On a Mission from God

16 The Catholic University of America Magazine Summer 2014 17

Twenty students spend their spring break in Jamaica, wherethey discover the joy and heartache of serving the poor.

By Catherine Lee

Photos by students Michelle Maurer, Rachael Salamone, and Deirdre Walsh

Summer 2014 1918 The Catholic University of America Magazine

Walking in the Light of GodThe next morning the students attendedMass at Stella Maris Church in Kingston. Awarm breeze wafted through the open doorsand windows of the church, where tall cactusplants adorned the altar and a stained glasswindow showed a fisherman in a boatreaching his arms up to God. In his homily,Rev. Howard Thompson, pastor of StellaMaris, talked about the Gospel for the firstSunday of Lent, Matthew. 4: 1-11, whichdescribes Jesus’s 40-day fast in the desert andthe devil’s efforts to tempt him. Addressing his congregation as “beloved,”

Father Thompson noted that the season ofLent “invites us towalk with Jesus in thewilderness … whenwe follow Jesus, wefollow his example bychoosing to be a peopleof prayer …” Hisreference to prayer wastimely for the students,who prayed often —both as a group andwith the missionariesthey met on the trip.As Hlavin noted, prayer“is crucial to makingpossible the work thatwe do. Being a Christ-like figure for others isrooted in prayer. It’shard to be that Christ-like figure if you’re notexperiencing prayeryourself.”At the end of Mass,

after blessing parishioners who were celebratingbirthdays and anniversaries, Father Thompsonasked the students to stand. The congregationapplauded, acknowledging the group’s servicein Jamaica. Scheduled to volunteer at St.Monica’s, a nursing home for elderly whohave been abandoned, they got back on thebus, which the driver maneuvered out of thecrowded church parking lot. The radio blareda gospel reggae version of “Walking in theLight of God.” At St. Monica’s, the group met several

residents whose few possessions included

well-worn Bibles. Eighty-seven year-old EnidFrancis, who had a bent back and bowed legs,picked up the Bible that she reads every day.Wearing a sleeveless floral shift, a black andwhite hat, and knit slippers, Francis noted,“The best we can do is give God our praise.” Hlavin sat on a bench next to an elderly

man wearing a faded red baseball cap and apurple shirt who had his belongings in acouple of black plastic bags. The man, whowas losing his sight, pulled a Bible from oneof his bags. “It was so beautiful how worn itwas,” said Hlavin. “Not that it was ripped.Some of the pages had just worn away frombeing rubbed and rubbed.” The man asked

Hlavin to read someof his favorite prayers,including Psalm 130,which starts “Out ofthe depths I call to you,Lord … ” “As I’m reading, he

grabbed my hand andstarted saying, ‘I prayfor my brother, Luke.’It was really powerful.”

Giving PeopleTheir DignitySt. Monica’s opened in1982 under the dir-ection of MonsignorRichard Albert, B.A.1970, S.T.B. 1975,who joined thestudents one eveningat the hostel anddescribed the journeythat brought him to

the Caribbean country. With his 14-year-olddog Sligo at his feet and the caw of sea gullsoutside the window, he said he hadn’tplanned to become a missionary. Born in the Bronx, he came to CUA as an

undergraduate and at first lived in a residencehall. Later he moved to a home on MonroeStreet, where he was one of the foundingmembers of The House, CUA’s residentialcommunity for student ministers nowlocated on campus. Planning to become auniversity chaplain, he travelled with thebaseball team and drove a CUA shuttle,

On the back porch at Widow’sMite in Murray Mount, Jamaica,a boy in a wheelchair chews hisshirt and rocks his head fromside to side. A child with autismsits in a corner, silent and staring.

