Called by the Spirit ~ Embracing the World Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters Paraclete Province - USA and Caribbean May 2016
Sr. Helen Saldanha Story page 6
In This Issue Focus on Mission: Mary, Mother of Mercy Growing Through Service Glimpses From the Past: Streevani — The Voice of Women Married and in Mission - St. Kitts Pentecost Message from Sr. Pat, Director of HSMA Congratulations, Sister Aprilia Untarto
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Focus on Mission During this month of May, in the Jubilee Year of Mercy, we honor our Blessed Mother whose mission in the world as mother of our Savior is our model of compassion and mercy. Through her guidance and intercession may we grow in the spirit and practice of compassion and mercy.
Mary, Mother of Mercy
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ope Francis opened the Holy Year of Mercy on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8, 2015. On January 1, 2016, in his homily at St. Peter’s, he again centered on the Blessed Mother – Salve, Mater Misericordia! In the Joy of the Gospel, he presents Mary as the Mother of the Church, given to us by Jesus as she stood at the foot of the cross. “As a true mother, she walks at our side, she shares our struggles and she constantly surrounds us with God’s love.” The December 2015 issue of National Geographic Magazine has a picture of Mary on its cover, with the notation: “Mary, The Most Powerful Woman in the World.” Inside is found a 29 page article about Mary, her apparitions and shrines throughout the world. The patroness of the United States of America, honored at our national shrine in Washington, DC is the Immaculate Conception. When you visit this beautiful shrine, you are made aware of the many titles and shrines of Our Lady around the world which are remembered here. Mary is honored at the shrine with about 50 different titles and places of remembrance. Mary, our mother given to us by Jesus, cares about us with a mother’s love…forgiving, tender, unwavering. “Mary attests that the mercy of the Son of God knows no bounds and extends to everyone, without exception…. May she never tire of turning her merciful eyes upon us, and make us worthy to contemplate the face of mercy, her Son Jesus.” Asked how he addresses Mary, Pope Francis said: “Mama”. Mary is certainly the most powerful woman in Pope Francis’ life. Is Mary a powerful woman in your life? Sr. Priscilla Burke, SSpS 2
Meet Ms. Arantxa Martinez, a lay staff member of our Holy Spirit Life Learning Center in Chicago (Rogers Park), Illinois. Through her ministry and work at the Learning Center, she shares life and mission with our Sisters and a vibrant example of living one’s Baptismal call to discipleship in the spirit of compassion and mercy. In her article below, Arantxa shares her story of “collaboration in mission” and its impact on her life. She also invites others, you, to be a part of the missionary efforts of the Church.
In 2011, a 22-year-old woman from Shelby Township, Michigan, had just graduated from college and was preparing to move to Chicago in search of new opportunities. In Northfield and Chicago, Illinois, the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters (SSpS) of the U.S. Paraclete Province were getting ready to open a new ministry site to serve primarily low-income, immigrant women in the Rogers Park area of the city. That woman was me! The new ministry of the Sisters was the Holy Spirit
Life Learning Center (HSLLC). We crossed paths in early 2012. Currently, I work at the Life Learning Center as a case manager and development coordinator. I often write to others about the impact the Life Learning Center has had on the people it serves. This time, I want to share how I’ve grown through my service in ministry and mission at the Holy Spirit Life Learning Center — my own personal transformation.
