Mission Trip to
Ayutla, Mexico
April 6 to 12, 2005
Mission Trip to
Ayutla, Mexico
April 6 to 12, 2005 |
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Fourteen hours after our 3:00 AM
wakeup call
at DIA, a flight to Houston, another to Acapulco and 2 hours and a half
van
ride up the snaky two lane highway, three bedraggled and weary
travelers
(Bernie Miller, Flora Murillo, and Katie Kochenower) arrived at
Santiago de
Apostol church in Ayutla (Unfortunately Father had contracted
bronchitis and
his doctor said he was not allowed to go.). The
first room we entered was a little side chapel used
mostly
by what
we were told is the world’s largest Legion of Mary group, 50+ members
strong,
and about thirty ladies were waiting to welcome us to their parish. Our
first
order of “business” was to attend Mass, over which Father Jesus Paz,
our host,
presided. We became immediately aware that the scene was different than
that in
our clean, shiny new church back home. In contrast to our church, which
had
been built over the course of a few short years, the church in Ayutla
had been
started in 1846 and was still years away from completion, if it ever will
be completed! The entire unused altar
area is one huge mass of raw concrete and twisted rebar waiting to
become
concrete columns, piles of sand and cement sacks and even a large
cement mixer
waits patiently for the day it will be used again.
A small makeshift temporary altar is now being used and in
front
of it people had brought 30 to 40 burning candles in all manner of
containers
and holders, even a little orange plastic bucket a child might play
with at the
beach. We found many of the churches we visited were in similar stages
of
repair/construction. The dress of the parishioners was also quite
varied and
ran the gamut from working-class-casual to fairly formal and their feet
were
bare to shod, clad in flip flops to high heels. Another modification to
mass
that had been adopted in order to serve the needs of what we soon found
to be a
very diverse parish was Father’s attire. In a very informal manner,
Father Paz
would walk up to the altar wearing a tee-shirt and khaki pants carrying
his
backpack containing his robe, bread and wine, and other Eucharistic
equipment,
get dressed right there in front of everyone and start the mass. There were no ushers regulating the flow of
people, who often came and went as they pleased. A couple of dogs might
be
sleeping inside the door in the shade or walking boldly up the aisle
and birds
might fly through from time to time yet these appearances did not
distract from
the celebration. As local lectors proclaimed the readings people freely
approached the altar so father Paz, sitting in his plastic lawn chair,
could
hear their confessions. When the mass was over the robe came off,
everything
went back in the backpack and the Padre was transformed back into a
civilian
before he stepped off the altar! Yet,
amidst all the informality, the many masses we attended during our
visit were
powerfully moving. The best words to describe them were solemn yet
relaxed,
reverent yet full of the energy of a living faith. Strong lyrical
voices
swelled with an eerie volume and tone from the floor to the ceiling
forty feet
above. Here were a people who valued
their faith more than almost anything and had practiced for centuries
its
rituals, knowing it explicitly and accepting its demands with
unchallenged
obedience. Even though no musical
instruments or missals or hymnals were used we were treated to a two
hundred-voice choir that reverberated strongly and naturally through
the vast
church as the entire parish lifted their voices in song and praise to
God. After our very first
mass and a short downhill walk we were treated to a four-piece band and
nice
dinner seated at a head table with an “audience” of 40 or so ladies and
children. Plates of steaming food started coming out of the tiny kitchen and soon everyone was fed (the vision was almost like in the Bible as the food continued to come and multiply)! We saw this phenomenon happen many times during our stay, sometimes with upward of 200 people being fed! We were soon to learn that great preparation and forethought had preceded our visit to the many small villages that comprise the parish of Ayutla and that the inhabitants had gone to great lengths to ensure that we would be received with hospitality, food, music, and friendship. It was incredible! As soon as our appetites were more than satisfied with the delicious fare, Padre Paz introduced us and described in detail the sister parish concept. We were then asked to talk a bit about our families, our faith, our involvement within our church, and Christ the King in general. We had painstakingly prepared “speeches” in the event we were asked to speak, however, they were still packed safely within our luggage back at Father’s house, so we adlibbed (some of us using the halting Spanish grammar we hadn’t practiced in years)! The people were very tolerant of our impromptu messages and clapped graciously for each of us. After mingling a while longer, we were introduced to our host families and got to bed at about 11, twenty exhausting, yet exhilarating hours after that wake up call in Denver! Most of our days began on the outdoor patio at Padre Paz’s quarters, which are attached to the church, and above the chapel we dubbed the Legion of Mary room. This outdoor “office” with it’s literal “open door policy” was well traveled at all times of the day by parishioners seeking Father’s guidance, services, blessings, and a myriad of other needs which were all met with the enduring patience and focused attention of a priest who loves his people and his vocation. One day we witnessed a middle aged woman who brought her grown son, obviously directly from working in the fields in his labor-worn, earth-covered clothing, for a blessing administered through laying-on-of-hands and quiet prayer, all while standing in the doorway of Father’s house. It was in these hospitable conditions that, along with whoever showed up between 8:30 and 10:00, we would be fed a hearty breakfast, never pop-tarts or cold cereal but usually meat, chile, black beans, coffee, sweet bread, and tortillas, of course, all while enjoying stimulating conversation and the breathtaking views of the beauty of the surrounding mountains. Our wonderful repast was prepared by Chencha, who is Father’s secretary, housekeeper, cook, and as she jokingly told Flora, “his mother”, because she takes care of everything at the rectory. Chencha has been serving Father and the parish in various capacities since she was a 12 year old girl. Her husband is a truck driver and only home every other week or so and therefore, Father Paz has become a surrogate father/grandfather figure for Chencha’s 18-month-old adorable son, Marcitos. They have a very unique bond and, more times than not, Father would be seen with Marcos in his arms going about his daily duties as if the boy were a