Priests are human not superhuman

 

                       Serving the Poor does that also include our Priests here in Peru?

Perhaps this is a question or something similar that has entered your mind when you hear about the annual Priest retreat that we hold during the 1^st week of August each year.

To be honest I even question myself and Jesus each year wondering if we are indeed in line with His will. I question Jesus about the fact I have nothing to offer; I am not in any way intellectually superior to the Priests, I cannot even begin to hold an in-depth theological conversation with them at an academic level. And each year despite my doubts the Lord confirms with me that he does indeed desire us to serve and love on our Priests because they are suffering incredible poverty.

You might be wondering what kind of poverty priests experience, as we are accustomed to the Priests in the USA, they do not suffer too harshly from material poverty but indeed can suffer a great deal from spiritual poverty which oftentimes goes unnoticed. Here in Peru our Priests suffer greatly both materially and spiritually.

They are ridiculed by their parents, because they cannot help support them in their old age, they are faced with an inconceivable large parish to shepherd, leaving them often over tasked and overburdened which affects their spiritual journey with the Lord.  Perhaps an even more grim reality is that they struggle when they see their brother Priests renounce their vocation of Priesthood.

The fact is that when we started hosting the Priest retreat, we had 33 Priests, we are now down to 26 Priests. We lost one to an accident as he fell from a tall ladder when he was cleaning the Church windows. Another has been removed from his duties as not fit to serve, 2 have retired, and lastly 3 have discerned out of the Priesthood after serving for 2-4 years in our Dioceses and now have been allowed to return to be laymen, with one of them even marrying.

So, you can see why I would question if it is worth hosting a Priest retreat, as the goal that my heart desired is not really working. But praise be to God I stumbled across this quote from Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald, S.P., as he said, “In strengthening the priest you strengthen the whole Church… Strengthen the priest and you strengthen the whole foundation, you strengthen everything in the Church.” I didn’t know who Father Gerald Fitzgerald was, so I had to learn more. I found that Father Fitgerald desired to help his brother Priests who were struggling spiritually, who were under attack, and he even opened a home for struggling Priests.  Here is a wonderful website with more information about Father Fitzgerald if you’re inspired to learn more.  http://www.theservants.org/WhoWeAre/FoundingoftheCongregation.aspx

I share this with each of you for several reasons, first I pray it will help encourage you not to be discouraged when you do not see the outcomes of your desires. Secondly, I pray it will inspire you to find ways to encourage and support Priests. You may recognize that yes, they are to be our spiritual Fathers, but we need to remember that “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it” (1 Cor 12:26). So, we need to lift up our Priests in Prayer. We need to remember that they are human and not superhuman. We should be eager to take on the attitude of prayer and penance, and to grow in the gift of compassion and mercy for our Priests. And lastly, I share this with you to say thank you. Thank you or all those who partner with us in the Lord mission here. We could have folded our cards and bowed out of hosting the retreat this year because  we did not receive any direct donations this year, but instead we were able to redirect money (after asking for permission)  that was sent to be used for personal needs for our family by a benefactor to the Priest retreat, and we were able to host the 4^th annual Priest retreat once again. So, let’s give a shout out to our Lord for always making a way! 

The poor priests from our dioceses along with our bishop and a guest priest from Trujillo that we invited to lead talks and formation for the retreat. The theme for this year's retreat was from the Gospel of Matthew where in Jesus says " I desire mercy not sacrifices" Mt 9:13. And praise God that all of them were all able to share meals together and share their struggles and glory stories with one another. They celebrated mass together, played games and just relaxed for the week. This was one of the man desires of the retreat and God allowed this to happen. 

All glory and honor is His! 

Thank you again for your missionary hearts and your prayers for us! 

May together we learn to love like Jesus! 

Mission Post: Casa de Santa María Magdalena: Caserio Santa Clara Peru

Follow the link below to learn more about Santa Maria Magdelana´s home, its mission, and how to partner with us.

https://www.familymissionscompany.com/santa-maria.../

Then and now : 2019 vs 2025

 

It was not my plan, but indeed, it was Jesus’s plan for us to live in solidarity with the poor for so long!  As a missionary with FMC, we have the option to change mission posts after are 1st initial commitment which when we entered missions in 2017 it was at that time, after 1 year that we could discern to move to other post. Which we discerned after our 1^st year was completed at the end of 2018 that in fact Jesus was calling us to move to a different region of Peru, further North, to start a new mission post. So, in 2019 we made the move, and we could have never guessed that this is where we would find such peace and a place to call home.
 