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The mission of the Holy Spirit Life learning Center is “to work in a collaborative service with other institutions and community members of the West Ridge and Rogers Park areas and their surroundings; to support individuals, especially women and children, to reach a better standard of living by improving learning skills and developing selfconfidence”. I consider myself one of “those people” the HSLLC seeks to support. I am an immigrant woman from a very humble background. My family and I moved to the United States from Mexico when I was a child. While growing up, my parents tried to provide as much as they could for my five siblings and me, yet, we lived with very limited resources. Towards the end of summer 2011, I moved to Chicago to begin a master degree program at Loyola University. I wanted to improve my life so that I could also help my family. The first few months in Chicago were some of the most difficult times of my life. I had never lived away from home and I felt terribly homesick. My family was unable to support me financially, the bills started to accumulate, and I could not find a job in my field. I began to work full time at a restaurant where all the employees were also immigrants, and let’s just say the conditions and wages were not the greatest. I felt I had many skills and no one was giving me an opportunity to use them. My self-confidence started to suffer. Working and studying at the same time did not leave much room for socializing. There were times when I felt hopeless and defeated. I was facing many challenges to achieve what I thought was “success”: wealth and a professional career.
I volunteered to teach English (ESL) in the mornings two days per week. With that arrangement, I was now studying, working, and volunteering! Surprisingly, this combination made me feel much better. The Sisters were very friendly and supportive. They listened to my story. They gave me an opportunity to share my skills with others; but I received so much more. I also met the Sisters living in the SSpS Rogers Park Community (living in the same facility as the HSLLC). They, too, were friendly and welcoming! In August 2012, while looking for a place to do the internship for the master’s program, I again met with Sr. Angelica and Sr. Monica Mabel Balbuena.
In March 2014, representing the Holy Spirit Life Learning Center, I attended the “Commission on the Status of Women” at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
They gave me the opportunity to do the internship at the Life Learning Center. My task was to help conduct a social analysis of the area and to develop a domestic abuse program. Then in January 2013, Sisters Monica and Angelica offered me a part time position as a case manager. I was offered a job! I kept asking myself “Why me? Do they think I can do this?” That is when the ‘self-confidence’ issue kicked in. Of course I accepted the offer and quit my job at the restaurant. At the same time, I was scared. I did not want to let them down. I wanted to be the best case manager there was
One morning in January 2012, I met Sr. Aprilia Untarto, SSpS, at an event for students studying at the Institute of Pastoral Studies, Loyola University. She was studying counseling at the time. She shared briefly about the HSLLC and that they were in need of volunteers, especially those who could speak Spanish. A few days later, I gave her a call and arranged to meet with her and Sr. Angelica Oyarzo Chavol, SSpS. 4
in Chicago. In the summer of 2013, I was graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a master’s degree in “Social Justice and Community Development”. That fall, the Sisters offered me a full time position as a case manager and development coordinator. It’s 2016, and I am still here! What have these past years of experience done for me? How has the “mission” of the Holy Spirit Life learning Center impacted my life?
I feel more confident when I conduct awareness workshops about domestic violence to large groups. I have learned to stand up for myself and to defend my rights. I am comfortable asking questions when I do not know or understand something.
“To reach a better standard of living by improving learning skills”. (Mission Statement –HSLLC) My standard of living and my skills have definitely improved as a result of my service at the HSLLC. I developed professional skills in areas such as non-profit management, fundraising, and public speaking. I’ve learned to maintain boundaries when working with people in crisis; and I’ve learned to listen and respond with compassion. When it comes to life skills, I have learned to be more resourceful and to not waste anything. The Sisters make the most of the little that is available. For example, they recycle, use scrap paper, and they repair things when possible instead of buying new. I have learned to work with what is available, not with what I want. I’ve learned that it is important to take risks and when something does not work out, to keep trying until something does. My cooking and baking skills have improved, especially after a bake sale fundraiser we sponsored in 2013!
Sr. Angelica (left), Sr. Margareta (center), and Arantxa Martinez (right) with some of the children participants of the Summer Peace Camp held at Holy Spirit Life Learning Center
While working at the HSLLC and with the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, many of my dreams have come true. For example, I dreamed to travel, to meet people from different cultures. I have not traveled out of the country, yet I am meeting people from a variety of cultures. I work and interact with Sisters who come from different parts of the world: the Far East, Indonesia, Japan, Indonesia, India, Ghana, Chile, Argentina, and Germany, just to name a few. The SSpS United States Province has given me the opportunity to attend the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations, New York. I feel like the whole world has come to me, without me having to travel around the world. I am very grateful to the Sisters and others for the various opportunities they have provided me: for a dignified job, for believing in me, for sharing their knowledge with me, and for providing a space where I could grow as a person. I invite you dear readers to join our missionary efforts with your energy, resources, and prayers. The Holy Spirit Life Learning Center and the various ministries sponsored by the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters (SSpS) are transforming lives throughout the world - including mine!
