By Erl Dylan J. Tabaco

The author is a Columban seminarian who spent two years, 2014 – 2016, in Peru on his First Mission Assignment (FMA), part of his preparation to be a Columban missionary priest. He is from Holy Rosary Parish, Agusan, Cagayan de Oro City. He is a regular contributor to MISYONonline.com.

Erl with the Peruvian flag at Machu Picchu

Since childhood I have been fascinated by geography. As a child I loved to build ‘islands’ and ‘mountains’ of sand on the seashore and imagine myself at their summits. It was a lifelong dream to travel but being in Peru was far beyond my imagination.

I spent the first of my two years on First Mission Assignment (FMA) in Lima where I got used to the busy and sophisticated life of the metropolis. I wondered what other parts of Peru were like. Its land area is four times that of the Philippines and is divided into three major parts: costa (coastal area), sierra (Andes Mountains) and the selva (Amazon area). My sense of awe at this beautiful country brought me to an experience that would have a significant impact during my first missionary journey. 

In August 2015, Emmanuel Trocino, my FMA companion from Pulupandan, Negros Occidental, and I travelled from Lima to Cusco for a week-long exposure in the high plain region of southern Peru. I was very excited since Cusco is the birthplace of the Inca civilization and the location of one of the ‘New7SevenWonders of the World’, Macchu Pichu.

Erl (3rd from left) outside the chapel in Machucayo A

When we arrived in the city of Cusco, the capital of the Cusco Region and former capital of the Inca Empire, which is twice as big as the island of Negros, I felt faint, not surprisingly since we were at an elevation of 3,399 meters, a thousand meters higher than the summit of Mount Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines. We were accompanied by Fr Gregorio Kim Young-In, a Korean Columban based in the Parish of St James the Apostle of Yanaoca in the Prelature of Sicuani. We spent the night in Cusco city to acclimatize ourselves to the altitude, since Yanaoca, where we were heading, is even higher, around 4,000 meters. It was a night filled with awe and wonder as we prepared ourselves physically for the continuation of the journey. 

Fr Gregorio Kim Young-in, Fr Paul Prendergast and Erl (4th from right) with catechists in Fr Paul’ house

Early next day we continued our journey and after two and a half hours of driving we arrived at the parish. The Parish Priest, Fr Paul Prendergast, a Columban from New Zealand, welcomed us on behalf of the community with their traditional tea made of cocoa leaves that is helpful in alleviating altitude sickness. The serenity of the place and the simplicity of the people amazed me. It was very cold and the freezing air penetrated my bones. Nevertheless I was mesmerized by the beauty of God’s creation. It was my first time to see snow. This thrill took away my dizziness. I started roaming around the place feeling excited not knowing what new experiences I would encounter. I struggled to understand the local people since the majority spoke only Quechua, their native tongue, rather than Spanish.

First experience of snow!

The presence of the Columbans has been a great help in the Prelature of Sicuani. Aside from the main parish church, there are several chapels and distant communities where Fathers Paul and Gregorio administer the sacraments. As in the Philippines, Mass is celebrated in their chapel on the fiesta of a community’s patron saint.

We visited Machucayo A, a community 90 kilometers away from the main church. On the way, Father Paul told me that during his early years there he usually walked or rode a horse to reach far-flung areas. He has spent most of his life in this area, building friendships with people. This and bringing God’s love are, for him as a missionary, inseparable.

We can only be effective in our ministry if we value the dignity of every person we encounter. He is now almost 80 and his passion for his ministry continues to inspire me. His love and care for the people are the reasons he looks forward to every single moment with them.

After we arrived at the chapel people slowly began to come. One woman carrying a basket full of fruit and vegetables told me that she and her companions had walked for almost five hours to attend the Holy Mass on the feast of Blessed Virgin Mary. The chapel looked like a shack. It was very old and empty except for the little altar. As we began Mass the community sang wholeheartedly. I was amazed at their participation. I didn’t understand a word since the Mass was in Quechua. The people’s gestures showed their reverence. My experience of the Holy Mass in that community was totally different from that anywhere else. I felt the importance of the Mass in the lives of everyone present. They offered everything to God: their time, presence, family and the work of their hands.

Reflecting on my experience, I had a glimpse of what the heavenly banquet looks like. I was moved to tears and it was a life-changing experience for me. I’ve come to realize that sometimes people with ample time and opportunity to attend Mass often fail to do so, while those with hardly any time cherish every moment of it. Those who had walked for five or six hours were mostly mothers who wanted to thank the Lord through the celebration of the Eucharist. At that time I believed in my heart that God had revealed Himself to me through the faith of those people, a faith that touched me deeply.

Erl (2nd from left) with Fr Gregorio (far right) in the house of a catechist

After Mass we were invited by the head catechist to lunch in his very small house where he lived with his ailing mother. He prepared a delicious meal, a traditional Andean delicacy. As his mother served us, she said quietly, ‘La casa es chiquita pero el corazon es grande’ – ‘The house is small but the heart is big’. Reflecting on those words I’ve learned that encountering the presence of God doesn’t have to be extraordinary or mystical. Even in the most ordinary situations we will encounter Him as long as our hearts are open to that.

Erl ‘On Top of the World’!

The beauty of the place and the goodness of the people of   Machucayo A prepared me for that unforgettable encounter with the God who is always by the side of the lowly. Those people may lack material things but their faith in a loving God, expressed in their daily lives, is very rich. In their simple lives God is manifested.  As I bade farewell to them I was reminded of a beautiful song during our mission sending: ‘I’ll shout it from the mountain top, I want the world to know. The Lord of love has come to me; I want to pass it on.’ As I continue my journey to the Columban missionary priesthood, I want to retell the story of how I encountered God in Machacuyo A in the Andes.

‘I want to pass it on’