Columban Affiliates: Partners In Mission
In the USA the Columbans have established the Columban Affiliates program. The executive director is Ariel A. Presbitero from Sta Ursula Parish, Binangonan, Rizal, who worked as a Columban lay missionary in Brazil and Peru. The Columbans worked in Ariel’s parish for many years. His email address is ariel15brasil@yahoo.com (please note the‘s’ in ‘Brasil) . Many Catholics want to answer God’s call for them to become missionaries, but don’t see themselves making a life-long commitment to overseas cross-cultural missionary work. You can learn more about the Columban Affiliates atwww.columban.org/content/view/257/1.
Below are the stories of two women from the Philippines who work in Los Angeles and who see their professional work as an expression of their being missionaries.
A Call to Care for the Elderly
By Mindy Miñoza
Mindy Miñoza is a Columban Affiliate in Los Angeles who works full time as a caregiver to elderly patients. Mindy is from San Antonio Village, Cebu City, and has been involved with the Columban Affiliates program since December 2006, participating in Christmas caroling, the Affiliates’ ‘Dancing for the World’ event and other Affiliates’ activities. She also assists Columban Father Peter Kenny in promoting Columban Mission magazine in the Los Angeles area.
‘If only people would care more – and perhaps many don’t know how – we would not need paid caregivers like me in the first place’, I told fellow Columban Affiliates at one of our gatherings in Los Angeles.
When I become a caregiver to an elderly patient, my first obstacle is building a relationship with him or her. I must build a bridge from the unknown to the familiar. Establishing this relationship opens the door to the types of care I need to provide.
My most recent patient isn’t unique. Like most patients I have worked with for nearly a decade, she suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. The illness is all too common for elderly people, who suffer from memory loss, irritability, impatience, mood swings, sleeplessness and disorientation. Because I know of the difficulties associated with Alzheimer’s, I know how important it is for me to establish a good relationship with the patient.
Dealing with seemingly impossible cases is not new to me. An incident I will never forget was when a patient yelled at me and asked me to leave her home because she was annoyed that someone was around. Perhaps she was confused because of her illness or she simply wanted to be on her own.
But, I couldn’t just leave her, so I walked to another part of the house for a few minutes and then returned. When I came back, she asked me where the other lady was. There was no other woman, of course, except me.
The Challenge of Unconditional Love
Sometimes in these situations, you need to be tough. You have to accept the impossible, because caring for these people is your job, and they are unwell, physically and psychologically. You must understand them, even if they will not understand you. To sustain such a relationship is a daily challenge. Just to be present for somebody who is in need makes a lot of difference in giving meaning to life.
But I’m only human. I am going to be hurt no matter how confused or disoriented the patient is. The only thing I can do is to hold on to God. Sometimes, I look out the window and ask God to give me more patience and understanding to do my job.
There are moments that are so difficult to handle, but I pray for God to give me more strength and courage to continue. I cannot complain, because I know God is always there with me and the people with whom I work and live.
I’m so grateful to God that I can make a difference in people’s lives. Sometimes I ask myself why I am doing this. They are not my family, yet I find a home with them. The last few years of their lives become significant for me up until their last days. I am there entrusting their frail human bodies to God, and I pray for an easy passage to eternal peace for them as their souls rest with Him.
I have received awards and recognition for being faithful about what I believe is the best care I can give. But I hold tight to the basic and fundamental philosophy in life beyond these praises, which is unconditional love needed to serve my patients well. I am happy when I see patients improving and enjoying the last years of their lives. To see them happy and healthy motivates me to give them the best quality care.
Caring for the elderly is my God-given mission. I don’t work just for money; I work for God by being able to care for people in nearly impossible situations. I see myself being a missionary to the people with whom I work. They need care, assistance and love, especially at this latter stage of their lives.
These people gave so much during their prime, so now it is time for them to receive well-deserved care and live dignified and happy lives. Each day, this is my challenge.
The Gift of Self
By Belinda Pantaleon
Belinda Pantaleon is the vice principal of Our Lady of Talpa School in East Los Angeles. Her journey as a missionary started in high school when she met Columban Father Bernard Martin, who inspired her to become actively involved in Student Catholic Action. She is from Roxas District, Quezon City.
Q: What inspires you to support the work of Columban missionaries?
A: How could I not support the Columbans? They are doing the work of God, the work God wants everyone to do, which is doing the will of God. I especially like their work with the poorest of the poor. That is what I am doing right now. I am working in an inner city where children are poor – not only materially, but also poor in other aspects, such as being deprived of attention.
Q: What qualities of Columban missionaries are striking to you?
A: Columbans have given their gift of self – unconditional love for others – and, I think, much of who I am right now has been inspired by them. I had a role model in Fr Bernard Martin. I became a member of Student Catholic Action, and I have seen Columban priests doing the same ministry and work.
As I was growing up, I wanted to become like the priests: to be able to offer my service to work for other people and not to be conscious about how much money I was going to make. I wanted to think about always giving to the needs of others – how I could give more of my self.
Q: How do you see yourself participating with the Columbans in the United States?
A: I said ‘yes’ to the invitation to become a Columban Affiliate. Since then, I have attended Affiliates meetings and enjoy reading Columban Mission magazine, which raises my global awareness, especially since I am away from the Philippines.
learn more about the Columbans’ social justice and peace initiatives, which I strongly support. Friendship has blossomed among Columban Affiliates, and I think we share the same vision.
In our School, I introduced the Columban Awareness Program to students and faculty. I have just received the Columbans’ new mission education program (Journey with Jesus). As a vice principal, this program gives me many opportunities to initiate activities related to Christian mission work.
Q: How can we invite more people to participate in and support mission work?
A: My life itself is a mission, I am not a ‘preachy’ type of person, but in most of my relationships, people are influenced because of who I am. I think my everyday witnessing to the life of Jesus Christ is the gift of self.
What helps me is my prayer life. There’s not a day that I don’t attend the Eucharist. In the morning liturgy I offer everything to God, especially my most difficult experiences.
I make people aware of the need to help others, and people ask where my motivation comes from. I often say that people are not used to the monotony, the regular rhythm of life. If people get used to this rhythm, they could easily change and find more meaning in life. If life is not giving you meaning, at least you can give life a meaning. If your day is not meaningful, give meaning to that day. It is in your power.
I feel like I am falling more and more in love with God, whom I need in my work, the people with whom I work and with the children in my school.
Q: How are you inspired by Columban missionaries?
A: I am thankful and feel blessed to live and grow with Columban missionaries. When I first approached Father Martin, I was questioning and telling him ‘I don’t believe in God’.
What he said was, ‘the fact that you don’t believe in God means you actually believe in God. You are searching for God’. The next thing he said was, ‘if you are searching for God, God is searching more for you.
I couldn’t forget that. Father Martin is such a wonderful person who has a passion for people who have a need to meet God.
At our school, Columban Father Arturo Aguilar, current Columban Regional director in the USA, celebrated the Eucharist with us at the end of our school’s Columban Mission Awareness Program. We have frequently invited him back because of his vision of Christian mission and encouragement to continue our connection with the Columbans, who are such an inspiration in my life.