As I continued my work, I could see both teenagers in our enfermería.  The young man had an injury to, I believe,  his leg.  Two of our staff treated the injury and soon both left the Hogar Santa Teresa del Niño Jesús very contented.

It is our policy to aid those in need, be it medical, seeking water or food,  spiritual guidance, help with travelling, etc.  irrespective of colour, creed, non-belief or gender.  As a catholic christian community, we put our Catholic belief into practice in accordance to the Will of God.

16th April, 2012.  A date to remember.  Today, Monday, loveable Aletta Sievers departed with “rivers” flowing down her face.  Staff members, volunteers and management were very sad, some with tears as they bade goodbye to one of the most, if not thee most, outstanding volunteer ever to pass through Hogar Santa Teresa del Niño Jesús since its inception in 1993. Blanca, one of the residents, had to be comforted as she was overcome when hearing that her beloved Aletta was leaving us to return to Sweden. As I write this my eyes are, once again, filling with water.

Aletta has a personality second to none and a heart larger than the Universe.  Christmas is a time for giving with love and Aletta did not fail presenting presents to residents, staff including management,  and volunteers.  She found fledgings in a fallen bird´s nest, fed them and kept them alive overnight and the next day the nest was placed in a tree.  Aletta brought some of the residents to the house she was looking after where they were entertained including the swimming pool, she was also involved in bringing residents to visit a farm,  helped at the gala supper night, helped in the kitchen washing and drying the cutlery, and baked homemade bread. She learned sufficient Spanish principally to be able to communicate with all those around her.

Carlos, one of our most recent residents fell in love with Aletta.  But not the only one.  She loved each and everyone of the residents equally-playing, feeding,  squeezing them with genuine love, sharing their laughter, making them laugh, cheering those who needed it, comforting those who were sometimes sad, carrying them, etc.

Because of her 6 months experience with us  Aletta is  is seriously considering studying for a professional qualification to care for the disabled persons of this world.

We wish this loveable, beautiful, outstanding young girl all the very best for the future and   “please Aletta come back to us soon, we miss you so much.”  From all of our residents, staff and management.

The change in climate  took its toll on Lisa as she found the going very difficult.  Yet Lisa struggled on in doing great work with the residents before taking a well earned break travelling to Cataratas de Iguazu and then into Brazil.  Lisa enjoyed the change very much and had a very good time there.

On her return to the Home, she was astounded by the change in the weather.  We had entered the cooling down phase and the temperature had fallen.  Our Lisa was very much more contented now because of this.  She continued to comfort the residents, helped in the kitchen, etc.

Lisa departed on her long homeward journey  back to Saltzburg on 14th March where she would discuss her experiences with a former volunteer here, Rubens.

We wish Lisa all the best in her future studies.  Lisa, you will be most welcome to return to us again at anytime you like.

Last night, Monday 20th, 2012, it started raining with thunder and lightning.  Today, Tuesday, God finally decided to have a really good cry.  It poured out of the heavens for a few hours. Although we need lots more rain, we are very thankful for what we received.  Dear God, please cry a great deal more over the coming days.

The Spanish for a secondary (highschool) teacher is “Profesor” masculine and female is “Profesora”.  Just thought you readers of our website might like to know that.

Kate hails from Waterford, Ireland.

This coming Sunday, 22nd January, 2012, an organisation called Grupo 4X4 are running this event.  We pray to God that the weather will be very suitable for us.

More details about this event after 22nd.

ón Athair Liam Ó hAodha, SVD

Christmas Greetings from Fr Liam Hayes, SVD

Dear Readers

I sit down with memories of Christmas past. On the night of the 24^th December, 2004, some new residents arrived. Among them was a very poor woman called Sandra de Cuadra Severo, with her daughter Carina and son Alejandro who was paralyzed from the waist down; all three were undernourished and dehydrated.

Sandra was born into extreme poverty, one of life’s innocent people or as the writer John D. Sheridan once named them, ‘God’s Aristocracy’. At 15 she was “gifted” to a 55 year old alcoholic man who at that time, we believe, lived in Paraguay. She suffered horrendous physical and sexual abuse from this man and his friends.

Eventually, after 10 years on this terrible Calvary, Sandra was rescued by her mother and brought back to Oberá. We do not know how her mother traced her whereabouts.

Sandra ended up living with two of her children, in a wretched, partially roofed hen-house, where her horrendous abuse was continued by nearby neighbours. We know that she had four children in total but two were sold clandestinely. Unscrupulous lawyers and other middle men, only interested in making money, were involved.

We were informed by a good friend about Sandra and her children and we brought them to the Home of St. Teresa on that Christmas night.

The plight of Sandra and other people whom we have rescued causes me to feel uncomfortable and disturbed. Such human beings are forced to live a precarious existence in a clearly defined and sharply controlled space. They are burdened with a traumatized past, an insecure present and a precarious future which is full of uncertainty. Sandra and her like live in places of danger.

But we are not meant to mope in the face of the world’s evils! If Jesus, Mary and Joseph were to come among us unwanted again, their Bethlehem stable might be the hen-house where Sandra and her children were discovered. And would we love them? The Lord loves us into existence. He wills us to understand the vital solidarity at the heart of his Christmas coming. He earnestly desires us to extend this solidarity as much as we can to his beloved humanity. And he calls us to be one with him in unending happiness.

Sandra spent almost seven happy years in St Teresa’s  Home.  During her time with us, she rediscovered her dignity and improved in health.