Gennie Summers, FMC’s founder, had told us during our training that we must make a home that we should not live out of our suitcases; she was firm about the fact we must unpack our suitcases and put down roots. Well, I cannot lie it took us awhile, in fact we lived out of our suitcases up until 2022 or 2023, it took us that long to have something other than a suitcase as a dresser. It took us just as long to have a real mattress. (by real mattress I mean something thicker than a yoga mat.)  So I honestly would say we failed this requirement, but it was not because we were desiring to stay on a constant state of alert and ready to bug out or return back to the states at the 1^st sign of danger or defeat, it was because we never wanted to take money we raised for missions, for the poor and spend it on us!  In hindsight I wish we would have been brave enough to do so, it would have made daily life a bit more bearable and perhaps a bit less back pain. LOL
 
The fact is long term foreign missionaries require a bit of detachment, when a say a bit, I mean a lot! We give up comforts of life in the USA, we give up visits with families, customs and even our own native language, even our freedom in some cases as foreign long-term missionaries. We have been asked to enter into the life of those around us. It is different from a short-term trip or a 2-year assignment where there is an end in sight and life returns to how one’s life was before.
 
I have been reflecting a lot and the other day when we were serving in one of my favorite ministries in a small mountain town of Buenos Aires that we have been going to since 2019 kind of choked me up a bit, it made me grateful that Jesus intentionally called me to such a beautiful place, and to live among such beautiful people who have given and taught me more than I could have ever given or taught them.   I can honestly say that this is my home, I am with those who Jesus desires me to be with, to live in solidarity with. Though I miss friends, family and the birth of my 4 grandchildren, Jesus has in a very intentional way filled my heart with the souls of the poor who I desire to serve well.
 
I share with you a picture of Calais and I that we tried to recreate from when he was younger during our 1^st years of living here. Perhaps we have both changed in more ways than one, a bit taller, a bit more grey hair on my part, but one thing is for sure we have become true friends! 

Please prayerfully consider becoming a mission partner with us! The Mission here would not exist without the generous hearts of so many who support us and ministries and outreach programs we are involved in. As full time Lay Catholic missionaries we live and serve the poor from the donations that we receive. No amount is too small. Please follow the link below to become a mission partner. 

https://www.familymissionscompany.com/project/karen-del-castillo/

May we learn to love like Jesus! 

A Popsicle and a Pilgrimage

 

Last week Gabriel and I were blessed to have a short rest from our mission post. Though not at all extravagant by any means, we took the 7 hour drive to the bustling city of Chiclayo, the former mission field of Bishop Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leon XIV.

Though we could not stay long due to the cost of being away from our mission post we were delighted to be in what we call civilization. Where there are paved roads, and almost 1^st world comforts.

Our Idea was to go to daily mass at the cathedral of Santa Maria that once was the home to Pope Leon, and make our way to the site of a Eucharistic Miracle that has yet to be confirmed, and to visit a small out of the way town called Zana which is the home to an Augustine Convent which was built in 1569 as well as two other church ruins, one in which is where the former tomb of Saint Toribio Alfonso de Mogrovejo who was the Bishop of Lima. Saint Toribio died while he was at the Augustine Convent, and he is who confirmed Saint Rosa de Lima and Saint Martin de Porres. Some of his bones still remain in Zana, however, most have been taken to Lima and placed in a tomb there.

I recently read a report that Officials in Peru are now hoping that with Pope Leon XIV as the head of the Church that these sites will become an official pilgrimage that the faithful from all over the world will desire to make.  They are also hoping that now with the ties that Pope Leon has with Peru because of his many years serving in Peru will speed up the process of the approval of the Eucharistic Miracle that took place in the town of Eten during the 17^th century. The dates of these miracles hold an even greater place in my heart as one took place on June 2 solemn celebration of Corpus Christi, and the other on July 22, the feast day of Santa Maria Magdalena.

Here is a link to miracles if you want to know more about them.

Will Leo XIV soon approve the Eucharistic miracle of Eten?
https://aleteia.org/.../will-leo-xiv-soon-approve-the.../
and
https://www.aciprensa.com/.../reconstruyen-digitalmente...

But I think the best part of our little trip is when we noticed the ice cream vendors selling Pope Leon XIV popsicles. I mean just how many popes have had an ice cream made of them!!!!!!

I would like to extend an offer to anyone who would like to make this pilgrimage, we would be happy to help you make this a reality. We are willing to travel with you to these sites, or we can just help coordinate the arrangements for you. 

Above Iglesia Merced Built in 1600's

Above pictures Augustine Convent which was built in 1569

Above La Iglesia San Francisco built in 1585-1590

Above Eucharistic Miracle of Eten Chapel

Inspired by the Peruvian heart of Pope Leon XIV. A popsicle that not only sweetens but embraces

         Just how many Popes have had their very own Popsicle?

