopedic parts. He and his wife decided to pay a short visit to Cambodia and see this brutal reality at firsthand. This visit changed not only their lives but the lives of thousands of other people as well. Thomas told me that he could have a comfortable nine to five regular life but he could not be happy thinking of the difference that could be made for many other people by sharing his and talents life with them. He trains local people in Cambodia to make orthopedic parts. He and his wife have set up local centres in order- to reach many more victims. Their rehabilitation work has extended to Laos and Vietnam. It was fantastic to meet one of their Cambodian helpers. Thanks to people like Thomas and Andrey and many more who were present at this Conference many thousands will enjoy a better Christmas this year.

My stay in Thailand gave me the opportunity to meet with an outstanding Irish missionary Sr. Louis, a Good Shepherd Sister, from Bandow Co. Cork Sister Louis is a great humanitarian and over the years has helped and rescued innumerable orphans on the streets of Bangkok. But I suspect that that Sister Louis’ great sense of humility prevent her from appreciating the full extent of her achievements.

The visit to Thailand was a special grace for me. I visited  the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and was fascinated by the magnificent arquitectural expressions of an ancient and beautiful religious culture. Listening to the Buddhist chants in the different temples brought to my mind that we are made to praise God and the chant reminds us that our lives are flowing to this great meeting with God. This wonderful moment that we have been created for.

Rosalia y Maria

A number of our residents experienced this moment of ecstasy during the past year. Let me tell you about two of them Rosalia y Maria who went home to God. They lived in our “Virgen de Lujan” Home for abandoned senior citizens.

The life story of these two residents is not at all romantic and is the earthly fate of thousands of people here: a toilsome youth and adulthood, a life of humility and deprivation and terrible suffering and finally a quiet death, about which few people knew unless they were closely associated with them in life. Both had families. Both worked long and had under the hot tropical and endured the ferocious tropical rains in order sun to make ends meet. Both had no material luxury worth speaking of. Both were found in sub-human conditions undernourished and dehydrated. Both became great friends in our Home. They shared the same room. Time and time again they expressed their joy for having a roof over their heads protecting them from the ferocious sun and very heavy tropical rains. They enjoyed listening to the rain pounding like our galvanized roof. They were so contented to have enough to eat. Many is time the words of Padraig Colum’s poem came to my mind:

“Oh to have a little house!

To own the hearth and stool and all…

For a little house- a house of my own

Out of the wind and the rain’s way”.

But Rosalia and Maria shared a common incurable interior pain. Their children never came to visit them.

It was impossible to cure or alleviate this pain. For some an aged parent is a nuisance and some sons and daughters are unwilling to repay the debt they owe. Rosalia and Maria would agree with Shakespeare when he wrote:

“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is

To have a thankless child!

Rosalia fell and injured her ribcage. She was interned in the local hospital. She begged on me to take her home. The doctor ordered her to stay. It almost broke my heart to refuse her request- three nights later she died suddenly at 22:35 p.m. We decided not to inform her friend Maria until the following morning- but at 00:30 a.m.- just two hours later Maria also died suddenly. It is rather lovely to think that Maria who was very friendly with Rosalia should have gone so soon to join her.

Visitors and Volunteers

God blessed our Homes with wonderful and most generous visitors and volunteers during the past year Des Kelly and Tony Kavanagh led this great procession of people who promoted health, welfare and well-being.

Des and Tony have set up the Waterford Support Group. Please find enclosed a copy of their leaflet.

Mr. Tom Kitt T.D., Government Chief Whip and Minister of State to the Taoiseach, his wife Jacinta, Irish Ambassador to Argentina Mairtín Ó Fainín his wife Anne  and the Minister’s  Private Secretary Andrea Heron.

John Hayes who is doing the legal work in order to set up Charity in Ireland to support our Homes accompanied by Tom Carroll, June Walsh, Pauline Wynn and Coleen Roughneen from Co. Mayo..

Niamh Herathy and Regina O’Malley also from Co. Mayo.

Lisa Casey and her boyfriend Cian from Cork paid us a surprise visit, Lisa is the daughter of our “fairy Go-Mother” Mrs. Lilian Casey who has been helping here from the beginning. Lilian with Breda Ó Dwyer in Cappamore helped us to keep alive by organizing the sale of Christmas Cards.