Catholic University student Christian Domaasapproaches another boy, five-year-old Michael,who is strapped into a wheelchair. After spending an hour with Michael,

feeding him lunch, and wondering why he’snot more responsive, Domaas — tall andthin with a crew cut — learns that the childis deaf and blind. The international economicsand finance major from Burtonsville, Md.,who’s never spent time before with a childwith such severe physical disabilities, is upsetby the news, but determined to find a way tocomfort Michael when he cries. Eventuallyhe discovers that if he leans his head againstMichael’s, the boy calms down.By mid-afternoon on the porch, other

CUA students are reading or singing to therest of the children. Luke Hlavin, who wasthen associate campus minister for retreatsand men’s ministry, is playing his guitar. Ayoung man wearing a knit rasta hat isrepairing a rabbit hutch for the children. After several hours at Widow’s Mite — a

residential facility for abandoned children —Hlavin tells the students it’s time to say good-bye. Domaas tears up as he leaves Michael.He’s pensive as he gets on the bus for the rideback to Kingston. On the way, the bus stopsat a park in the town of Ocho Rios, wherethe students break into small groups forprayer and reflections about their day ofservice. Sitting on the grass, Domaas andseveral others talk about patience, and painand suffering.Domaas, now a rising junior, is among 20

students on this year’s spring break missiontrip to Jamaica. They stay at a hostel inKingston run by the Franciscan Sisters ofAllegany and travel by bus to schools, nursinghomes, and facilities for adults and childrenwith mental and physical disabilities. Therethey find illness and loneliness — a youngwoman dying of AIDS, a man who has lostboth legs to diabetes, a child with no parents.

But they also find joy and strong faith in thecommunities, where they work alongside thestaff and make discoveries about themselvesthat are life changing.

The Journey BeginsThe trip started at 2:30 a.m. on a Saturday inMarch at Caldwell Hall’s Campus Ministryoffice, where the students gathered, piling theirbackpacks and suitcases on the floor. Severalwore the brown wooden crosses they hadreceived at a commissioning ceremony thenight before. After stuffing their belongingsinto a couple of Campus Ministry vans andtaking their seats, some chatted and othersdozed on the ride to Reagan National Airport.They had been on an overnight retreat as agroup, several had taken classes together, anda couple of young women were roommates,but most of them were still getting to knowone another. On a layover in Miami, students played cards

and a pick-up game of Hacky Sack, bouncinga small crocheted ball around with their feet,trying to keep it within their circle. Despitetheir efforts, the ball went AWOL and landedin another passenger’s cardboard cup of tea.Nursing major Katie Kilner hurried over toapologize and fished the soggy ball out of thecup. Joined by friend and fellow nursingmajor Amanda Quigley, they chatted withthe woman and her husband, telling themabout the mission trip, explaining how theyraised money to cover their expenses. “It’s achance to get out of your comfort zone,spend time with wonderful people, and helpthose in need,” said Quigley, a tall, thoughtfulyoung woman from Gaithersburg, Md., whoturned 21 this summer.When a voice over a loudspeaker announ-

ced their flight, the students gathered theirbelongings and boarded the plane. Less thantwo hours later, they arrived at the airportabout 20 minutes outside Kingston. It was afar cry from the seemingly endless restaurantsand high-end retail stores of the Miami hub.Outside the airport, mist hung over thenearby Bull Head Mountains, where thechildren of Widow’s Mite were getting readyto have lunch.

“When you live

among the poor,

your own process

of conversion takes

place. They bringyou to a deeperunderstanding

of God.”

On a Mission from God

Christian Domaas at the Riverton EarlyChildhood Centre

Rachael Salamone atSt. Monica’s

Amber Henry at St. Monica’s

Lizzy Almeda at St. Margaret’sHuman Resource Center

Katie Strosnider at St. Monica’sHome for the Elderly

dropping students off atthe library and classroombuildings. But after theyoung seminarian failedhis theology comps, hissuperior asked him to takean assignment in Jamaica.Initially resistant, he saidhe accepted it after having“a religious experience”that hit him “like athunder bolt” while on anempty subway car headedto Brooklyn. MonsignorAlbert, who passed hiscomps the second timearound, says he hasn’tregretted his choice. After38 years in Jamaica, henotes, “I can only say, ‘Thank you, Lord. It’sbeen wonderful.’ “You come to a place like Jamaica thinking

you’re going to do great things for God, butyou realize he’s doing great things for you.When you live among the poor, your ownprocess of conversion takes place. They bringyou to a deeper understanding of God. Theyteach you how to really depend on him.”When interviewed a few years ago by TV

correspondent Christiane Amanpour for astory that aired on 60 Minutes, MonsignorAlbert was close to tears as he talked abouthis work. “I just think it’s so very importantto give people their dignity.”

