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.

In the Name of the Son

Michael shares with us his Lenten Journey. He currently serves at St. Paul Catholic Center at Indiana University.

"Anything you ask me in my name I will do." -John 14:14

Before Lent began this year, I was going through a grocery list of all the ascetical practices I could do. I thought about how much fasting would be healthy, how many hours a day in the chapel would be practical, better ways to give alms, and a more intense boot-camp-like prayer routine. However, in the depths of my heart I knew that this was all not really the end in itself I was looking for but rather a way to distract myself, a way to lose myself in the means to the end. In the end, right before Lent began, I figured out, or rather discerned, what the central focus of my Lent would be. I was going to give up as much theology as possible. As your jaw hangs open in disbelief please take a minute to close it (you may use a free hand if necessary) and let me explain. After much prayerful thought, I came to a very startling conclusion, or rather a question that shook the foundations of my faith. 

Do I really love Jesus Christ?

Sure I love scriptures, prayer, I love meditating on the mysteries of His life while saying the rosary. I love the nature of God, exploring the concept of the trinity, and many great theological mysteries. I love the face of Christ in the poor, the lonely, the heartbroken. I love reading the lives of the saints, and learning about the many ways they would connect with God. I love God in nature, I love the healing miracles Christ has worked in my life. Yet, this does not answer my question. I am beating around the bush. So I will say again, do I really love Jesus Christ-- not just circling around Him, but as an end in Himself?

An affirmation of this Lenten goal came about while reading the Word of God. I opened up to 1 Corinthians 13 (the chapter on love) but not to the part I am typically accustomed to hearing. I only read the first three verses which go as follows: 

"If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all that I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." -1 Corinthians 13:1-3

This again shook the foundations of my faith and again caused me to ask, do I really love Jesus Christ? Well what is love? (And don't say baby don't hurt me). And more importantly, who is Jesus Christ? 

In Book I of The Confessions (I will put the theology fast on hold for just a little while longer), St. Augustine asks the Lord, "Must we know you before we call upon you?" He goes on and expands on this but the main point is that we need to ask whether we should know the Lord first or first call upon our savior. 

Jesus does tell us that anything we ask in His name He will grant to us (Jn 14:14). But for me, this still is not enough. I want to love Jesus with all my heart, mind, and soul. 

Back to St. Augustine's question of whether we should know the Lord before we call upon Him: I think this varies by the person. I think it is impossible to not know the Lord in some way, shape, or form. Yet I think it is impossible to get to know Christ better without calling upon Him. We must do both. 

Who is Jesus then? I could go into a long discourse about may aspects of Jesus, but to what end? He is the way in which I hope to go, He is the truth which I hope to know, He is the life which I hope to obtain. He is the reason I wake up in the morning, the reason I draw in every breath, the reason I can gaze at the stars, the reason I can feel blades of grass between my toes. Jesus is the center of my life, which nothing else can replace. 

Yet I live on the fringes most of the time, not in the center. I think that is why he asks Peter three times if he loves Him. Not so much as a question for Jesus to know the answer, but so Peter will constantly ask himself this question. 

Why do I bring this up? I think that I need to constantly reaffirm that Jesus is the center of my life, and that my baptism tells the world this. I need to also evaluate if I am living in the middle, or if I am circling the outside, fearful to truly dive in. 

Something that I can practially do is make the name of Jesus central in all aspects of my life. As often as I speak, I should be mentioning the name of my savior. All I need, want, or hope for I should ask in His name. I should have the utmost faith in Jesus, so that one day when we meet face to face I may not have to have this faith anymore but truly see what I believe in. I should hope in Christ's redemption, so that one day I may attain this redemption for my own when I meet my love face to face. And I should have as much love as I can muster, because once faith becomes sight, and hope becomes my gift, love will magnify, expand, and consume my entire being. Love is the greatest of these three (again see 1 Corinthians 13) but love is all we need. 

Do I really love Jesus Christ? I am trying. 

"He who obeys the commandments he has from Me is the man who loves me; and he who loves Me wil be loved by my father. I too will love him and reveal myself to him." -John 14:21

Lenten Promise of Letting Go

 Mary Paige "MP" Bausch currently serves in San Francisco, CA as religion teacher to the sophomore class.

Have you seen the Disney movie, Frozen? It’s a delightfully friendly film about love and shaping oneself through the internal and external forces that challenge. As with many Disney films, this one has a lot of music. One song in particular speaks to me right now. The title, “Let It Go,” has recently become a personal mantra that I’m trying to incorporate in my life, especially during this Lenten Season.