Our work was given a new lease of life by the enormous contribution of thirteen others from all over Ireland. They work in different professions, teachers, nurses, bricklayers, electronic engineer, PhD student, computer experts, and some of the groups were also good traditional musicians. Some of this group built a house for a Muslim fishing family who had lost everything, including their mother, father, son daughter and orphaned newhew in the Tsunami disaster in Thailand. They raised money and under a fierce tropical sun laid the foundations of Store for our Homes.  In this way we will have place to deposit future containers  from Ireland and England. They plan to send us needed wheelchairs, hoists, clothes, bedclothes and other items. Many of them sacrificed their annual holidays in order to help some of the poorest people in the world. It made me feels happy that these people with all the mod cons such as pods, expensive cameras, etc, should have made a sacrifice and worked from dawn to dark here in order to make a difference and help others. Each one of them individually told me with great emotion when they were departing that the “help” they gave was far from one way. They all gave generously of themselves, their time, their talents, and their energies. A great bond has come into being between our Homes and these fantastic people. It was mentioned in last year’s Christmas letter that a very special baby arrived to us on Christmas Eve 2004. Mario Junior is his name. He suffers from both hydrocephaly and hydranencephaly. We have all fallen in love with him. He was very ill recently. We begged of God to allow him stay with us a little while longer. During the course of his illness it was impressive the number of e-mails we received from our returned volunteers enquiring  about Mario Junior. Thank God, Mario Junior is full of life again.

Divine Word Missionaries Genera Chapter

The XVI general chapter of our Congregation was held in Rome from the 4^th of June to the 8^th of July this year. The General Chapter is the highest governing body of the Society. This chapter is with God’s help renewing the life and mission in the light of the Church’s teaching and the needs of the world.

Comhghairdeas- Congradulations

All of us in the Homes join voices in thanking God for the birth of a baby daughter to Kerry and Brian Keegan in London. Kerry and her husband Brian are among  those wonderful people who help so much in order that some of the world’s most forgotten people have their basic needs supplied such as food, medicine, a roof over their heads and for some access to education. Kerry is also the secretary of our U.K. Charity.

Fundraising

As some of you may already know, we are a registered charity in the UK. At the moment we are working on a similar arrangement for Ireland. This is important for our fundraising efforts because donors can avail of tax relief when giving to recognized charities. A reminder of our account details:

British Account:

Account Name:                 St. Teresa Orphan Foundation

Account No:                      16297253

Sort Code:                         60-15-07

Address:                            National Westminster Bank,

30 Market Place,

Newbury, Berkshire RG 14  5AG, UK.

Irish Account:

Saint Teresa Oberá Support Fund

At:                                         AIB Bank,

The Quay, Waterford.

Account Number:             057 07052

Bank Sort Code:               93-42-75

Charity Number:              CHY  17476

Website::

Our web site is being updated to include several new items and sections of interest. I would encourage you to have a look at our site to keep in touch with life in our Homes- www.obera.org

New E-mail Address:

mariamadredd@gmail.com

liamohaodhasvd@hotmail.com

Buíochas- Gracias- Thanks.

This humanitarian work in the north-east of Argentina would be impossible to realize without the help of so many people in Ireland and England. Each year I am nervous before my annual fundraising visit, for me it is not easy to ask. The lives and well being of many people depend on your donations. On our part we pray for you daily. And may the peace of the Infant Jesus enfold each one of you whom we hold dear as we pray:

Shine in us. /Emmanuel,/ Shadowless Light

Flame in us /Emmanuel/ Fire of Love,

Burn in us, / Emmanuel/ Morning Star

(Caryll Houselander)

With love and prayers from all in the Virgen de Lujan and Santa Teresa del Niño Jesús Homes in Misiones, Argentina.

Two of the Guarani residents, Rosalia and Maria, also went home to God this year.  Rosalia and Maria were senior citizens who lived in our home for elderly abandoned people.

The lives of these two residents were typical of the earthly fate of thousands of people here.  They had toilsome youth  and adulthood, enduring much suffering and deprivation.  Both worked long and hard under the hot tropical sun and endured the ferocious tropical rains in order to make ends meet.  Neither had any material luxury to speak of.  We found them separately in sub-human conditions undernourshed and dehydrated and brought them to Our Lady of Lujan home where they became great friends.  They shared the same room and time and again expressed their joy having a roof over their heads.  Safe from the rain, they enjoyed listening to the water pounding on our galvanized roof.  They were contented to have enough to eat.  Many times the words of Padraig Colum’s poem came to mind:

Oh to have a little house

To own the hearth and stool and all

For all a little house – a house of my own

Out of the wind and the rain’s way.

But there was one sorrow in the lives of Rosalia and Maria, an incurable interior pain, which nobody in the homes could cure.  Both ladies had families but their children never came to visit them.  Some people regard an aged parent as a nuisance and some sons and daughters are reluctant to repay the debt they owe.  Rosalia and Maria might agree with Shakespeare when he wrote

“How sharper than a serpant´s tooth it is to have a thankless child.” (Shakespeare´s  King Lear)

Their passing went largely unnoticed outside the homes.  Rosalia fell and injured her ribcage, and was interned in the local hospital.  She begged to be taken home but the doctors ordered her to stay.  It was heartbreaking to refuse.  Three nights later she died suddenly at 10:35 pm.  We decided not to inform her friend Maria until the following morning.  But at half past midnight, just two hours later, Maria also died suddenly.  It was sad, but also consoling to think that Rosalia did not have to wait for long to be reunited with her great friend in life.