I Was Hungry andYou Gave Me FoodOn the day that the students served with theMissionaries of the Poor, they arrived early inthe morning for Mass at a monastery wherethe community of priests and brothers live.Inside the sunny chapel, chimes, bongos, atambourine, a keyboard, and a couple ofguitars lined the first pew. The strong voicesand clapping of about 30 brothers in whitecassocks filled the chapel. At the Hosanna,they raised their hands, waving them fromside to side. The Gospel that day wasMatthew 25, 31-46, part of which reads:“For I was hungry and you gave me

food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink,I was a stranger and you welcomed me …”

In his homily, Rev.Vicente Salam, monasterysuperior, noted simply,“This Gospel is our life.This is what we do.” AfterMass, the brothers serveda breakfast of instantcoffee, watermelon slices,and peanut butter andjelly sandwiches on apatio that overlookedwell-tended gardens ofblue and white flowers.Later, groups of studentswere dropped off at fourdifferent Missionaries ofthe Poor sites in parts ofKingston where shackslined the streets and

stray dogs and goats wandered in search offood. At Bethlehem House, the brothers care for

about 65 residents, who range in age from ayear to about 25. Many have cerebral palsyand lie in cribs arranged in rows. Their limbsare twisted, legs wrapped around each other,hands clenched tight. A number of them areteenagers, but they can’t feed themselves. Aboy who had just been bathed was broughtback to his bed screaming.Amanda Quigley, fellow nursing major

Lizzy Almeda, and biology major BrianaSilva fell in line with the brothers, helpingwith the unending cycle of bathing, diaperchanging, and feeding at Bethlehem House.They were patient and gentle, stroking anarm, pulling a shirt over the head of a childwho couldn’t dress himself. When one of the brothers learned that

Silva was hoping to go to medical school,he asked her to give several children asthmatreatments with a nebulizer, enabling themto inhale their medication as a mist.Holding a child on her lap and using an oldmachine that tended to overheat, Silva, arising junior from Jersey City, N.J., wassoon drenched in sweat. But she wasthrilled at the opportunity to deliver hands-on care, describing the experience as “kindof fearful but beautiful.” She said she’sdetermined to return to Jamaica, where shefelt “such an affinity for the people.”

Summer 2014 2120 The Catholic University of America Magazine

Meanwhile, Almeda — one of 10 siblingswho was home schooled until she startedhigh school — was struggling with feelings ofdespair. She was kneeling on the floor,looking through the slats of a crib at a girl whowas groaning. Hoping to calm her, Almedasang softly, but the girl continued to groan.Almeda, a gregarious young woman fromWalpole, Mass., who leads homeless food runson Sundays for Campus Ministry, said shecouldn’t help thinking about her siblings. “Ifelt so helpless. That’s a rough realization,knowing that maybe there’s nothing you cando.” Later in the week at Widow’s Mite, she was

with a boy named Leeson whose hand wascovered with bite marks and calluses frombeing chewed constantly. He couldn’t talk,but he could hear, turning his head at thesound of a bus on the roador the clamor of childrenplaying outside at a nearbyCatholic elementary school. At one point, Leeson

touched Almeda’s face,pulling it toward his. Astheir cheeks touched, hesighed and closed his eyes.“I think he finally felt aconnection. I have so manypeople in my life. I sometimes forget thatsomething as simple as touching can be soimportant to another person.” She said shefound herself “being pulled in everydirection. Am I supposed to leave school?Maybe I should just stay at Widow’s Miteand take care of Leeson.” Later Almeda would say that she was still

processing her mission trip experience, butshe had made some decisions. She plans toget her nursing degree and a couple of yearsof experience to prepare for the possibility ofdoing mission work.

