By: Sr. Cecilia Cuizon, SSC

Sr. Cecilia Cuizon is a Filipino Columban Missionary working in Iquique, Chile. At Christmas time she reflects on her present ministry in that city.

Christmas in Iquique

This year for me seemed to fly so fast that I did not even notice that it was time to send greetings to my loved ones. Here in Iquique, the joyful melodies of Christmas season are not heard until the 23rd or the 24th of December. Christmas is mainly for Children in Iquique. No wonder, fathers have to set aside a bit from their salary every year for their children. When Christmas comes, all workers dressed in deferent styles, with Santa Claus in the middle of them and with their vehicles decorated (because there is a price for the best decorated vehicle) deliver the gifts to their respective children. So, a group of children wait for Santa Claus’ truck to pass by, all day and all night in case they will miss him.

City of Winners

Iquique is supposed to be “THE CITY OF WINNERS AND THE CITY TO BE LOVED.” You can see it printed everywhere and in different places. However not all enjoy the same privilege.

City of Losers

In one corner of the city near the seacoast, there is a prison called “CENTRO DE READAPTACION SOCIAL.” I have been helping this prison since we arrived here last 1987. In one sector there are about eighty women with small children: mostly in for robbery and drug-trafficking, prostitution and other crimes. Also in another sector, is a sector, is a sector for young boys ranging from 10 years old to 17 years old, in for many different reasons.

In yet another sector there are about five hundred men ranging from 18 years old to 70 years old or more who are detained for drugs, robbery, and other related crimes.

I was in Prison and you Visited me

Inside the prison, there is a space provided to attend the spiritual needs of the prisoner. Here I stay for the times that I have to talk to them personally and individually. With me is a Diocesan priest and some lay people. Everytime I go visit them, there is always a crowed waiting to pour out their problems, to be listened to, to be loved and to see the Lord very concretely.

They are Amazed

Most of them are not believer in Christ. They have not even heard of Him. But what encouraged them to come and meet us in the beginning is: Why are we inside with them if they themselves want to be outside?

Yes, they have question that at times I never guessed. Why do I have to spend my time with them when in truth and in fact they had done damage to the many different people in the society?

Not for the Gifts

The answer to the question was not very clear to me at the very beginning. I know it by theory. I am a missionary. One day, when I came back to my vacation from the Philippines. I went to visit them for the first time and they all gathered together not for the gifts that I brought for them because I did not bring anything but because they wanted to pray with me that I came back alive inspite of the earthquake that devastated the Philippines while I was there. Everybody was worried about my own family, my relatives and my friends. I was moved to tears because of their concern.

No to Love

Here I am in the midst of people whose family have abandoned them and who do not believe any more in love, or the family, or friends, or relative, or the authorities.

Selling their Bodies

I began to talk to them about their own families. I learned that the children have gone wild as the wives are out all the time and some time have to sell their bodies just to feed the children. The question that the disciple asked Jesus in John 9:2 which saying: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind” is also my question to Jesus and to the society.”

I believe that the Gospel saying: “AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US” has to be lived and be meaningful.

But How?

An idea came to me, Christmas seasons is the time for giving, the time of sharing, the time for giving love. We will try again to ask the Christian communities to become God’s partner in this labor. Deep in Faith in the Risen Lord, we went ahead and, “all have accepted them as their grandchildren” So prisoners who have nobody for Christmas to share their loneliness and joys found people of good hearts this Christmas.