Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Acompañamiento

In her second year with DVUSA, Mary Paige Bausch (also known as MP) is serving at Dominican University in River Forest, IL. She is a University Minister and coordinates a new faith-based service-learning internship for Latino and Latina students called Ministry en lo Cotidiano (Ministry in the Daily Life). She lives in community with two Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa and two other volunteers at House of Connections in Chicago.


“To be a human being is to be in relationship with others…
and to be in relationship with others is to be acompañado (a companion).”
Robert S. Goizueta, Caminemos con Jesus


All week, my office in the University Ministry Center has been bombarded with bright-eyed college students excited about being back at school starting the spring semester. Recently, I was reflecting on the busyness with my supervisor.


 MP (center) with University Ministry Staff at Dominican University

“I love that they’re back; they give my work meaning and bring life to my day! But it’s so hard to get my work done when they all pop into my office wanting to talk!”
He responded wisely with, “The ministry is the interruption.”

The ministry is the interruption.

I graduated college a couple years ago expecting to change the world. The lives of those I encounter will be changed forever by my perky personality and real wisdom. I will do the work of saints and martyrs and lay foundations for future lives. I will achieve perfection and completeness.

How naïve I was. Heck, I’m still a little naïve.

In my short time out of college, I have yet to do the work of saints and martyrs or achieve perfection and completeness. However, this realization is a good wakeup call and challenges me every day in my ministry. In fact, I’m slowly realizing that the ministry is not all about changing the world or laying huge foundations for years to come. It’s not about perfection. It’s not about completeness.

Rather, the ministry is about the interruption. It’s about that student knocking on my office door, “MP, do you have a minute?” It’s about me allowing myself to be interrupted; to pause what I’m doing, and say, “Yes, I’ve even got two minutes! Have a seat.” That’s the ministry and that’s acompañamiento, accompaniment.

MP (far left) on Alternative Break Immersion with DU Students to 
New Hope Catholic Worker Farm near Dubuque, Iowa, in October 2014

In one theological reflection session I lead with my students last semester, the theme was acompañamiento. We read an excerpt out of Roberto S. Goizueta’s book, Caminemos con Jesus. He writes extensively on the idea of accompaniment in Latino/Hispanic theology and reflects on his own experience. The students, however, had so many examples of accompaniment that their stories became the text we studied and reflected on. When I asked what they thought of when hearing and experiencing acompañamiento, the responses were on point…

Moments together.
Learning together.
Hugs and kisses.
Being there in the silence.
Support.
Walking together.
Being in the same situation.
Friends just being there.
Walking with in a new situation.
Being, not doing.
Hands on my shoulders.

Accompaniment is saying yes to the present and to presence. It’s being with another person, walking with another person, and sometimes just sitting in silence with one another.

(Left to right) Sister Pat Farrell, MP Bausch, and two Dominican University Ministry leaders 
at the Nuns on the Bus: “We the People, We the Voters” rally in September 2014

The prayer below by Bishop Ken Untener brings me back the reality of my ministry—the reality that walking with someone on their journey can be messy. Healing and wholeness may not be instantaneous and probably won’t bring perfection.

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
          an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw[1]


Acompañamiento, or accompaniment, is the heart of my ministry—to be in relationship with others, to be a companion on a journey. Each day I’m reminded as I walk into the University Ministry center, ready to accomplish all the tasks on my to-do list, and then I hear a knock on my door, “MP, do you have a minute?”

Yes.








[1] This prayer was composed by Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw, drafted for a homily by Card. John Dearden in Nov. 1979 for a celebration of departed priests. As a reflection on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Bishop Romero, Bishop Untener included in a reflection book a passage titled "The mystery of the Romero Prayer." The mystery is that the words of the prayer are attributed to Oscar Romero, but they were never spoken by him.

Dominican Volunteers Reignite their Spark in Louisiana

Kelly Litt currently serves at the Dominican Leadership Conference at the United Nations. This article is also being published on domlife.org.



From January 28th – February 1st the Dominican Volunteers reunited in Ponchatoula, Louisiana for their midyear retreat. Hosted by the Dominican Sisters of Peace at their Rosaryville Spirit Life Center, the current volunteers joined to reflect, re-center, refocus, and reignite their spark for the remainder of their volunteer year.