Outpouring of the Holy Spirit onto an unwanted infant and a brave teenage mother

In our community we have experienced in a real way the Holy Spirit as he descended upon Baby Georgina during her baptism this past week.

This last Wednesday between Pentecost Sunday and Trinity Sunday our small community here were blessed to have the opportunity to celebrate mass. And sweet baby Georgina who is only three months old was able to receive her sacrament of Baptism. A miracle in itself due to the fact that her 15 year old mother was desiring an abortion just three months ago.

So, baby Georgina’s baptism day was something to celebrate as her little soul would receive the Holy Spirit and she would become the youngest member of our little community here in Santa Clara.

But what was not really expected was the visible outpouring of the Holy Spirit that our community experienced during her baptism. Do not misunderstand, we did not see a dove come from above and descend upon sweet baby Georgina as in the case of Jesus’s baptism (Mt 3:16), nor was it the same experience that the disciples had when Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon them (Jn 20), nor did we see tongues like flames of fire as the disciples saw. (Acts 2:3)

Instead, while I held baby Georgina while Father Gilber poured water over her head and anointed her with the Chrism oil, baby Georgina did not cry, she miraculously begins to smile, and she held this smile during the entire baptism ceremony.

The effects of seeing the Holy Spirit descend on this sweet baby made tears swell up in all of us, Father had to take a minute to compose himself so that he could finish pronouncing the Baptism Rite as he was obviously moved by the presence of the Holy Spirit just as much as her young mother Tonya and I were. It was as if Georgina was truly aware she was a child of God and she was touched by him in this moment. Her smile was present due to the fact she knew that he was pleased with her and delighted over her as his creation.

If you have been following our journey with Tonya you may remember that from the moment, I was informed that she was pregnant, I knew we as a community needed to support Tonya and her baby. My desire was to bring the truth to our community that this child was a gift from God and not a mistake. My desire was that our community would not join in on the gossip surrounding the pregnancy but rather that we together would focus on celebrating and welcoming the gift of a new life within our community. I fully believe that what we experienced as a community this week was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in order to make known the love of God who is hidden from us, so that all the hearts in our little town can experience his love, and he has done that through a small unwanted infant named Georgina and a sweet brave teenage mother named Tonya!

Thank you for everyone who makes such great sacrifices in their lives so that Gabriel and I can live in solidarity with the poor. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to journey with and to love those who have not yet experienced true love!

May we all learn to love like Jesus!

Mission Post: Casa de Santa María Magdalena: Caserio Santa Clara Peru

Follow the link below to learn more about Santa Maria Magdelana´s home, its mission, and how to partner with us.

https://www.familymissionscompany.com/santa-maria.../

Recognizing the need to maintain one's spiritual health.

 

Here at Casa de Santa Maria Magdalena, Gabriel and I have been blessed to have the opportunity to serve some of our ministry leaders of the Catholic Diocese. We held two different retreats focused on the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ingnatius.

Our prayers and desires of holding the two retreats were to give an opportunity to those who are in ministry roles in more populated areas of our diocese recognize the need to maintain their spiritual health. We were blessed to have Padre Niño Vásquez SJ who journeyed from Lima who is an expert in St Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercise’s lead the retreats.

The 1^st retreat we welcomed 27 women and, on the 2nd, retreat we received 14 men and 7 women join us for three days. Though it was not the common 8 day or 30-day retreat that most people make it was most definitely a great introduction for those who attended, and it gave them the most important tools associated with Saint Ignatius’s spiritual exercises which are attended to deepen one’s relationship with God through mediations, prayer and contemplative practices.  With the goal to deepen one’s relationship with Jesus Christ, to help them become free from disorders, and attachments so they may discover their identity, and mission.

 

We are so thankful to everyone who partners with us through prayer and by their financial sacrifices. Without you this retreat would not have been possible.

 

If you are interested in learning more about Saint Ignatian spirituality and his spiritual exercises, than I encourage you to follow the proceeding link to learn more. https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-spiritual-exercises/

Understanding the cost of loving God

Blessings to you my brothers and sisters in Christ.

We have been raised to life with Christ, and we must now seek the things that are above, Alleluia!

I pray your Lenten season was a blessed one, full of conversions both big and small. We are indeed called to conversions not just during the Lenten season but throughout the year. And with that said if we allow Jesus to make small changes within our hearts each day than we are on the right path. We just need to have an open and docile heart and Jesus will do the rest. With Jesus’s merciful love and his forgiveness, we can be made new again.

Now with the Easter season upon us we now must respond to the love which we have received. I often tell the poor here that Jesus was not kept on the cross by the three nails piercing his hands and feet but rather it was his love for us that kept him on the cross. With this in mind, we must respond, we must become his hands and feet here on earth, we must imitate his love, generosity and immense mercifulness to all those who cross our paths.

