Thanks to our donors' help for Hands Together, this little one attends school and has a daily meal amidst the uncertainties of life in Cite Soleil.
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Sometimes, when I speak in schools or parishes, I tell stories of my mission experience in Haiti working with Hands Together (HT), founded by Father Tom Hagan, OSFS and Doug Campbell. Their ministry is in Cité Soleil, Haiti, the largest slum in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. HT's mission is to bring food, education, medical help, and most importantly, the face of Christ to the residents of the slum, especially the children.
Our team's typical day was long -- Mass at 5:30 a.m. with Saint Mother Teresa's Sisters, followed by Morning Prayer in Creole and English, before setting off to work at local schools, orphanages, and clinics run with help from the Pontifical Mission Societies. After a day of feeding babies, dressing wounds, and massaging the paper-thin skin of AIDS patients, we would return to the house for a light dinner and Evening Prayer. Then, we would meet on the roof for our final reflection of the day. We sat in the darkness (the house had sporadic electricity) and would pray about one question: Where did I see the face of Christ today?
Was it in the baby I held whose skin was flaking off due to malnourishment? Was it in the man whose erupted tumor I cleaned and bandaged at the wound care clinic? Was it in the school children I played with during their recess? The choice was impossible as Christ was ever present to me in all of them.
The question has stayed with me. I try to ask myself that every night. I also bring it with me wherever I go in my ministry. Speaking on behalf of the Pontifical Mission Societies gives me the opportunity to remind people that it may be simple to hear stories from the missions and see Jesus in the details. It may be more difficult to find the face of Christ in the person at the next desk, the stranger needing a seat on the bus, or the newly arrived migrant looking for help. And yet, we are called to do just that.
One of the lessons the missions teach is to look for the face of Christ in all children of God, wherever they live. It is also a lesson our faith calls us to re-learn daily.
To become a more intentional missionary disciple, consider asking yourself this question at the end of each day: Where did I see the face of Christ today?
The answer will amaze you.
To hear more about the work of Hands Together, attend Mass at Saint Christine Church or Saint Theresa's Chapel in Marshfield, Mass. August 24-25.
- Maureen Crowley Heil is Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies, Boston.