“I really valued the opportunity to make a retreat at the midpoint of our service year. DVUSA consistently puts forth a commitment to reflection as part of Dominican spirituality, "to contemplate and share the fruits of contemplation." It is really easy to get burnt out in service, giving so much of yourself without necessarily feeling any reward. The opportunity to reunite and share joys and sorrows with my fellow volunteers was really refreshing.” –Grace Urankar, Volunteer in San Francisco at Immaculate Conception Academy

The volunteers opened the retreat with laughter as communities acted out short skits to explain what their day to day life was like living in community with Dominican Sisters or other volunteers. Though the skits pointed out the most comical aspects of community, it was apparent that the DVs truly value their experiences of living in community and have grown in numerous ways through that experience. Each community also had an opportunity to lead prayers and social activities for the larger group throughout the retreat.

The volunteers living in the Bronx, NY perform a skit 
about a typical dinner in their community.

The Dominican Volunteers were also given an opportunity to preach in Dominican fashion through their lives and experiences. DVs wrote “pre-volunteer letters” addressed to themselves before they began their volunteer year. Many letters included suggestions on essentials to pack and surprises they might find through moving to a new city. These letters also discussed expectations of their service year explaining what would be their largest struggles and greatest joys. These letters were both heavy as they explained times of tears but also uplifting as they spoke of laughter, passion, and life-changing experiences.

"Retreat is usually a time spent taking a break from all of the work that we live through on a daily basis. However, on mid-year retreat, it felt like we continued to live our experiences when we were sharing them with our fellow volunteers. For a time, it felt like I was living in 15 other lives when we all shared our letters. It also reminded me that we're all living with each other in spirit throughout this whole year and I couldn't be more blessed to share an experience so powerful and breathtaking with this group of women and men." –Chris Bargeron, Volunteer in Chicago at Heartland Alliance

The volunteers took some time to reflect personally and with a partner 
about ministry, relationships, and understanding themselves.


The volunteers were also able to have dinner with the Dominican Sisters of Peace in New Orleans. Many volunteers enjoyed gumbo for the first time! The volunteers also appreciated time and pizza with the Dominican Friars after attending Mass at St. Anthony of Padua, the Dominican church in New Orleans.

"It was great to join the rest of the DVs on our mid-year retreat in Lousiana!  The best part was definitely having an opportunity to hear about the amazing work that all of the volunteers are doing across the nation.  I am truly impressed with how incredible the DVs are this year and our retreat reminded me of the passion that our group of volunteers shares for ministry and for improving the world that we all live in!" –Amelia Vojt, Volunteer in Chicago serving at Sarah’s Inn


Volunteers enjoyed dinner and conversations with the Dominican Sisters of Peace 
at their Motherhouse in New Orleans.


The volunteers were blessed to share in prayer and learning with some of the Dominican Sisters during their retreat. The Dominican Sisters of Peace gave the volunteers an opportunity to reflect on spirituality and prayer as Sr. Dot Trosclair led a meditative prayer. Sr. Ceal Warner shared some insight on personal and spiritual growth with the volunteers and gave them an opportunity to better understand their own personality through the Color Code personality test. Sr. Suzanne Brauer shared about St. Dominic and the Dominican charisms with the volunteers and gave them an opportunity to reflect on the history and mission behind their service. With the opportunity to prayerfully reflect and craft their own earthen vessels, Sr. Pat Thomas led the volunteers in a reflection on their passions and spiritual gifts.

“I found the DVUSA Midyear Retreat to be prayerful and uplifting. I loved all of the presentations, in particular, the ones on prayer and Dominican Spirituality. It was helpful to hear the experiences and stories of my fellow volunteers. I feel rejuvenated and ready to begin the second half of my year as a Dominican Volunteer.” –David Gayes, Volunteer in Chicago serving at the Tolton Literacy Center and Casa Juan Diego


Volunteers described their vessels after Sr. Pat Thomas led them 
through a reflective and creative session.


“Mid-Year Retreat was a refreshing reminder as to why we, the volunteers, are taking this journey together. We were able to share our stories, challenges, successes, and how we are living out the four pillars. We re-sparked the passion and mission that bind us together and were able to provide encouragement and support for one another.” –Rebecca Morgenstern, Volunteer in the Bronx serving at Dominican Sisters Family Health Services

For more information and pictures from the midyear retreat, check out Dominican Volunteers USA Facebook page here.