Being a missionary Church
An important dimension of being a missionary Church lies in the connections forged between people who share the same faith, but live it out in vastly different situations and cultures. Annette Heinemann, the director of ministry formation programmes in Adelaide, said a seminar hosted by the parish of San Columbano in Santiago, Chile, for students taking part in training programmes for special ministries she organises proved a real eye-opener.
Three one-hour sessions organised by Columban Fr Dan Harding on being missionary at a parish level were presented by Richard Sepulveda, Adriana Curaqueo and Javier Nuñez. They stressed the importance of keeping a sharp awareness of the need to advocate on global issues like climate change, international trade and migration, while at the same time making strong, concrete responses to local needs.
“They made their input during a segment on being a missionary Church,” Annette explained. “Our students were really surprised at the complexity of the situation they faced, the exploitative influence multinational companies have on poor people and the sheer magnitude of the challenges people face.”
Presented by Zoom in Spanish with an English translation, the presenters spoke of the community kitchens the parish sponsored during the coronavirus lockdowns and the work done to ensure they had wide community support. However, the most challenging work the parish has undertaken is providing emergency accommodation and assistance to the vast number of refugees that have arrived in the city.
Millions of people have fled Venezuela, traversing mountains, rivers and deserts on foot. They have survived exploitation and escaped violence. Chile has been the destination of choice for many and today they account for almost 10 percent of its population. The presenters of the seminar said this influx of poor, desperate people issues an enormous challenge to both society and the Church in Chile and their parish decided it wanted to respond.
They explained the parish has opened three houses of hospitality providing emergency accommodation and, although they admit it is only a drop in the bucket in terms of the total need, they consider it a significant contribution. The constructive role they have played is evidenced in the over 100 people who have received support from the parish and are now settled in society. With their experience of welcome still fresh, they have begun forming their own communities and organising support structures out of their own initiative to assist those still arriving on a daily basis in search of a better life and a new home.
Fr Dan said there were lots of questions from the students in Adelaide and Annette explained that the team from Chile helped them look with more analytical eyes at their own situations and search for the hidden dynamics affecting people’s welfare.
She highlighted the importance of becoming acutely aware of people’s strengths and working with them to support them in using those strengths as one of the big takeaways from the exercise.
This article was written on behalf of St Columbans Mission Society.
Mission Intention for July 2022
Elderly: We pray for the elderly, who represent the roots and memory of a people; may their experience and wisdom help young people to look towards the future with hope and responsibility.
We ask your prayers:
The prayers of our readers are requested for the repose of the souls of friends and benefactors of the Missionary Society of St Columban who died recently and for the spiritual and the temporal welfare of all our readers, their families and friends.
Listen to "Mission World - July 2022 - Being a missionary Church"
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - July 2022
