La sensibilité missionnaire dans l’île de Porto Rico est très forte : vous parlez de mission et les gens en sont passionnés. Il existe de nombreuses raisons, en voici quelques-unes
The missionary sensitivity on the island of Puerto Rico is strong. One just talks about mission and the people are immediately passionate. There are multiple reasons which justify this passion:
At the beginning of the 20th century it was thanks to a lay movement that the Catholic Church was kept alive. In fact, the Spanish priests, after the passage of the island into the hands of the United States, were very few and Protestantism invaded Puerto Rico. It was in such a context that a handful of lay people gave life to a missionary movement which, through visits to family homes and preaching, kept the flame of faith alive for many.
Young people were interested in mission experiences, especially in Latin American countries, and that is the reason why they often leave for experiences lasting several weeks. The movement Summer Missionary is a reality that aims at preparing the participants for such experiences. The community collaborates in the formation of those leaving, and it has been exactly while participating in these activities that several of our Puerto Rican missionaries have also matured their vocational discernment.
Protestants, too, organize missions in other Latin American countries at the service of the most needy communities. Many doctors, nurses, and carpenters leave for volunteer experiences.
Our community is also committed to increasing this missionary sensitivity and giving others the opportunity to prepare for foreign missions. We welcome young people (especially from the United States) who are formed and leave for a missionary experience in Puerto Rico. During such missionary trips the volunteers are involved in a variety of services:
- Visits to the sick and poor
- Helping families in need with internal and external cleaning of their homes
- Organization of donations for distribution to the poor
- Collaboration in the social activities of the local NGO affiliated to the community, including Casa sin Fronteras
- Participation in pastoral activities
Evangelization and missionary animation
In a parish context, experiences of evangelization with adults are frequent. The house-to-house visits struck both Catholics, surprised by the vitality of the missionaries, and those who frequent other Protestant churches, who often congratulate on such initiatives.
Missionary enthusiasm often drives them well beyond parish boundaries. Since our arrival we have promoted missionary animation activities in different dioceses of Puerto Rico, reaching even some parishes in Florida.
We often visit parishes, local groups, and schools throughout the island, and we welcome people into our Center, encouraging a missionary openness ad gentes. In addition to this, we collaborate in the activities of the Pontifical Mission Societies at the diocesan level.
We are committed to accompanying missionary groups linked to our community (GimVi groups composed of children, adolescents, young adults, couples and single adults), and we organize evangelization retreats (such as Je-shua, Emmaus and Cana) during which lay people are the protagonists of such experiences.
The Dominican Republic And Haiti
Since 2018 we have promoted and activated different missionary initiatives in Puerto Rico’s neighboring countries. Up to now, missionaries and lay people have spent many weeks abroad to support the work of the Servants of Mary Sisters in the Dominican Republic and in the quasi-parish of San José in Haiti.
Haiti is the poorest country of the American continent whose territory was devastated by the natural disasters in 2010 and 2016. Food, drinking water, education, housing and jobs are the primary goods and services thousands of people are not provided with. For this reason the initiative Haití se llena de Esperanza (Haiti is filled with hope) was started in 2015.
At least once a year, a group of volunteers visits Port Margot to bring basic necessities to the inhabitants and visit families and the sick. They provide help for maintenance work in the structures managed by the Servants of Mary Sisters (including homes, medical centers, schools, etc.).
The coordinator of this group of volunteers is Ivan Ruiz, who has told about the initiative with these words: “The group is composed of many people who conceive the phrase ‘love God and your neighbor as yourself’. A concrete mandate for their lives. Let us pray to the Lord that He will continue.”
