We feed, rehabilitate and love Argentina's forgotten

 Monday 17th May, 2010.   This is the season of Autumn when the people wrap themselves up well as they feel themselves cold very much.  Winter is approaching and torrential rain is the norm for this time of year.  This was bourne out on Monday 17th May, 2010, when the heavens opened and an extremely torrential downpour came. 

Bishop Victor Arenhardt, appointed as the first bishop of the newly established diocese of Oberá, along with the Chancellor of the same diocese,  Padre Hugo  Staciuk,  were killed in a fatal accident returning from Iguazú to Oberá. They had taken part in the celebration of the forty years of priesthood of the bishop of Iguazú,  Mons.  Marcelo Martorell.

Tuesday, 18th May, 2010.  The city and diocese of Oberá  had never experienced  such an outpouring of grief.   All of us were stunned, shocked , devestated and unable to grasp this new tragic reality.  The outpouring of love for these wonderful pastors is something impossible to describe.  It was a new experience  for the city to see thousands of people crying at the same time .  At  local level, the reaction was similar to that of  the news of the death of Princess Diana and Pope John II.   A hugh floral mountain came into being at the entrance and sides of the cathedral  thanks to  people,  both rich and poor.   Inside, the altar was surrounded by very beautiful and colourful flowers.  The first Mass for the deceased commenced at 4.00 pm. in the Catedral San Antonio.  The cathedral was filled to capacity, many having to stand shoulder to shoulder along the walls whilst others had to remain outside.   The cathedral remained open throughout the night to allow people pay their last respects for the deceased.

Wednesday 19th May, 2010.  This day was a “public holiday” for remembering the victims of the horrific crash on the Monday.  In order to make space for those wishing to attend the funeral Mass,  which commenced at 3.30 p.m.,  about three quarters of the pews were removed.  Like the previous day, the cathedral was overcrowded and loudspeakers relayed the proceedings to those standing outside.  People unable to come to the cathedral were able to listen to the Mass on the live broadcast,  television and radio.  It was estimated that 5,000 were in attendance. 

Such was the love for Bishop Victor,  clergy from various parts of Misiones, Paraguay and Brazil came to attend the funeral service.  Archbishops, bishops and priests,  numbering 90, concelebrated the Mass.  Mons.  Andrés Stanovik,  a member of the Capuchin Franciscan order and Archbishop of Corrientes was the chief celebrant.   Many members of the religious orders, school children and the choir swelled the numbers in the cathedral.  The local Ukranian Church, which is in full communion with the Bishop of Rome was represented.  Representatives of the Russian Orthodox ,  Luthern Church as well as representatives of other religious movements were also there. Local services such as the fire brigade,  the public hospital and private medical clinics and army were also representated..  

During,  at the end of the Mass and buriel of Bishop Victor, there were many wet faces, many crying openly.  Bishop Victor was buried in the Cathedral.    The Govenor of the Misiones  Prison Service , who is  a person with a great “toughness”, paid tribute to Bishop Victor´s great pastoral sensitivity and interest to prisoners and their families down the years.     Many is the prisoner he aided to return to society and work honestly.    He said,  ”Bishop Victor was a person who always brought solutions not problems to different difficult life  situations”.      At this stage in his public discourse,  he broke down crying. 

As the bishop´s remains were brought to his final resting place, there was a very prolonged applause and a second applause was taken up again as the coffin was lowered into the floor of the Cathedral

 On his arrival in heaven, Bishop Victor  has been/ will be greeted by many former residents of our homes,  especially by Mario Junior.

Please remember in your prayers the driver of the bus who was very seriously injured in the collision.

Misiones, and in particular Oberá, will sadly miss both loving priests.

The late Bishop will be remembered by those in our Homes as he was the one who blessed and dedicated Hogar Virgen de Lujan, Guarani, to the Blessed Virgen Mary last 8th December, 2009 and blessed the Calvary and Tomb on 21st March this year in the grounds of Hogar Santa Teresa.

Please remember in your prayers these two priests who gave themselves untiringly to the service of others.  Also their grieving families,relatives and friends.  Let us also pray earnestly for their future replacements.

  May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.  Amen.

  We hope to publish an article about the late bishop at some future date.

When a friend of my girlfriend told us about the time he had spent at Hogar SantaTeresa, it appealed to both of us immediately.  We decided to include a visit on our way through Argentina.

Having never tried anything like this before, I felt nervous about coming to stay.  I didn´t feel I had any special skills to offer and I was worried that I might be more of a hindrance than a help.  However, from the moment we set foot here, those fears vanished.  We were made to feel more than welcome by the staff, although I almost hesitate to call them staff as they go so far beyond the call of duty in the loving care and attention bestowed upon each resident that you soon feel you are staying with one large family,  a family you quickly become part of.