Sr. Angelica Oyarzo Chavol and Arantxa Martinez during the Bake Sale.
“Developing self-confidence” (Mission Statement –HSLLC) My self-confidence has grown significantly and is reflected in my interpersonal relationships. I can say that now I believe more in my abilities; and at the same time, I have learned to accept my weaknesses.
Ms. Arantxa Martinez 5
Sister Helen Saldanha, SSpS, serves on the Executive Team of VIVAT International, a Non-Governmental Organization of the United Nations (NGO) dedicated to grass root and systemic advocacy on issues dealing with human rights, women and children, poverty eradication, sustainable development, and the culture of peace. VIVAT International, was founded in 2000 by the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) and the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS). Since its foundation, members of several other religious institutes of priests, brothers, and sisters have joined in the effort to promote understanding and harmony between peoples, classes, and religions. In her article below, Sr. Helen shares about her mission and ministry in India prior to assuming her responsibilities with VIVAT International.
Glimpses From the Past…
Sr. Helen Saldanha (center) is pictured here, and on the front cover, participating in training and advocacy initiatives for the empowerment of women in India.
from Sister Helen Saldanha, SSpS
Women’s struggles for equality and solidarity movements for human rights have shaped my life’s perspective and spirituality to a great extent. I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to be part of women’s lives at the grassroots as well as at the national level for about 25 years. The contexts in which I worked were challenging and growth promoting. Here I would like to share about my experiences with Streevani, meaning “Voice of Women” where I worked for 11 years. Streevani, a registered non-governmental organization of India South Province of the SSpS, is a national organization located in Pune, Maharastra, India. It was founded in 1982 by two visionaries, the late Rev. Engelbert Zeitler, SVD, founder, and the late Dr. Frances Maria Yasas, co-founder, (an American national from Pennsylvania), who strongly believed in empowerment of women and equality. Originally, the approach was exploring feminist visions through interactive sessions, consultations, and trainings; that paved the way for participative research, publications and documentary movies based on the findings of the research. In the mid-90’s, Streevani spread its wings to the rural and urban poor through community-based initiatives, organizing women and communities through empowerment programs.
Sr. Helen Saldanha conducting a “Speak Up” Workshop for Women & Children
Presently, under the leadership of Sr. Julie George, SSpS, a women’s rights advocate, Streevani has a strong legal cell that supports women in domestic violence court of law. It works for the rights of domestic workers and has organized them under the banner of building the Indian Christian Women’s Movement (ICWM). The Women Religious Lawyers’ Forum held various consultations on issues, and collaborates with various national level organizations on gender-related issues. Violence against women and girls is a universal phenomenon that cuts across all class, race, religious affiliations, and geographical boundaries. Forms might be different, yet violence is a cruel reality we all live with. Each single person breaking away from this cycle of violence rediscovers her strength and reclaims her identity as well as her right to dignity. One such story is of a young woman, Seema. Despite being good at studies, Seema was forced out of school after 7th grade due to an early marriage to a farmer. She moved into her matrimonial home and learned to manage her household and
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farming responsibilities. She had a mind of her own and was confident. By the time she was 20, she had two children. When the second child was five months old, our Village (women) Leaders brought Seema to Streevani. There were bruises on her face and body. She had already been to the doctor for treatment. It was clear, as she shared, that from the beginning of her marriage she was a victim of physical and verbal violence. Her husband controlled her mobility and interactions with others. The women shared that the confident young woman was afraid even to speak. A meeting was held with the husband, the family, and the village leaders. Seema’s husband agreed in writing that he would not beat her.