She used to look forward to and enjoy her weekly task of ringing the bell during the consecration of the Mass in St Teresa’s. One of the highlights of her life was her presentation of the bread to be consecrated to the Bishop of Oberá, when he celebrated the Mass to inaugurate our third Home, the Holy Spirit Home, last Pentecost Sunday, 12th June.

Only eight days later, in the early hours of 20th June, she died suddenly but peacefully. We were all very sad and many tears were shed. She was only 32 years old. She was a larger-than-life figure around the home, especially when she would wake us at 5.30 a.m. singing “Flores y flores” (‘Flowers and flowers’). She would still be full of life and energy later in the day, often looking for attention until near midnight.

Sandra had looked forward to moving to her place in the new Holy Spirit home. But God had his own home in mind for her – the kind we could never dream to build! She has already attained the goal that we all seek – eternal union with the Blessed Trinity.

Other faithful departed

Apart from Sandra, the following residents went to their reward this year: Deolinda Gomez and Honorio Martinez (residents of the Virgen of Luján Home) and Ramón Marquez, a resident of St Teresa’s Home. Ar dheis Dé go raibh siad..

New Residents

We warmly welcomed Carlos Ramón Braga, Lorena Virana Retamozo, Miriam Beatriz Weiss and Arturo Taverez to St Teresa’s Home whilst Ramón Andracle entered the Virgen de Luján Home. All are being loved and cared for now.

Opening of the Holy Spirit Home

The Holy Spirit Home, for our intellectually disabled residents, was inaugurated this year. You may remember from previous letters that, up to now, all residents with disabilities, whether in the intellectual or motor sense of the term, lived in St Teresa’s Home. That posed certain challenges for those with physical disabilities in particular. Now the quality of life is improving for all and we can help our dying people as they come to the end of their life on earth to have more comfort and respect for their dignity.

The building of the home and a small store incorporating a cooking facility, as well as the furniture and the solar equipment, all cost €215,000. The funds were raised through generous donations including a grant from the previous Irish Government. Some of the construction yet to be carried out includes the raising of the water tower, the creation of an adequate security wall and the installation of a solar energy system.

Volunteers

“Volunteers are unpaid not because their work is worthless but because it is

priceless.” (Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.)

Thanks to the outstanding volunteers who lit up our lives this year. Andrew McCauley from Limerick and Canada, Mark Murdock, Paddy O´Shea and Michael Willoughby, all from Dublin and Ronan O´Brien from Waterford. came to work with us. So also did Carlos Ferro from Chile. Carlos is a qualified lawyer and now a member of our Divine Word Congregation studying theology in order to become a priest. He came to get some pastoral experience and like our Irish volunteers was exceptionally good in aiding our staff. They all carried out tasks such as feeding residents, helping in the kitchen, entertaining the residents and so on. In early October, we  welcomed our latest volunteer, Aletta Sievers from Sweden. Aletta is 20 and has already spent one year in Switzerland looking after a family´s three children. Like our other volunteers, she is an outstanding person and is always willing to assist staff in any way possible. We wish every joy and blessing to all our volunteers, past and present, and we thank them for being such a blessing in our lives.

Irish Ambassador´s visit

We were delighted to welcome Ireland’s recently appointed Ambassador to Argentina, Mr. James McIntyre, who visited us for the inauguration of the Holy Spirit home. James also visited our other two homes and met our residents. He gave an inspiring talk to our invited guests, residents, assistants, volunteers, local visitors and those involved in the celebration of the Mass. He reminded us of the old Irish blessing:

“May you have warm words on a cold evening,

A full moon on a dark night,

And the road downhill all the way to your door.”

Mr. James McIntyre.

James told us that our work here has become a full moon for people who have been                                       abandoned and forgotten in the dark night of life. Through the tireless efforts of our staff and volunteers, our residents hear affirming and encouraging words, they receive the hand of friendship and they are in their own home where they feel protected and loved. Our homes, James told us, “are homes with all the warmth that that word conveys.”

I do not have adequate words to thank James and his predecessors for their continued

interest and solidarity with us. It has made a huge difference to us at some very difficult

times.

And as usual…

You would think I was delirious if I did not end this Christmas letter with my usual appeal to your generosity and support. Our costs are rising because the cost of living has increased and continues to rise rapidly; medication has become extremely expensive –medication for one resident alone costs € 487 per month – and finally the expenses incurred in running our third home. We need to raise €38,000 each month. The monthly State aid of €9,000 is extremely difficult to obtain and is rather sporadic. But even the remaining €29,000 per month is an even greater challenge than ever before because of the financial crisis in Ireland, the UK and the rest of the world. That is why I am so grateful for the opportunities I get to preach in parishes in Ireland and the UK every year. And that’s why I end as usual by asking for your prayer and practical help. Please see our website www.rescueargentina.com for practical details of how you can help. By the way, I’d like to apologies to those visitors to the website who were inconvenienced by the technical difficulties we had during the summer months.

It’s time to close now. Thank you for helping us. We continue to pray for you daily. May you and your loved ones enjoy the abundant blessings of Christmas.

Gúim beannachtaí na Nollag agus Áthbhliain faoi mhaise ort agus ar do mhuintir.

Le míle buíochas arís.

Padre Liam Hayes SVD

“Santa Teresa del Niño Jesús” – Oberá

Hogar de Ancianos y Personas Abandonadas

“Virgen de Luján” – Guaraní

Calle Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Nº 4213

CC 132- 3360- Oberá, Misiones, Argentina.

E-mail: liamohaodhasvd@hotmail.com

or mariamadredd@gmail.com

Website of the Home: www.rescueargentina.com