Father Joseph V. Romanoski, left, and Msgr. Joseph Curry visit market area of Chiquimulilla, Santa Rosa, during a diocesan delegation in January 2010.
— photo courtesy of Ernest C. Revoir

 

By James McEvoy
Staff Writer

The relationship between the Diocese of Metuchen and the Diocese of Santa Rosa, Guatemala, is growing and strengthening due to the powerful experiences of youth and parish delegations.

For the past three summers, delegations of Metuchen youth have traveled to Santa Rosa to participate in service projects and to learn about the culture as part of the dioceses’ Global Solidarity Partnership. Queenship of Mary Parish, Plainsboro, sent the first parish delegation in June 2008.

The partnership is a program of Catholic Relief Services that pairs U.S. dioceses with a diocese or development partner in a country where CRS works overseas. It is designed to foster mutual relationships of solidarity and opportunities for information sharing, education, project support, exchange visits, faith sharing and spiritual enrichment leading to greater action on behalf of the world’s poor.

Through the example of Queenship of Mary Parish, led by Father Robert W. Medley, pastor, and the lessons learned by diocesan youth, new partnerships are forming throughout the diocese.

Bridgette Smith, a senior at the Catholic University of America, Washington, accompanied the Diocesan Youth Ambassador Team to Santa Rosa last summer. When she returned, her accounts inspired her parish community of Nativity of Our Lord, Monroe Township, to act.

“She spoke from her heart,” said her pastor, Father Edward R. Flanagan. “It really touched people. The response was immediate and generous.”

As the Nativity of the Lord Parish discerns whether it will take the next step and be matched with a sister parish in Santa Rosa, youth from the religious education program are collecting pennies toward the education of Guatemalan youth, and plans are in the works for a simple supper or dinner dance to fund a scholarship program, he said.

Father Flanagan said the youth have been a great catalyst for support of the solidarity partnership.

“The kids are faith-filled and very committed,” he said. “The youth in our parish get involved with every aspect of social ministry. Their faith is vibrant. There is exuberance and it’s contagious.”

Deacon Gerald Sims accompanied a diocesan youth delegation to Guatemala in 2008 and saw the potential for a partnership with his parish, St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish, Bridgewater.

“All the needs I saw down there, I thought it was a good ministry for our parish,” Deacon Sims said. “Our sense of stewardship should extend beyond our local borders.

“We should be in solidarity with people abroad, and while we can’t relate to everybody in every corner of the earth we can focus on particular section. They are our brothers and sisters whether our cultures are the same or not.”

A delegation is scheduled to visit Guatemala in March to help discern which parish with which to partner. Another trip is planned for November.

Karen Castellon, a parishioner at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish, said a 10-year plan is being designed for the partnership and that they are in it “for the long haul.”

Castellon said the parish has closely followed the model of Queenship of Mary Parish and that the parish community hosted a delegation of eight people from Guatemala in September.

“That was a great experience,” she said.

She believes the partnership is a microcosm of Catholic stewardship, and while the parish has concentrated on local outreach, it is now time to extend its borders.

Castellon said the partnership is a teaching moment for the youth of St. Bernard.

“I think it’s really important to give them another perspective, that this isn’t the only way to live in the world,” she said.

Last year, Msgr. Raymond L. Cole, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Hillsborough, spent eight months of a one-year sabbatical in Santa Rosa. While he was there, a youth delegation from his parish visited Santa Rosa as well. Msgr. Cole believes the parish involvement with partnership is providential.

“I had gotten this very deep sense that I believe was a call to go to Guatemala,” Msgr. Cole said. “I went because I felt the call and I really fell in love with the people, the staff there, the people in the parishes.”

The generosity of the people was a major characteristic that stood out to him.

“The people are so deeply generous out of their having almost nothing. They don’t have a sense of entitlement,” he said. “It’s more of a sense of living for the day, making things work, and with all of it they’re happy. It’s just amazing.”

Through the solidarity partnership, both parties are involved in a “tremendous spiritual interchange,” he added.

In January Father Joseph V. Romanoski, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, South Amboy; Msgr. Joseph Curry, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, Spotswood; and Father William J. Smith, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Port Reading, participated in a diocesan delegation to Santa Rosa.

Father Romanoski said his parish is discerning a substantial partnership after a year-long campaign to fund the building of water towers in Guatemala. The campaign, which was run by the Sacred Heart Council of Catholic Women, was a successful start, he said.

“The response in the community was very good,” he said. “We’ll see where we might go from here, how and if we can do more forward. It’s time to look beyond our own comfort zone.”

Ernest C. Revoir, a division director for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen, and a member of the Catholic Charities Solidarity Team, said he is elated at the prospect of more parishes becoming involved with the partnership.

“I think it’s great,” said Revoir, who has traveled with diocesan, youth and parish groups to Santa Rosa.

He believes the new enthusiasm at various parishes is a direct result of the youth and the example of Queenship of Mary.

“The youth from the various parishes have been the spark for some of our parishes here in getting involved with the parish partnership idea,” he said. “Their success has triggered interest. Queenship of Mary did it right. I’m glad they were the first. They engaged the whole parish.”

Getting parishes more active in the relationship between the two dioceses has been a goal, Revoir said.

“It’s the concept that we are all one global church,” he said.

Revoir believes the partnership offers life lessons, especially for the youth, who gain appreciation for their blessings while realizing those who suffer still live happy lives due to their trust in God.

Maria Isabel Barboza, program officer for Catholic Relief Services Northeast, said the youth have been the driving force of spreading the word about the partnership throughout the Diocese of Metuchen.

“This is the only diocese where there have been several trips designed for the youth,” Barboza said. “It is a model for others to look to.”

When the youth return, they are powerful and effective advocates for further involvement in the partnership.

“They’re so enthusiastic,” she said. “They are the best way to get the word out.”