Sister Parish Candle Sale

Sister Parish was the theme for Mass on November 21, 2004. The introduction was excerpts from En La Buena Lucha (In The Good Struggle): The Sister Parish Movement By Richard Fenske. These two statements from the reading jumped straight into my mind and I kept wandering back to them.

“Do I see God when I look into the eyes of the vulnerable - the child, the sick, the AIDS patient, the old person - and treat that image of God with redemptive compassion? That is our call from God… That is our good struggle…En la Buena lucha. That is Sister Parish!”
“Sister Parish, on the other hand, is about solidarity, walking together, and learning from one another. We share with one another our realities, and our strategies for confronting the dominant culture …, and we hold one another accountable. We bask in the light of our friendships, accepting each other as we are…”

Ross Starkson, a parishioner active in the Sister Parish program gave the homily. Ross and his wife, Katharine Malaga, were delegates traveling to Guatemala this past summer. While in Guatemala, he proudly preached at our Sister Parish, St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, in Tierra Nueva II, on the Feast of the Assumption. Today’s theme was Where's the Hope? - Meeting Jesus in Guatemala.

The Sister Parish relationship, started almost 10 years ago, has been a rich source of spiritual nourishment for many in both parishes. Several groups from St. Joan of Arc have traveled to Tierra Nueva II during these years and SJA has hosted several delegations of our sisters and brothers from Tierra Nueva II as they have come to be with us as well. Our journey together is one of solidarity and openness for transformation by the insights and experiences of each other. Ross’s trip caused a profound impact that walking together in solidarity can have on the lives of people open to change. Guatemala is a beautiful country filled with courageous and loving people. Ross considers himself blessed, sharing the journey of faith together with our sisters and brothers in Tierra Nueva II.

After Mass, the Sister Parish Committee held a candle sale with items handmade by members of our Sister Parish in Guatemala. Money raised from the sale helps to fund delegations to and from TNII and projects between our communities.

Throughout the rest of the service, while my family joined the Family Mass group, my mind kept wandering back to the statement about the people of Tierra Nueva II, “Our journey together is one of solidarity and openness to be transformed by the insights and experiences of each other”. Isn’t that life?

Gathering up my camera, coat, children, giving final goodbyes, checking what others are doing for the holiday, and sending greetings of Happy Thanksgiving to the people around me, I quickly headed out to the sale. Realizing I was running late, I was moving quickly. Suddenly a man and women that I had not seen before stopped me and, with anxiety covering their faces, asked if they could have five or ten minutes of my time. My brain was focused on web reporting and I almost answered that I needed to go. Suddenly my brain kicked in with the realization that there are things more important things then taking photos of the crowd around the candle sale table. “Our journey together is one of solidarity and openness to be transformed by the insights and experiences of each other”.

The couple asked if the red haired girl with Down syndrome was my child. On Wednesday, they discovered the baby she was carrying has Down syndrome. Searching for information about what this means for them and their child’s life, could I tell them about our life. My life path was a conscious choice, so I did not grieve the loss of dreams for my child. I hope that I was able to express the beauty, joy, humor, and bounteous rewards that came from following a path with a special needs child. However, my heart ached for them.

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Nancy Lynch says, "Joy is being a wife, Mom of fourteen, eight with varying disabilities and living at home, Grandma of thirteen, and Great Grandma of three. Serenity is listening and watching the ocean, alone, at our home on Maui. Passion is friends, photography, reading, swimming and children." Nancy can be reached at nalynch@aol.com.
They had just stopped into the church at the end of Family Mass to see what Family Mass is all about when they saw my red head dancing and clapping to the music. She loves music and church! “Our journey together is one of solidarity and openness to be transformed by the insights and experiences of each other”.

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