Her sense of identity and courage returned. She addressed each elder one by one, and asked them, referring to the earlier settlement... as to where they were when she had to protect herself from her husband, leaving her young children behind, and how could she trust that this would not happen again. None could convince her. When her husband finally spoke of divorce if she could not come back, she made it clear… that she would not give him a divorce because she did not want him to remarry and ruin another life. Seema started supporting herself and children through working in a factory and was happy. Her husband also gradually changed. Women in the village were interacting with him to amend his ways.
Meetings and training sessions are held to train and empower women, to help one another to respect and protect their dignity.
A few months later, Seema came again to Streevani with her mother with a wounded face. To escape from danger, she hid herself in the sugarcane field in the dark of night and went to her mother’s house at dawn. She was determined not to return to her husband. She filed a criminal complaint in the police station. Her husband and In-laws were arrested for two days. The case went on for two years. By working with village elders, we were able to bring the children to Seema, as that was a great concern. The husband wanted Seema back by all means. The village leaders, who are conflict resolution committee members, by all means wanted to settle this case, even as the court case was going on. They arranged a meeting which was held in Streevani.
About eighteen months later, Seema came to see us in Streevani. This time she came with her husband. They had been sorting out among themselves the issues without our help. She said that she had decided to live with her husband again. We spoke to each one separately and it seemed this time Seema was happy to be back with her husband. He was still hurt with the court case. As part of the follow-up, they came for counseling every month for 6 months. Later we visited them in their home along with women leaders. It was clear that they had renewed their relationship. This rarely happens. In this case, it was the husband’s inadequacy that led to violence and when he changed, life changed. Community involvement played a great role! 7
On Mission Sunday, October 15, 2015, Chris and Rachel Keeney in the presence of their parents Tony and Micki Gillman / Ken and Terry Keeney and our Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters in Techny received their mission sending blessing prior to their departure for their mission with our Sisters in Molineux, St. Kitts, the Caribbean. They share their experience as mission volunteers and as a married couple in the following article.
Holy Spirit Missionary VOLUNTEERS: Married and in Mission in St. Kitts By: Rachel Keeney In this glory-filled Easter season, we are reminded anew that our God is faithful, our God accepts even our doubts, and our God always exceeds our expectations. Chris and I married in early June of 2015. Having met while doing mission work in Liberia, West Africa, with the Catholic Church, we both felt called to continue exploring our missionary vocation in married life. After months of research, prayer, and lots of conversations, we were thrilled to accept an invitation to serve with the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters in St. Kitts. So after only four months of marriage, we arrived in St. Kitts in October - bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and ready to discover why God had called us here. Since arriving, Chris and I have been involved in a number of ministries. We visit and bring the Eucharist to the sick and homebound, teach at the Catholic High School in Basseterre, help with the youth group in the parish, volunteer at the pre-school, tutor, and assist in parish activities and events. Chris has been working with community members in Molineux to start a youth soccer camp for children in the community. The past six months have been filled with life changes, new friends, breath-taking sunrises and sunsets, cultural adjustments, and more. Chris and I have struggled together, discovered and explored together, laughed uncontrollably together, and been welcomed by both the SSpS and the local Kittitian community together. We have experienced moments of doubt and inadequacy, as well as instances of God’s peace and security. Although we have done all this far from family and friends who are living in the States, I imagine that our experience here has not been all that different from most other newly married couples. We are, quite simply, living the life before us in the place that God has prepared for us. 8
Mission is the daily smiles, the consistency of presence, the peace of living the life in front of us. Though I still struggle with the uncomfortableness of not “knowing” the intricacies of God’s will for us, there is so much freedom and joy in surrendering to the knowledge that our God is faithful, our God accepts even our doubts, and our God always exceeds our expectations. - Rachel Keeney -
Rachel and Chris Keeney (right) with some of the parishioners of Holy Family Parish, Molineux, Basseterre, St. Kitts
As one who likes to know the whole plan and understand the reason for everything, I am sometimes frustrated by the fact that I feel no closer to discovering why God has called us here than on the day we first arrived. But, maybe that is okay. Maybe the way Chris always takes the time to greet the preschoolers or the way he looks into the eyes and holds the hand of the elderly people we visit are exactly the reasons we are here.
