This time we’d like to share the witness of Steve and Kathy Hrpcek and their group of their experience with the Community of Saint Paul in La Sagrada Familia parish in the Dominican Republic.
Father Ricardo Martín led our group of eight parishioners from Sacred Heart in Racine, Wisconsin, USA to dedicate a new chapel in Tabara Abajo, Azua, which was built with funds raised by our parish during this past Lenten season. It’s almost impossible to try and put into words everything that we saw and felt during our eight-day trip to the La Sagrada Familia parish in the Dominican Republic, but we will try.
The members of our group included: Nikki Rosati, Sallie Hollow, Dan and Sue Horton, Steve and Kathy Hrpcek, Shawn Olley, and Kathleen Kostroski. Along with our luggage, we also brought several hundred dollars’ worth of donated educational toys for their child care center. Upon arrival at the airport in the capital city of Santo Domingo, we were met by one of the two pastors that take care of the 22 communities within their parish, Father Juan Manuel Camacho. The 3-hour drive to the main parish and visitor center in Sabana Yegua provided us a view of the beautiful mountains in the Dominican Republic, as well as some of the differences from what we are used to in Racine… loud music, dogs walking in the streets, and so many motor bikes and cars. When we arrived at the parish center we were met by our other hosts for the week, Pastor Esteban Redolad, Dolores Puértolas and Indhira Bautista of the Community of St. Paul. This parish center was the base of the operations for the first five nights of our trip.
During the trip we were able to learn more about the various la Sagrada Family Parish ministries. This included visits to:
- A child care center with over 40 very vocal 3 – 5-year-old children that were rehearsing the story of Mary & Joseph and the birth of Jesus,
- Training centers focused of developing skills of young women in the areas of sewing, crafts and beauticians,
- Training centers focused of developing skills of young women in the areas of sewing, crafts and beauticians,
- A self-sustaining bakery that provided employment to men,
- Both a physical therapy center and health care center that were focused on medical needs of the community,
- After school centers that provide tutoring for “at risk” students to keep them in school,
- The elderly of the community.
- Beyond the ministries there are numerous projects that the staff is involved in. By working with local communities, they have completed projects that now provide safe drinking water to the rural areas, as well as building houses and latrines for families. It was truly amazing to see what this small group had already accomplished. But they are not resting… they are exploring new ideas on how they can further make a difference for the individuals they serve.
Seeing the new chapel for the first time in Tabara Abajo, we were filled with emotion. The builders were provided with photos of the statues of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Mother from Sacred Heart Parish in Racine, and turned them into tiles that form pictures that are on the walls in the new chapel. It brought tears to our eyes and will be a constant reminder of the connection between our two parishes. We absolutely loved it! By the way, Father Juan, who is involved in many of the other projects and ministries, did most of the planning for the new chapel. The dedication ceremony and mass were led by Bishop José Grullón, and there were more people attending the service than could fit into the chapel. You can tell that the 75-year old bishop truly loves his job and is so passionate and energetic. The music, decorations and flowers were so beautiful. After the mass it seemed like everyone there wanted to give us a hug or a kiss and to say thank you. One of the local families provided dinner to celebrate the new building, which ended a very beautiful day.
During the trip we had plenty of time to build stronger friendships, both within the group traveling from Sacred Heart and with our hosts in Sabana Yegua. We did everything as a group. We ate all our meals together, where we talked about our experiences during the trip, as well as the interests and activities we are involved in. We traveled together in a group in their vehicles, which included riding in the back of the pick-up trucks down unpaved roads. We had trips to two very beautiful beaches where we could swim, look for shells and just spend time together. When we finished our visit in Sabana Yegua we spent time exploring Colonial Santo Domingo together. This included visiting the First Cathedral of the Americas, Basílica Catedral Santa María de la Encarnación, which is over 500 years old.
While there were many photos taken that showed what we saw and what we did, they do not do justice to the feeling and emotions that each of us experienced during the trip:
- The joy of the children in the child care center with seeing a puppet or being able to take a selfie with our cell phones,
- The pride of the individuals that were building the latrines and water projects,
- The conflicted feelings of sadness we experienced when we were invited into someone’s home and we could see how they lived, with the feeling of joy and the warm welcome (which normally included a hug or a kiss) we received from the person that lived there,
- A feeling of guilt, when a woman, whose family income was about $40 a month and was getting a latrine built for her home, provided us with a soft drink because she wanted to be a good host (we easily spend more than that going out to dinner once)… it was this same woman that broke down in tears when we applauded her for going back to school to complete her high school degree,
- The warm welcome, hugs and handshakes in the daily masses we participated in,
- The pride a mother had in her children when she showed us their pictures from school and their birth certificates,
-The joy of children we saw, whether they were walking to school, jumping and swimming in a river or taking a bath in a small tub right on the side of a street.
- While language may have been a barrier in our communication, the joy, friendship, and the appreciation expressed toward us was certainly not!
Reflecting on the trip, we learned that it was more than just participating in the dedication of a new chapel. Through our experiences, this trip provided each of us with a unique opportunity to learn more about ourselves. The challenge now is to apply what we learned to further grow as individuals and in our faith.
Follow the link to watch the video of the chapel:
https://www.facebook.com/sacredheartracine/videos/1742256652485878/