Of course there is suffering here as some of the residents have very severe disabilities.  I found this difficult to deal with particularly when I heard about  the horrific backgrounds that many for the residents endured and somehow survived.  It brings great comfort to see how the residents are now receiving wonderful care and have a safe place to call home.

It was certainly a humbling experience to see how much comfort I could bring by merely sitting with a resident and holding hands;  perhaps talking or singing softly to them and also doing little things that might seem insignificant in our own lives but which means so much to those who can do so little for themselves.

Without doubt, my happiest memories are of the days when Niamh and I played guitar and sang and danced with the residents.  The energy in the room was palpable as faces lit up, hands clapped, feet stamped and, those who could, danced and swayed around the room while those who couldn´t were delighted to be lifted up in our arms and moved in time to the music.  In particular, I´ll remember little Kenny crouched in the far corner of the room, slowly edging towards us until he sat right in front of the guitar, smiling broadly at the singing and dancing.

I needn´t have worried about whether I would be a help or not—–from helping the residents to eat, to washing the dishes, preparing food, making mate  (pronounced ma tey) for Sandra, playing football with Mario, taking David for a walk and Lucas for a run  in his wheelchair, there was neither a dull moment nor a day that shall be forgotten.

The garden has a very important place in Scripture for it is intimately connected with the whole of salvation history.  It is the scene of the creation, the fall and the redemption of the human race.  The garden features from the first pages of the Scripture.  When God had created man, the crown of his creative activitiy, it was in a garden that he chose to place him.  (Gen 2:8, 15)

The garden theme occurs throughout the Bible, sometimes in the literal sense, and others in the figurative sense.  Reflection on both these approaches to the garden can enrich our appreciation of its significance and perhaps give us some insight into the role that the garden plays in God’s creation, and therefore in our own lives.

The hebrew word for garden ‘gan’ comes from the verb  ’ganan’ which means to surround., protect, defend.  Thus a garden was usuallly a place surrounded by wall or hedges and so protected and set apart for the owners.  King usually had garden around their palaces and king’s garden is menitioned a number of places.  (Ether 1:5, 2 Kings 25:4, Eccles 2:5)

All the bible plants grown naturally in Misiones.  So it was decided to avail of this blessing and create a Bible Garden.  This has great potential as an eco-tourism project and as a place of spiritual refreshment and as a source of vegetables and fruits for the three homes.  It is hoped to grow in the garden, some of the trees, plants and flowers that feature in the Bible.  The garden actually consists of five individual gardens.

• Garden of the Song of Songs: This is a series of love poems, in which the two lovers are now united, now divided, now sought, now found.  It has been accepted as an elaborate allegory of the love story of God and his people.  This Bible garden will try to creates the story in the trees, plants and flowers.
• Garden of Olives: The Garden of Olives was seperated from the Garden Of Gethsemani by a road and was higher up the mountain.  It was open and smaller than the pleasure garden of Gethsemani.  It was full of grottos, terraces and olive trees.  There were seats, benches and roomy caverns suitable for prayer.  Whoever wished, might find a place suitable for prayer and meditation, but Christ chose the wildest spot to pray.
• Garden of Gethsemani: The Garden of Gethsemani on Mount Olivet was a recreational park surrounded by a hedge.  It contained some magnificent shrubbery, and many fruit trees.
• Garden of Calvary: Two gardens and two trees, stand at the still point of the creation and redemption, with joy and sorrow past beauty.  Jesus on the Cross is the tree of life. The limited space of the cross, freely accepted by Christ, spanned the gap between heaven and earth.  It is through that space we must all go some day to reach the promised land in resurrection.
• Garden of the Resurrection: It is not without significance that in one of the first resurrection appearances, Jesus is taken to be a gardener (Jn 21:15).  In our garden, we have recreated the empty tomb as it was in a graveyard that the best news was given to the world.

At present, substantial work has been completed on the Garden of Calvary and the Garden of the resurrection and we have planted the first vineyard.  The grape, being one of the important fruits of the Holy Land, recurs throughout the Bible.  It is first found in the story of Noah (Gen 9:20); it was one of the fruits brought back to Moses to show the fertility of the Promised Land (Num 13:21-24); the prophets use it as a symbol of the fruit of the vine which ‘gladdens the heart of man’ (107) and Jesus speaks of himself as the Vine (Jn 15:1-6).  Vines were usually grown on terraced slopes surrounded by thieves.  Like the fig, they were also grown over the doorways to give shade.  When a vineyard became unproductive it was abandoned and the dry vines were used for fuel and for making charcoal  (Ezek 15:4; Jn 15:6).