Chris ↑ and ← Rachel with children from the preschool and community
Maybe Chris’ patience, his hand on my back when we are walking, the way he looks at me and respects me, maybe these simple gestures of love have more of an impact that either of us realize. Since arriving in St. Kitts, it has been the little things, the greetings from neighbors, the invitations to cricket matches, my students telling me about their aspirations for the future, these are the things that have made our time here special. These are the times we have felt closest to God and have been amazed by God’s generosity and acceptance. From the early morning Gospel music blaring from our neighbor’s house to the early evening “liming” (aka ‘hanging out’) outside the local grocery store, Chris and I are reminded that Church is everywhere, that “mission” takes place not only in the Parish Hall or in the most impoverished corners of the world.
The SSpS Mission Community gathers regularly for faith sharing. Sr. Julita (Indonesia), Chris and Rachel (USA), Sr. Odila (Brazil), Ricarda (MaZ Volunteer—Germany), and Sr. Margaret (Papua New Guinea) 9
… from the Director, Sister Pat Snider “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.” (Phil 4:13) As we prepare to celebrate the beautiful feast of Pentecost, we are all on our own, very individual, journey through life. For some it may be a time of joy and gratitude; for others, it might be a time of searching for answers and meaning in life. Yet, for still others, it may be a time of deep sadness and loss. Jennifer Hubbard, the mother of one of the young victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting shared the following: “After my little one died, I begged God’s direction. Head bowed low, I waited on him to do what in my own strength, I could not. In this sense, I feel his Apostles longing for specific direction when they discovered that what they had thought would be, was actually not. I wonder if it was because of their hearts urge to flee to the comfort of what they knew and the life that they left that ‘he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak.’ (Acts 1:4).” [Quote of Jennifer Hubbard from MAGNIFICAT, May 2016, Vol. 18, No.3, page 215]
It is hard to be those people who have suffered greatly and have to wait for new meaning to come into their lives. I think that some of you have been there this year. Remember, the Father gives his grace freely and makes possible what seems impossible. Hopefully, we can still be those people of JOY that Pope Francis encourages us to be. The Spirit helps us to realize how needed we are to continue to spread the Good News. We are called to do what he did now that he has gifted us with his Spirit and told us, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21) A person’s journey is very special and if we really try to hear that voice of the Spirit deep within each of us, we will experience God’s love which is the Spirit. We will experience God’s guidance and wisdom. Even more importantly, God’s strength will be with us to walk faithfully on our own special journey of life. A blessed Pentecost to all! Let us all pray for one another! 10
On April 3rd, we gathered with family and friends around the Eucharistic table to support Sr. Aprilia Untarto as she professed her “Fiat” - YES, FOREVER to the Holy Triune God in our Mission Congregation of the Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit. Through the Act of Profession, Sr. Aprilia united herself more closely to God; and living the way of the evangelical counsels (poverty, chastity, and obedience) she placed her gifts, talents, and whole being to the missionary service of the Church. She promised to reveal God’s tenderness and love for all people; to respect the dignity of human relationships, to be available to serve the poor and marginalized, to promote peace and justice, and to protect life and our environment. To follow this way of life, Sr. Aprilia relies on God’s provident grace and your prayerful support. Please hold her, and all of our missionary Sisters in your daily prayers.
Sr. Aprilia will serve in mission in the Paraclete Province (USA and the Caribbean) in vocation promotion and ministry.
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