The plane is delayed— let it go because the flight team is doing all they can do to work on the situation. My friend isn’t calling me back— let it go because they’ll get to it when they can. A student isn’t paying attention in my class— let it go because I’ve done all I can to help the student, she needs to take some ownership. Let it go! Let go of my expectations for others— I cannot control their reactions or responses. Let go of the things I take personally— I am the only person that has the power to control how I feel and react to any situation, experience, or obstacle. Let it go.

Recently, I’ve had some experiences that have developed the idea of letting it go—in my community and in my classroom.

In my community, the sisters pray the Divine Office from Dominican Praise every morning and evening. A few weeks ago, I was asked to plan and lead an evening prayer. In an effort to do something different, I decided to facilitate a centering prayer with the sisters and volunteers.

What is centering prayer?

Using the guidelines from Thomas Keating, he writes that centering prayer is a method designed to facilitate the development of contemplative prayer by preparing our faculties to receive this gift. It is an attempt to present the teaching of earlier times in an updated form. It is at the same time a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship. This method of prayer is a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with Him.

How do you do it?

Sit comfortably, with eyes closed. Closing our eyes is a symbol of letting go to what is going on around us and within us. Settle briefly and silently. Introduce a sacred word (we used “Love”) as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within. When engaged with thoughts, images, feelings, or reflections, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word. Keating reminds us that these thoughts are inevitable, integral, and a normal part of centering prayer-- try to acknowledge these thoughts and return back to the sacred word.

Anytime I’ve tried centering prayer, I become frustrated because my mind never seems to quiet or calm down. Thoughts, images, and feelings always pop up. I attempt to bring myself back using the sacred word or phrase, but I would still be frustrated. WHY can’t my mind just settle down? Going back to Keating’s words that I used in planning this prayer-- these thoughts are inevitable, integral, and a normal part of centering prayer. Inevitable. Integral. Normal. It’s how you center yourself back to the sacred word when the centering prayer happens. On the way to centering prayer is, in fact, centering prayer.

After reminding myself of this, I felt freed. I should not be frustrated because these thoughts are supposed to arise. Good thoughts or bad thoughts, they’re destined to appear in my mind and the object is to let them go and return to dwelling on the sacred word. Finally, I can let it go of the thoughts and let go of the frustration during centering prayer; the outcome has been lovely finding peace in this unique type of prayer.

The idea of letting go has also come up in my Scripture class. Last semester, my sophomores focused on the Old Testament and this semester they’re learning about the New Testament. Specifically, we’re covering Matthew right now. Here’s a question for you... What is famous about the Gospel of Matthew? Yes, you’re right! It’s the Gospel that includes the Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon, Jesus summarizes the New Law, a new set of instructions for Christian living.

In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about worrying— about your body, what you’ll wear, food, anxieties. He says to not worry about these things. God knows you need them. So, instead give it up to God, seek God, and with that everything will fall into place. Yet another reminder to let go.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink,) or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.” (Matthew 6:25-34)

As someone who worries, tends to take things very personally, and sets high expectations for myself and others, incorporating this idea of letting go has not been an easy task this Lent. I constantly find myself getting wrapped up in worry or over analyzing situations that don’t need to be over analyzed. Gently, I tell myself to let go. Most of the time, there’s nothing I can do except let it go and keep repeating that mantra.

As winter turns into spring, there might not be much desire to watch a movie called Frozen or listen to the sweet soundtrack. However, the notion of spring cleaning and letting go is ever-so prevalent right now. We all have stuff in our lives that is waiting for us to let go-- it could be something physical such as the clothes collecting dust in our closet or something like worrying about the future. Try letting go of something that’s bringing you down. You never know what joys, beauty, or freedom you’ll find in doing so. 

Every Day is an Opportunity

The following post was written by one of our second year volunteers, Cynthia Velasquez. She currently serves in Redwood City, CA.

“You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think” A.A. Milne

This quote has meant so much to me throughout my life that now it’s on the computer screen in the classroom at the Siena Youth Center.  It is there to inspire and motivate all of my students. Before I continue, let me tell you about the Siena Youth Center, or SYC as we like to call it. SYC is an afterschool program where kids from the neighborhood, mostly from public schools, come for homework help, extracurricular activities, fitness fun, and much more. SYC not only is an afterschool program, it is a family, and more importantly, it is a safe place for the youth to be.

