By Father Hermes ‘Larry’ Sabud SM

Father Larry Sabud was the first Filipino Marist to be ordained and also the first Filipino Marist novice master.

These were the questions raised by my parents when I told them that I was going to Peru andVenezuela to serve as a Filipino Marist missionary. My father continued to ask me, ‘Why do you have to go there? We have enough missionary work in the Philippines. And besides, there aren’t enough Marist priests in the Marist District in the Philippines. Why go, Larry?’

How would you have answered those simple and profound questions of Pastor and Raquel, my parents? I told them that what pushed me to decide to go on mission was my experience of grace. I joined the Society of Mary in 1985, made my first profession as a Marist in 1989, and was ordained priest in 1993. Despite many struggles and difficulties on my journey, I can say that I’ve received so many blessings from the Lord.

Moreover, as a Marist District, we too have been receiving so much from the generosity of the other provinces of the Society of Mary, confreres and many lay collaborators. Even though there were only five Filipino Marists priests – now there are six - when I left for Venezuela, even though the district is still fragile, I thought it was about time to express gratitude by offering a Filipino Marist priest to other Marist communities outside the Philippines which have greater needs. My parents were satisfied with my answers.

But I experienced the pain of letting go, albeit temporarily, of the Philippine Marist District, so dear to me, as well as of my family, friends, and familiar ways of doing things.

I arrived in Peru on 18 June 2003, not knowing what lay ahead, but with a great hope that the grace and blessings that had led me there would continue to inspire and energize me, especially when the journey would seem to appear tough.

Learning a new language certainly demands a lot of patience and humility. Until now I’m still struggling with it. After three months of studying Spanish in Lima, Peru, I worked for about a month in the Marist parish of Sullana in northern Peru, mainly to practice what I had learnt. Despite my limitations in their language, the people accepted me wholeheartedly, and I was able to establish a very good relationship with both young and old. As a missionary, I’m prepared to work anywhere, wherever my presence and resources are needed. My district superior in the Peru-Venezuela District appointed me to work in Venezuela. Presently, I am working in a parish of about 80,000 people in the Archdiocese of Valencia. The majority of the parishioners are poor and not many are active in the Church. We are four in the Marist community, a Venezuelan, ordained priest last March, two Spanish priests and myself. We also have a seminary, about fifteen minutes walk from the parish. We have four postulants and one preparing for his novitiate. Father Miguel Palumbo SM is the formator.

Apart from the celebrations of the sacraments, I have invested my energy in trying to organize small Christian communities among the different sectors of our parish. Venezuela has many young people, in our parish probably more than half of the population. Sadly, most of them are not interested in participating in activities in the church. I’ve tried to make some contacts and invent all sorts of activities to organize them, but it’s not always easy because of language limitations. The young people haven’t got enough patience with my Spanish. However, despite my limitations in the different aspects of my life as a missionary in Venezuela, I’ve been trying to share my experience of grace as a Filipino Marist priest. It’s a privilege to be part of the Marist project, the work of Mary, the work of God.