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A different kind of retreat
Couple discovers the spirituality of hard work in Guatemala mission
Jon Fairchild
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In early 2003, my fiancée Ana and myself were busy planning our August wedding. We were
enjoying the marriage preparation courses and natural family planning training, but still longed for a
more intense means of spiritual preparation. We decided to spend the summer on mission in a
developing country.
Through a search engine provided by the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service, hard
work by the Intercommunity Ministry Volunteer Program and plenty of prayer, we found placement at
a clinic in the coastal hills of Guatemala. We would spend six weeks supporting missionaries
at Clinica Maxena, in the town of Santo Tomás la Unión. I would provide computer consulting
while Ana would apply her accounting skills.
We flew to Guatemala in late May full of excitement and naiveté. Focused on our
own spiritual development, we arrived with expectations of a peaceful retreat surrounded by folks deep
in prayer. Welcome to the real world, Jon and Ana! The real Third World, that is. This is no
retreat center. Clinica Maxena is an extensive mission of the Diocese of Helena, Mont., providing
medical care that "transcends barriers of language, distance, and extreme poverty." In essence, the
clinic serves the poorest of the poor indigenous inhabitants of Guatemala. The missionaries work
endlessly to bring hope and health to a people still reeling from 36 years of civil war. Rather than
witnessing hours of prayer, we discovered the spirituality of hard work.
Our hosts were Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mary Waddell and
Anna Priester. Any preconceived notions of nuns as quiet and meek were quickly laid to rest. These
ladies are conditioned by 17 years in this war-torn corner of Central America. They are dedicated and
tough as nails. Sister Mary set the tone for our stay with a hair-raising drive from Guatemala City to
Santo Tomás. Back at the clinic it was right back to work. Sisters Mary and Anna have endless
administrative responsibilities, including a clinic with more than 30 employees, numerous community
health and welfare projects and education in the parish.
Also in residence at the mission is Father James Hazelton from Montana. He is pastor
of Santo Tomás Parish and has been with the mission in Guatemala 37 years. When Father Hazy is
not working to build up his school in the nearby village of Xejuyub (now with 450 students), he
is traveling the rugged hill country to celebrate Mass in remote villages.
All of the missionaries appear elderly until you see them in action. They seem to attack
each task with an endless supply of energy. And the work does not stop after hours. The missionaries
are constantly answering to the immediate needs of a population that suffers from a level of poverty
we could not comprehend back home.
Lucky for us the missionaries did not expect us to commit ourselves so completely.
Most days Ana and I would work about a half-day, before the arrival of afternoon thunderstorms
that forbade the use of computers. This allowed us time to engage in centering prayer almost every
day. We also spent much time shopping for our food in the local market, cooking our own meals
and hand-washing our clothes. This turned out to be the retreat we sought, but in the extremist sense.
We gave up most comforts and conveniences we take for granted at home. We learned how to meet
our basic needs and realized how few material possessions we really need to lead a quality life.
Most of all, we learned from the lives of Sisters Mary and Anna and Father Hazy. They
have been sacrificing so long they have forgotten what a sacrifice they are making. We pray for the
missionaries in their lives of service, and hope you will do the same.
Jon and Ana Fairchild are members of Blessed John XXIII Parish in Fort Collins. For
more information, visit online: Guatemala mission Web site,
www.diocesehelena.org/pages/guatparish.htm; Catholic Network of Volunteer Service, www.cnvs.org/volunopp.htm;
Intercommunity Ministry Volunteer Program, www.altrue.net/site/imvp/.
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