The Promised Land is described in Bible as the Land of Milk and Honey (Exodus 3:8) and we have installed our own beehives and are producing our own honey which is used by our own residents which is providing great nutrition.

Formally known as Fundacion Cheshire Argentina de la Santisima Trinidad.  For legal and other reasons, it was decided to create an Argentinean Foundation.  This makes the operation more efficient and increases accountability as well as facilitating a greater number of people to help.  It also provides continuity into the future.

The foundation has five principle projects.

• The Virgen de Lujan in Guarnai, Misiones, which is home to abandoned senior citizens.
• St Teresa Home in Oberá, Misiones, which is home for intellectually and physically disabled people.
• Holy Spirit Home, Oberá, which will cater for severly intellectually disabled people (under construction May 2010)
• Physical Rehabilitation attached to the St Teresa Home
• Bible Garden, Oberá, an eco-tourism project aimed and providing self-sufficiency for the homes (under construction May 2010)

The Mission of the Homes is also registered as charitable organisations in the UK and Ireland.

Irish Charity

Number: CHY17476

Chairman:  Des Kelly.

Name:  St Teresa Obera Support Fund.

Tel:  051 386 373

UK Charity

Number: 1088687

Secretary:  Mrs Kerry Keegan.

In his work around the parish of Oberá, Fr. Liam came across senior citizens who were totally abandoned.  Many of them had suffered from incurable interior pain.  Some people regard  aged parents as a nuisance and some sons and daughters are reluctant to repay the debts they owe.

“how sharper than a serpants tooth it is, to have a thankless child”

Shakespeare’s King Lear, 1605

All were under-nourished and dehydrated.  It was essential to have a home with all the warmth and love that only a home can provide but the original St Teresa’s home was not suitable for these brothers and sisters.

Antonio and his brother Andreas would be typical of the type of person that needed our care.  Originally from Russia, the pair were mildly intellectually disabled and did well while their own parents were alive.  However, once their parents died, they were totally unable to cope with life and so needed the help of an extended family.  Simple tasks like crossing the road and cooking would be beyond their abilities. This would not be a problem in many parts of the world, but in this part of South America, it leads to starvation and death.

They are now both very happy in the home, and under guidance can do useful tasks, such as cutting timber and brushing the floor.  This solidarity of helping around the house, is a very important part of their day.

The joy and sorrows of community life binds all the residents in the VIrgen de Lujan home, Guarani,  as a family.  Like all families, they have their ups and downs.  but a spirit of joy always prevails.

In Fr Liam’s priestly work going around the huge parish, he came across abandoned, disabled people at the side of the road or in fields.  ”What drew my attention to them was the fact that, in the tropics, one is tormented by mosquitos and other insects and many of them were unable to move their hands to aleviate their suffering” relays Fr Liam.  They were also undernourished and dehydrated.  He could not sleep at night, thinking about those poor unfortunate people and it so happened that the then bishop, Monseñor Carmelo Juan Giaquinta, came on an intensive pastoral visit to the parish for 24 days.  Fr Liam, told him about his concerns and took him to meet the people himself.  The bishop responded that …

we cannot be authentic Christians and let our brothers and sisters love and die in such sub-human conditions.

It was then that Fr Liam´s Congregation was asked to allow him to begin work on helping. Fr. was granted this request and so the plans for the Santa Teresa home came into being.

On the 15th May, 1993, the first home was completed and opened its doors to 3 residents, who are all still with us.  These were very difficult days.  There was no income.  The reality of providing medicines, food and emergency aid became apparent very, very quickly.  Fr Liam was very fortunate to have a great local helper, Maria De Ramires.  Maria did everything from cleaning to cooking to going from door to door looking for money and food to keep the home alive.  Maria was indispensable.  Ironically, Maria herself later suffered a terrible car accident, and tragically became quadriplegic and herself needed intensive care in the home for the two remaining years of her life.  This was a huge blow to the home but lead the staff to become trained in catering for even the most severe disability.  This has lead to developing a great nursing and caring tradition in our homes.

The home now consists of

• Sitting room and recreational areas
• A rehabilitation centre including therapy pool

• Cooking and laundry facilities
• Massage room
• Specialised nursing station

How the home became to be named St Teresa

Santa Teresita, in the original Spanish, means ‘little St Teresa’.  One night Fr Liam was called to baptise the most deformed baby he had ever seen in the local hospital.  He gave her the name Teresa, in honour of Teresa of the Child Jesus (The Little Flower).  Teresa was totally abandoned and nobody was taking responsibility for her, so Fr Liam offered to take responsibility for her.  This was before the home was in existence.  ”Just as I did this, she passed to eternal life, but this spurred me on to creating the home” says Fr Liam.

Julio’s Story