It has been a long process

Today is my mother's 15th anniversary of her going to heaven. I can hardly believe it. I think of her often. She was such a valiant woman. It is she who gives me the strength to do what I do when I find myself in very unique circumstances ... as I find myself now. My mother was a pioneer is the truest sense of the word.

As I say, this has been a long process. I have wanted to be a missionary since I was in high school. My heart is always looking to the horizon. Who else needs help? Who needs evangelization? I will go. Send me!

I have wanted to work tirelessly in the field of evangelization since forever. When our Sisters went to Peru I asked if I could be named as one of those going. In hind sight I am glad the superiors saw that I was very young and inexperienced at the time. Each and every assignment since then has been a stepping stone, a preparation for this journey.

So I settled into a teaching career that took me from teaching first to eighth graders and beyond.
I was also assigned to be principal of several schools. I ended up teaching at La Salle High School in Milwaukie, OR. I love teaching. I went to St. Mary, Star of the Sea in Astoria all by myself. It was a new experience to go “so far” without a community of Sisters. For four years I taught in the middle school until the pastor asked me if I wanted to help him in the area of Hispanic ministries in the parish. Thus I left teaching in the classroom and started pastoral ministries. I loved doing that kind of work. Teaching parents of children who were preparing to receive the sacraments is very rewarding.

I have served in parish ministries since the early 90’s. Once I was named as “administrator” of San Martin de Porres in Dayton, OR. I have learned so much about the different aspects of parish structure, organization, administration, faith formation at the different levels, accountability and the use of space, etc. However, I always find myself teaching.

After over 30 years of working, I took a year off to refresh myself. I went to live in Spain. I studied at the University of Avila, lived with a bunch of elderly Spanish priests and other renters in an old seminary where we learned to love “la Santa” (St. Teresa of Avila) and the culture of the Spanish people. I visited much of Spain and other countries as well.

I returned from my sabbatical year all refreshed and was assigned to the coast again. I helped at Our Lady of Victory in Seaside. However, St. Joseph’s in Salem was bursting at the seams with newly arrived immigrants from Mexico—even though Salem has had Hispanic people since the early 50’s. At the 2000 census the city counted 10,000 Hispanics. I was hired by Father James Coleman who had been born and raised in Salem and had just arrived from South America where he had been a missionary for many years. The two of us worked hard to evangelize the Hispanic
community.

I continued to ask my community about the “foreign missions”. I still had a great desire to be a missionary. Fr. Coleman asked to return to South America. I envied him. Our superior general and her council were still concerned that our Sisters, in general, were not convinced that this was the time to start thinking of sending Sisters out to do missionary work. My heart was almost breaking. I asked God why He had put that desire in my heart if I was never going to be able to do anything about it. Then one day, without any big fanfare, the Sisters in community asked, “Are we ever going to discuss the idea of expanding to Mexico or other countries?”

First I complained because we took forever to even discuss this topic, but now, the topic was being brought up more often. Finally, I was asked to write an objective for this endeavor. It was thought that it would be best for two of us to go. We were interviewed by the council. They decided that we could only afford to send one Sister. I wrote to many communities of religious Sisters in Mexico. There is a saying: “It is not what you know. It is who you know.” One community would connect me to another community, etc. In late May I booked a flight to Mexico to make more solid plans and to meet the Sisters who had invited me to come and see. Finally, my community gave their blessing and permission for me to spend a year of “exploration” in Mexico.

During this “investigative” first year I am to live with at least three groups of religious Sisters.

Those who invited me were Sisters from three different states: Zacatecas, Guanajuato and Jalisco. At the end of the year I will “report” to our Sisters what I saw and what I learned. My congregation will then decide if we should continue in the process of integrating ourselves with the Church in Mexico. Depending on the options opened for us we will decide if being connected via a “Sister-congregation relationship” or opening our own convent in Mexico would be to the advantage of all involved. The Vicar of the Consecrated Life from Aguascalientes, Fr. Manuel Aranda, suggested we take our time to really investigate the situation. It would give us time to look at them and for them to look at us. This process would take from four to five years. We want to grow in understanding of the culture and language of our many immigrant brothers and sisters. Living in different states in Mexico will help me to immerse myself and really “taste” the culture and learn the language better (correctly).

Most religious Sisters wear their “updated” navy blue skirt and vest habits—with any long-sleeved white or pale colored blouse. Many wear no veil though occasionally we see Sisters wearing veils. The novices still wear white veils and their junior Sisters wear veils unless working outside the “Postulado” or training house. This community of Sisters asked me not to wear my veil for teaching in their school. I dress the same as always except no veil. I “team teach” with the primary and secondary teachers of English [that is quite a task as their English is
very poor] and I help the campus ministry Sister with retreats, etc.

This is, indeed, an overwhelming new task at my young age—of 66! These are wonderful years!
I need your prayers and support and I assure you of mine. God bless us all!