By Joey Puerta

The author, on mission with the Redemptorists in Ireland, is from Bacolod City. The team at Scala where he works has strong Filipino connections as it includes Angie Escarsa, a Columban lay missionary from Olongapo, Father Pat Reynolds CSsR and Fr Dan Baragry CSsR, both of whom have worked in the Philippines. Two of Father Dan’s uncles, Columban Fathers Dan and the late Frank Baragry, worked for many years in Mindanao.

Joey Puerta, far right, with retreatants in Ireland

There’s some truth behind that famous quote of Forrest Gump’s momma, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.’ An unexpected shift in my career as an accountant came in November 2004 when the Redemptorists invited me to experience life as a Redemptorist volunteer lay co-worker in Ireland. I was to embark on a new journey in my life, opening a door that would lead me into a room filled with new meaning and discoveries. They told me I was very qualified for this mission and so with courage and a strong sense of faith, I travelled alone for almost 16 hours, leaving my loved ones behind in the Philippines. I eventually landed safely at my first destination in Ireland – Belfast.

Seen only in movies

I only knew Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, by reputation, reading and seeing in the movies what was happening there. It made me feel uneasy at first. Clonard Monastery, where the Redemptorists are based, is between the Catholic Falls Road area and the Protestant Shankill area. From the second floor window of the monastery, I could see the ‘peace wall’ which divides these communities, built to curb the tensions between them. For historical reasons, most Catholics want Northern Ireland to reunite with the Republic of Ireland, while most Protestants want it to remain in the United Kingdom. There was considerable violence in the area from 1969 until the 90s. It’s much more peaceful now compared to the early 80s when ‘The Troubles,’ as they were called, were at their peak.

Clonard is very active in ecumenical work and I had the opportunity to join in such activities involving the youth. I was also part of the Clonard Youth Ministry Team and most of my work was in facilitating retreats for different schools in Belfast and conducting parish youth missions across Northern Ireland.

Retreats with the youths

School retreats here in Ireland are a bit different from those back home. There I was used to weekend retreats while here they usually last only a day, starting around 9:30am and finishing at around 3:00pm. I was anxious at first since I came from a different country and most of the students were curious about my presence. But I was pleasantly surprised because they were actually looking forward to knowing me better. That eased my worries and I was able to settle in right away. My team facilitated school retreats four days a week but sometimes we conducted week-long parish youth missions out of town.

The work was quite challenging. Not only did I have to prepare the activities I wanted to use but also had to learn the local accent! Ask anybody who is new to Belfast and they will say that the accent is definitely ‘unique’. It was like my experience of learning Kinaray-a and Cebuano back in college! The students were also kind enough to teach me some local slang like ‘craic’ (‘crack’ – not the drug but lively conversation and funwhich the Irish are famous for) and some ‘interesting’ acronyms like IRA, UVF, UDA and UFF, (sounds like KFC or Jollibee!) [Editor’s note: these are the initials of various illegal armies in Northern Ireland, similar to the NPA and the MILF here.]

Largest Novena in Ireland

During my stay in Belfast, I had also the opportunity to experience the renowned Clonard Novena (www.clonard.com), celebrated every June for nine consecutive days. There are nine sessions every day and thousands upon thousands from all over Northern Ireland come and offer their prayers to our Mother of Perpetual Help. This, by far, is the largest novena in Ireland, second only to our famous Baclaran Novena. In this experience, I had the chance to meet many Filipinos, mostly nurses and carers, ardently attending this special celebration. Because there were so many devotees, I was asked to be a traffic marshal. I really enjoyed the experience since it was my first time to direct traffic and park cars!

After nine months of mission in Belfast, I was invited to help out with the Scala Youth Ministry Project (www.scala.ie) of the Redemptorists in Cork, located in the far south of Ireland. Cork has a number of the Catholic schools founded by Nano Nagle, foundress of the Presentation Sisters (www.iol.ie/~presnpro). The Presentation Sisters now run the Scala Retreat House of the Redemptorists in Bacolod City, where I’m from. Here in Scala, Cork, I’m part of the team that facilitates up to four school retreats per week for junior and senior high school students and I’m also involved with the Meitheal Programme, a youth leadership development program working with over 100 students in 16 different schools all over Cork. [Editor’s note: the Irish word ‘meitheal’ ‘MEHal,’means the same as ‘bayanihan.’]

Cork, like Belfast, is a very interesting place to be. Not only are the people very friendly and accommodating, but the accent here is as unique as that in Belfast. The people in both cities use the same words – more or less – but any resemblance to standard English is purely coincidental!

Something from a simple work

A Filipino missionary in Fiji wrote, ‘A missionary’s heart is one willing to share and to be shared.’ My journey here in Ireland has lasted more than a year so far, but I’ve discovered in my own small way that I’m able to share my time, treasure and talents. It’s a very inspiring realization that by doing a selfless act, and enjoying the experience of the moment, I’m able to reap such a bountiful reward, more valuable than financial success. There’s nothing extraordinary in my work as a facilitator. It’s just a matter of giving students an opportunity to spend a day with their friends and to be away from the pressures of family, school and exams. By offering them some interesting activities and a listening ear, I’m able to celebrate a day with them in which they’re able to enrich their relationships with others and at the same time give them the chance to discover their own spirituality.

Unforgettable Ireland

It's said that Ireland, once visited, is never forgotten. Truly, my mission here is an on-going journey in my life, an experience that I will always cherish in my heart. To have been raised by a loving family, to be part of a community, the Redemptorists, that provides a positive experience of God and to work in youth ministry, are just some of the many inspirations that keep me going everyday.

So is my life’s mission like Momma Gump’s ‘box of chocolates’? No, it’s more like the Ireland of Johnny Cash’s song, with ‘Forty Shades of Green,’ and none of them faded.