Though many approach the Easter season as if there is nothing more Christians need to do because Jesus paid the debt on the cross in full for us, believing there is nothing more required of us. Or even worse many people take on the approach or belief that that somehow Jesus owes us something or that we have a right to what he has to offer without paying a price for what we want!  However, this is so contrary to the teaching of the Catholic Church and the examples we find in the lives of the Saints. They understood just as in the secular world, that in the world of the divine “You get nothing, for nothing”, that there is a “cost of loving God”. Just like a true friendship or true love between spouses there is a demanding price one must pay, and this is no different when speaking of our relationship with Jesus.

More so, “God loves us so much that He expects us to love Him in return. And the price of being loved by the almighty is high, as also is the price of growing in His love. The more precious the commodity the higher the price, the most precious possession in the world is the love of God. You don’t get this, I don’t say for nothing or cheaply; you pay, and you pay dearly”. So, the question remains what is the cost of Loving God? What is the recompense for His prior goodness to us and as the wages so to speak? Father John Hardon S.J. wrote that God expects just two things from us. The first is the willingness to give up whatever pleasant things He may want us to surrender. The second is the willingness to take whatever painful things He may want to send to us!”  In other words, this Easter season we should focused on what the price is to love God! We should focus our attention and studies to the importance of what it means to pick up our own cross, and to embrace not only what it means to suffer, but the JOY of suffering, of redemptive suffering, in other words we should focus on the Cost of Loving God!

Saint Ignatius wrote “If God gives you an abundant harvest of trials, it is a sign of the great holiness to which He desires you to attain. Do you want to become a great saint? Ask God to send you many sufferings… All pleasures of the world are nothing compared with the sweetness found in the gall and vinegar offered to Jesus Christ- that is, hard and painful things endured for Jesus Christ and with Jesus Christ.”

With that said we should reflect on Pope John Paul II’s words in where he wrote that “suffering" seems to be particularly essential to the nature of man…  Suffering seems to belong to man's transcendence: it is one of those points in which man is in a certain sense "destined" to go beyond himself, and he is called to this in a mysterious way.”

In conclusion we should reflect on the words spoken from St. Philip Neri as he has been credited with saying that “The cross is a gift God gives to his friends.”

My friends in Christ, may we except the mission at hand to pick up our crosses, our sufferings, and hardships with Joy! May we recognize that because God loved us first there is a great response required on our behalf and to embrace the great cost of loving God! Between the sacrifices and the cross we must pay, lies the whole price of DIVINE LOVE!

Though I am writing this letter to you I feel that it is also a lesson I need to remind myself of. My heart and soul have been reflecting a lot on my sufferings lately, on the loneliness of the mission field, and the hardships of life in foreign missions in general. And now with the Easter season upon us, I was eager to find myself in a new season, perhaps with less suffering. And yet here on the first Monday of the Easter season, it is as if I am still in the season of many trials and suffering, feeling almost guilty for feeling this way as many are in a season of rejoicing, I remain close to our Lord and know that he loves me dearly and through the gift of the crosses that  I bear I am not alone in my sufferings as he draws near me every day and night helping me bare their weight. I desire to hold fast, to remain in his word and to make a plea asking for even more suffering!

Please pray for Gabriel and I and please be confident that we are praying for each one of you by name.

 Please pray for the mission here and the vast needs of all those we serve!

Below, I have attached pictures from the mission field, from the different Lenten activities that we celebrated with our community here.  I pray that you will enjoy them.

 

Gabriel and I thank each one of you for your love and support! The mission here would not exist without you!  

 

Mission Post: Santa Clara Amazona Peru

Stations of the Cross

Each Friday during lent we mediated on Christ's Passion; we had just simple mediations to a reenactment and even Stations of the Cross in the rain! 

Holy Thursday 

After the Celebration of the word and distribution of Holy Communion everyone in our community participated in the washing of the feet! 

There were 80 people who had their feet washed! 

We celebrated the last super with more prayer, fish and bread! 

Ending the night as a community, we kept watch of Jesus until the morning. The 1st hours were with the entire community and the morning hours until sunrise we took turns in shifts as not to leave Jesus alone! 

Holy Saturday Vigil Mass

Gabriel serving at Mass! Take a look at the buckets of water that will be blessed!

Easter Sunday 

We celebrated with the small Caserio's of Santa Clara and Buenos Aires leading a Celebration of the word and distributing Holy Communion 

Quotes used are taken from the following sources:

John A. Hardon S.J., Joy in Suffering, (Inter Mirifica, 25 January 2014)

 Pope John Paul II. Apostolic Letter Salvifici Doloris (11 February 1984).