July
20th-30th, 2007
July
20th-30th, 2007
Alejandro Alfaro
Sister Parish---- A Dream Come True
Alejandro Alfaro has lived and demonstrated the words that his father told him, “No matter what you choose to do in life, it must be the best.”
Alejandro’s present position as Co- Executive Director of Sister Parish, Inc. will bring him to St. Joan of Arc on July 20 as leader of the Sister Parish delegates from San Marcos Evangelista in Tiera Nueva 2, Guatemala, The two parishes will be sharing their spiritual, political, and cultural backgrounds. In July Alejandro led delegates to Fargo, North Dakota. Sister Parish. Inc. encompasses parishes in the United States, Guatemala and San Salvador. Alejandro’s expertise includes developing Sister Parish committees in new parishes, keeping the active parishes alive, and attending Assembly meetings. It is work, but Alejandro remembers a friend, Monica, who taught him to always fight for what one wants to achieve.
Alejandro comments,“Sister Parish to me is the best way to change the world into a better place, step by step, slowly but firmly.”
Born in Guatemala City midway during the thirty-six year war (1960-1996) Alejandro Alfro was exposed to two different worlds. He was somewhat sheltered from the war in the lower grades at school, but when he attended high school in a private Catholic school, the Brothers opened his eyes to the other Guatemala. He seriously thought of becoming a Brother.
Alejandro also remembers going out in the highlands with his father who was an architect. There his father helped build schools and houses. At that time there were no car roads. Alejandro started to listen to stories of the war and knew that things were ‘just not right’.
During his high school years Alejandro struggled to make a decision about his life. He recalls a trip that he made:
At age 16 Alejandro would have been happy to have attended the public university, but his mother, a doctor, encouraged him to attend an American type private school, Del Valle University, and he conformed to her wishes.
At this time another STRUGGLE developed in his mind. Should I become an anthropologist or an archaeologist?
In his heart Alejandro really knew, but after two years he was able to confirm in words, “I enjoy working more with people than things and I could help MY country more by being an anthropologist.”
Having completed his college work, Alejandro was ready to change things in Guatemala and decided to start at the top. He worked with a program that Austin Texas University had established with the Guatemalan National Congress. Having studied the materials for law making, the young graduates would be counselors for the congressmen. They would research and make sure that the laws being made would not go against the existing law. It was enjoyable working with the FIVE GOOD congressmen, but what can five people do against a hundred something? Alejandro also realized that money was needed to accomplish the necessary works but there was no political will to make those changes.
Alejandro even refused a full scholarship to study a Masters in Public Policies at Austin University. His reason: ‘I would have become even more frustrated knowing how to change things and not being able to do it.”
Another great love of Alejandro was calling him. Theater Arts had been a big part of his life while in school and an opportunity is presented to study in France. Oh, the lure of France and art and theater! Once again Alejandro stood firm for his love of Guatemala and decided that France would always be there but my country needed to get better. Another friend Valeria had told Alejandro, “Be you everywhere.”
This decision led to a study for a Masters in Development focused on empowering people. This time Alejandro felt that he would start at the bottom instead of being idealistic- working from the top. For three years he traveled all over Guatemala working in three different communities helping the people. He even spent time working with the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Team digging massive burial sites from killings the army did during the war. Alejandro is an internally idealistic and optimistic person, but this was depressing. He was not doing the work that he had trained to do. Also, it was discouraging to see so little progress in that the people basically were still living in the same conditions. To Alejandro it appeared that nothing was being accomplished. ‘Working from the top didn’t work; working from the bottom didn’t work either’.
At this time two miracles happened. The program where he worked in one of the communities had ended, but Alejandro stopped to visit an older woman, Dona, who had been like a mother to him. Alejandro was disheartened because things had only become worse in the community. He felt that he had come with empty hands. But something did happen! Alejandro tells the story:
With his hopes destroyed in Guatemala, Alejandro decided to accept a position in Indonesia as a Forensic anthropologist to work with victims of the Tsunami. He was reluctantly leaving his beloved Guatemala to travel where he would hopefully be of service...
One week before Alejandro’s scheduled departure for Indonesia he received a call from Sister Parish’s director, Shannon Lockhart, offering him a position with their organization at Sister Parish, Inc. with headquarters in Guatemala City.
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There was a follow-up phone call to his friend, Anabel.