Finding God in thePoorest of the PoorAmber Henry, a rising senior and an Englishmajor from Miami, approached Kimisha, ayoung woman lying on a bed at a Kingstonnursing home, and asked if she’d like to haveher hair braided. Kimisha, whose thin legsprotruded from a cotton nightgown, waved

her off, saying, “No, miss, I have HIV.” Shesaid she was having a bad day. Undeterred,Henry, who was wearing a long skirt and herhair in a ponytail, sat on the floor next toKimisha’s bed. Little by little, they got toknow each other. As a member of the women’s group Gratia

Plena, Henry leads discussions on Saint JohnPaul II’s Theology of the Body. Kimisha,probably just a few years older than Henry,was living on the street when theMissionaries of Charity brought her to thenursing home about 2½ years ago. Henrybraided Kimisha’s thinning hair and paintedher toenails a shade of pale green. Kimishacalled her new friend “Amba.” During their time together, Henry said

repeatedly, “You and me, Kimisha, this is ourday together. We did your hair and painted

your toenails. Thetwo of us are friends.We’re hanging out.”Kimisha giggled; sheeven laughed a littleand finally acknow-ledged that she washaving a good dayafter all. And then —the inevitable —saying good-bye to a

new friend Henry knew she probably wouldnever see again. “You build a relationship with a person

and you know God is there and you find himin the poorest of the poor. I feel so blessed tohave had that encounter,” said Henry. InJamaica she said she learned “to give of myheart without fear or the trepidation of whatpeople will say or think, to know that I amcalled by my very nature to give of myself andnothing should ever stop me.”

Mission Trip MemoriesIf you would like to share your mission tripexperience and the life lessons you learned,please email them to cua-magazine@cua.eduand we’ll share the best ones in the fall issue.

As a sophomore, Amanda Ceraldi,B.A. 2014, participated in a springbreak mission trip to Costa Rica,

helping to paint a chapel and volunteeringat a children’s camp. At the end of herjunior year, she spent a week in El Paso,Texas, where she and other CUA studentslearned about Catholic social teachingthrough service with institutions that serveMexican immigrants. When she returned from El Paso, she

began exploring the possibility of doinglong-term service after graduation. At theend of August, she’ll start training for twoyears of service in either Guatemala orAfrica with the Franciscan MissionService. Ceraldi, a theology major fromPasadena, Md., says her time at CatholicUniversity taught her that “being immersedin faith means caring for others. We arecalled to live in solidarity with our brothersand sisters around the world.” Participation in mission trips has

increased significantly since CUA startedoffering them in 2001. That year 14students went to Guatemala. In 2013 –2014, 65 students participated in trips toBelize, Costa Rica, and Jamaica over springbreak or at the end of the school year. Inthe past, students also have served inGuatemala, Panama, Honduras, Tanzania,and Ecuador. In addition, CampusMinistry offers the El Paso trip and theUniversity provides opportunities forstudents to join Habitat for Humanitytrips around the country.Rev. Jude DeAngelo, O.F.M. Conv.,

University chaplain and Campus Ministrydirector, notes that “a mission trip is alife-changing experience that prepares ourstudents for service to those in need. Thestudents learn to integrate the values ofthe Gospel and the social teachings of theChurch into their lives and to encouragechange in the lives of those aroundthem.”

Mission Tripson the Rise

“I sometimes

forget that

something assimple as

touching can beso important toanother person.”

Michelle Maurer atJacob’s Well for Women

Jamila Flomo at St. Monica’s

Michelle Maurer at RivertonEarly Childhood Centre

“The best we cando is give Godour praise.”

Web Extra: Visit cuamagazine.cua.edu towatch the interview with Monsignor Albertand view additional photos of the trip.