natural extension of his body! Padre Paz, at 73, is a real dynamo. energizing effect! At the conclusion of our personal testimonies, which we were getting more proficient at delivering each time, their youth choir sang us a song accompanied by a guitar, tambourine, and musical sticks. When they were finished they thanked us for coming and applauded us It was all very humbling and emotionally moving. After spending time visiting with members of the town, we were shown to a small room near the altar that had been decorated and where women of the town had prepared homemade sweet breads and chilate, a semi-sweet chocolate type drink that we had now become accustomed to. The walls were decorated with multitudes of taper candles hanging down from sticks. The sticks were 3 feet long or so and at least 20-30 candles hung from their wicks with multi colored decorations on the wax. Hanging the candles in this way keeps the wax from melting and bending due to the heat of the climate (as we had seen happen during a few masses!) We were told that these were for the Fiesta de San Juan in honor of their town’s patron saint. When we had completed our snack and conversation we began our truck ride home amidst the band playing a waltz to serenade us on our journey. It was a very peaceful sound as the dark of the evening wrapped around us and allowed us to give thanks for our newfound friends in faith. Despite the assumption held by many “developed” cultures that these rural Mexican villages are “primitive” we found that in many aspects they are more advanced than us, especially in the area of religious ministry. As the Diocese of Grand Island just now begins to hold Deanery Council meetings with the intent on addressing the increasing shortage of priests in our area, we found that Santiago de Apostol has this issue well under control. We attended a meeting of their “Deanery Council”, the group of religious directors representing each of the five zones within the parish, who come together to ensure consistent curriculums and teaching methods and to address how to meet the needs of the voluminous faithful across such wide and diverse terrain with just one priest. Through their efforts an organized network of lay ministers provide Liturgy of the Word services as well as administer pre-consecrated Eucharist to their local parishioners in Father’s absence. Some, such as Timoteo, a 69 year old married man, travel to many different towns preaching, visiting, and sharing their faith with young and old alike, sometimes staying for months in the more remote mountain villages where the townspeople welcome him with open hearts and homes. Others, such as “El Lobo” as he is affectionately named, spent several years studying in the seminary only to find that his vocation was in another direction, as a single, celibate, lay missionary who spends his time working with the poor, spreading God’s Word through preaching and especially through song, and helping the Sisters who live and work in the parish of Ayutla. Educational materials are printed in the
tiny office below
Father Paz’s house and funds donated by Christ the King support these
projects
and the purchase of supplies. Additional uses of funds provided by
Christ the
King are spent for missals, which are donated by the Parish of Santiago
de
Apostol to the seminary in Acapulco. Monetary support is also provided
to the 3
young men from Ayutla Our last mass in Ayutla was Sunday, the day before we left. This mass was quite a bit different than the other daily masses we had attended with the entire building overflowing with people. It was apparent that Sunday was, and evidently always is, a big day around Ayutla, in both the religious and social sense. At the 10:00 Mass, we presented the banner we had brought with us as a gift for the parish. The symbols stood for Christ the King and Santiago de Apostol being joined as one in faith through the Holy Spirit, a design and concept created by Father Harr. During this same Mass, two couples were married and after mass father baptized at least 20 babies simultaneously! It was certainly a much different atmosphere than our more private weddings and baptisms and yet, the experience somehow was just as faith filled and spiritual. At the end of our visit it was apparent upon reflection that neither sister parish had a complete understanding of the relationship that has existed for nearly fifteen years. We knew we sent money for our “Adopted Parish” and some of the people in Mexico were aware they were being helped monetarily from “El Norte”, however it was a faceless, emotionless exchange. Now, through meeting and talking to literally hundreds of parishioners, hopefully we all will be better informed and closer as human beings and amigos! We could not help but be overwhelmed by the generosity and Catholic faith of every person we met. We were being featured as the honored guests at every gathering and continuously felt so very unworthy of such exalted treatment. Father Paz held us up as examples of good Catholic ministers and yet we were witnessing such deep faith in the midst of extreme circumstances that it put us to shame. It is impossible to fully describe the feelings these experiences evoked and how personally changed we each have become because of them. A different person comes back to the U.S. than left 10 days ago. For most of us there are so many distractions in our lives that religion, faith, prayer, and good works are many times relegated to a smaller and smaller amount of our daily life. Our sister parishioners in Ayutla lack many of the material things and pointless chaotic activities that we have allowed to occupy our precious time. In return, they have been able to develop a strong faith, a faith we all should take more care in nurturing. One has to envy them that. Upon returning home we are immediately brought up to speed on what the media thinks is important to us: the lurid accusations against celebrities, war and hatred among peoples of the world, governmental improprieties, corporate scandals, and all other manner of negativism. Conversely, a few days ago en El Salto, one of the most isolated and primitive places we visited, a young mother was engaged in the therapeutic task of hand forming corn tortillas, hanging laundry, and tending to her children. Her tiny 600 square foot mud brick house had no electricity and her husband had no regular income in our sense of the word. They raised almost everything they ate, had no utility bills, mortgage, insurance premium due, no car to be repaired, no credit card payment due, no concern about exceeding her cell phone minutes. Paying no attention to our passing truck, her expression as she looked off across the beautiful mountainside was serene and peaceful as if she was thinking, “What could possibly be better than this?” Maybe she was right. Copyright
2005 Katie Kochenower & Christ the King Church
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