SALT OF THE EARTH

The Dominican Encounter with Faith & Hospitality provides Canadian high school students and parish groups with the opportunity to see the world from the perspective of the poor

March/April 2010

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Students from St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Kitchener, Ontario, visiting Batey Cachena, Dominican Republic.

In 1992 we began welcoming groups of Canadian high school students to Consuelo, Dominican Republic. The program has developed over time into its present form known as Encuentro Dominicano con Fe y Hospitalidad (Dominican Encounter with Faith & Hospitality).

It is precisely the opportunity to see the world from the perspective of the poor that transforms our visitors who then desire to participate more fully in the unfolding of the Kingdom of God. We provide opportunities for visitors to gain an initial understanding of the global structures that create and sustain poverty and injustice in the world. Together we identify our roles in these structures and look for ways to change our lives. It must always begin with self. As Gandhi said: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

We encourage visitors to insert themselves into justice networks once back at home, to seek out accurate information, continuing to educate themselves on the issues related to poverty and injustice; to begin working for systemic change (becoming practitioners of peace and justice) rather than merely acting as purveyors of charity alone; to become light for the world, to be salt for the Earth.

Community. Faith. Justice. After a week in the Dominican Republic, these are no longer simply words—they are ropes tied round my heart that tug each time I hear them.

Dean Riley, coordinator of the Dominican Encounter program, is a former Scarboro lay missioner, who has been serving in Consuelo, Dominican Republic, since he was missioned there in 1990
Dean Riley, Coordinator of Encuentro Dominicano con Fe y Hospitalidad
(Dominican Encounter with Faith & Hospitality)
For more information write to: encuentro.dominicano
@gmail.com

The experience of community came when our team was welcomed into the homes of Dominican families. Without having any Spanish, I could only share hugs, smiles, and exaggerated thumbs ups. They shared their lives through genuine hospitality to strangers and neighbours alike. We visited the bateyes, impoverished sugar-cane cutting communities, where I saw poverty that I could never have imagined. I realize now that though we see poverty in the media, the reality of having nothing needs to be seen firsthand to truly be understood. When I saw the strength of the communities in the midst of poverty, I saw a strength based on sharing of oneself which my own needs and wants have prevented in me.

With such profound realizations my thoughts always turned to faith, and each encounter with the Dominican people kept leading me to God. We spoke with a man from Haiti who had worked on the sugar cane plantation for 10 years. Now that the sugar mill has shut down he has no work. He had nothing when he worked for the sugar company, and he has even less now. Yet, he has a family to support. This man welcomed our questions, and when we asked him about the hardship of his life he said, “Trust God to help you survive your life. Strength comes through believing in Jesus Christ.” I was in awe of his faith. He placed his life in God’s hands, and even through his losses, his faith stayed fully alive and real. I experienced similar examples of faith in the Grey Nuns in Consuelo who give their lives to better the lives of the Dominicans. I also experienced this faith in the joy of the people at mass. God helps us to overcome the sorrows of this world through love; I now have no doubt of that.

Because of love and faith, we are called to uphold and do justice. I entered into a community of people who have been denied their rights. I learned about the source of their poverty. I witnessed their pain and now I can take action to help change this situation. This is more than charity, because doing justice calls us to use our hearts, hands, and voices to ensure that people have their basic human rights and the tools they need to build their own lives. True fellowship, and faith in God’s presence within us, calls us to see the poor as friends.
Meghan Regier, St. Mary Catholic Secondary School, Kitchener, Ontario

The family I stayed with in Consuelo was very warm and welcoming and I soon realized that their family extended beyond the walls of their modest home and into the community. Often times their home was filled with visitors who would come to socialize or have a bite to eat. There was always food available. I could not help reflecting on the fact that I don’t even know my neighbours’ names back in Canada.

L-R: Meghan with her host mom, Madina, along with Cindy Smukavich (teacher and team leader) and Jennifer Czekus, both of St. David Catholic Secondary School in Waterloo, Ontario. All three stayed in Madina’s home for the week they were in Consuelo.
Credit: Michael Morris

Visiting the bateyes was unexplainable—to see people, no matter how hard they try to improve their living situation, continue to be victims of injustice by a government that does nothing to help them. Elvio, a teacher who has dedicated his life to educating the children, expressed his gratitude over and over again to Canadians for their support. It really struck me the day we visited Barrio 41. Dean Riley, coordinator of this Dominican Republic Encounter program, explained that this was a new neighborhood where many Haitians reside, yet the government has not even acknowledged the barrio as an area where people are living.

Upon my return, I could not understand why I live in a place of opportunity and so many Haitians are in these terrible situations. I cried whenever I turned on the tap and had water pressure and hot water that the families I lived with did not. I cried when I went to school and all my friends talked about were insignificant dramas, unaware of the real drama that the poor live every day.

As I try to reflect, I live with the unknown role I must play in making some change somewhere. I do know one thing…I will never be the same.
Judeen Roache, Cardinal Leger Catholic Secondary School, Brampton, Ontario

Judenne Roache with her ‘extended’ family in Consuelo.

Last April, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic with 19 other students and four teachers to witness first-hand the hardships that many people on this planet go through on a daily basis.

Before our trip, we were encouraged to learn the Our Father (Padre Nuestro) in Spanish and I was really looking forward to saying it. At Palm Sunday mass, there were so many people that our group and many Dominicans stood outside. During the mass, an elderly woman needed to sit down, so someone brought her a plastic chair. I was so afraid she was going to faint in the heat.

Because the mass was in Spanish, I wasn’t sure when the Padre Nuestro was coming, but eventually the time came and I was really proud of myself for being able to say it in the language of the people. Since everyone holds hands when they say this prayer, I held the hand of a mother on my left. I noticed that no one was holding the hand of the elderly woman who was not far from me, so I held her hand. At the end of the prayer, she kissed my hand and I started to cry.

L-R: Laura Graham with her Consuelo “Mom” Anna, “Dad” Ramon Sr., Ramon Jr., Solanyi, and Laura’s roommate, Kelsey Joustra. Last April the Gonzalez family hosted Laura and Kelsey, students of St. Mark’s Secondary School in Manotick, Ontario (Ottawa Catholic School Board).

After the mass, another elderly woman and her husband came and hugged me, speaking to me in Spanish. I could make out that they were asking if I liked being in Consuelo and staying with my host family. I smiled and said “Si.”

I am forever grateful for the opportunity I was given through my school and the Encuentro Dominicano Program in Consuelo led by Dean Riley and his group of enthusiastic, young Dominicans who were our guides, interpreters, and supporters through the emotional journey. The evening reflections during our short week in Consuelo were only the beginning of a lifetime of reflection.
Laura Graham, St. Mark Catholic Secondary School, Manotick, Ontario

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