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!