Many of our families have not had the opportunity to advance their education here in the United States, making it difficult to find well paying jobs. In addition, many of our students come from single parent households working multiple jobs to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. Another reality is that many of the parents do not speak English well, making it difficult for them to help their children with schoolwork. These family dynamics are why SYC is such an important place in the neighborhood. 

Every day, I walk into a gym full of very energetic 3^rd-8^th graders full of dreams for their future. Every day, I am constantly reminded of how difficult life is going to be for many of them. Every day, my heart breaks a little when I see how far behind many of them are. Every day, I am bombarded with hugs and filled with love from my younger students. Every day, I see a glimmer of hope in some of my students who did not think they had potential. Every day, I see the smiles and boost of confidence from my students when they accomplished an extremely difficult task during homework time.  Every day, is a challenge of ups and downs, but it makes every great moment even better.

At SYC, I focus mainly on the educational aspects of the center. Every afternoon, I help more than 20 3^rd-5^th graders with their homework with the help of another coach and sometimes volunteers. During this time, it is difficult not to bang my head the wall as I try to help multiple students at once while trying to keep the room chaos free.  As I mentioned before, many of our students are very far behind academically, making homework extremely difficult. There are days I wish I had a one volunteer per student to really sit with them to complete their homework. There are days I wish I had more hours in my day with them to sit and read with them one-on-one. Even though that is not the reality for us, it is heartwarming to see volunteers dedicate their time to help. It is rewarding to see volunteers really take interest in the students and their success. During this Lenten season, I invite you to dedicate some extra time you have as volunteer at an afterschool program or another organization. If you do not have the time, think about donating an old computer, books, or unused school supplies. I assure you that dedicating a couple hours a month or donating unused items will make a difference in someone’s life. 

Imagine this gym filled with children working towards academic and fitness goals!
Cynthia challenges you to give some time to an organization this Lent

Can you spot Cynthia among her students?

Community Remedies Loneliness

Susan Van Trieste currently lives in community with House of Connections and ministers with Visitation Catholic School.

Kurt Vonnegut once asked this question; “What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.”

After attending our Mid-Year retreat just a few short weeks ago, I realized that I was not alone in the continual quest of asking myself, “What am I going to be when I grow up?!” I feel that many of the current Dominican Volunteers are still on their quest to find out the answer to this question. I feel like I may never truly find out. Even though I am realizing that my passion lies within teaching, I still have a lot of growing, and admittedly a lot of growing up to do. But I’m coming to terns with that. I live and work with truly fantastic women, and a few men. They all serve as an inspiration because of the passion that they have for the ministries in which they have dedicated their lives to.

I think the biggest inspirations of all are the two sisters that I live in community with, Sr. Bernadine Karge, OP and Sr. Marilyn Derr, OP. Both women have served as guiding lights in trying to find where my passion lies. Sr. Bernadine, for example, is a retired immigration lawyer. However, I’m using the term “retired” very loosely.  She has such a genuine passion for helping others and making sure that their rights and needs are met. Even though she technically is retired, she still continues to volunteer her time and fight for the rights of the men, women, and children who are denied citizenship to the United States. Her adamant fervor for seeing justice met, motivates me to find where my love for something in this world and to see it through.

And let’s not forget Sr. Marilyn. She works at The Learning Center, teaching adults math and reading, preparing for them to get their GED’s. Her knowledge alone about teaching and school systems have helped me to realize that I too want to continue this path towards becoming a teacher. When I think about how I want to someday feel about my future career I think back to a conversation that Marilyn, Katri, and myself recently had. Katri had asked us “If you could live anywhere in the world, without worrying about money, where would you go?” Without hesitation, I said Italy because, come on, Italy. Marilyn however replied, “I would stay in Chicago so that I can continue to work with adults to get their high school diploma equivalencies.” This has really stayed with me because when I responded I didn’t even think about a job. I thought, “Oh man! I can see the Vatican, Rome, Pisa, Trieste, Milan vineyards galore!” But Marilyn’s passion spoke before impulse. It made me realize that when you find something that you love, nothing else matters. I think that’s why I believe that I still have a lot of growing up to do. My need to wander and explore is more palpable than anything else. However, my amazing community is making me realize that I have time to figure these things out. It is okay to be confused and not know. Everything will fall together as God has intended it to.

Living in community is more than just being in the same house, occasionally sharing a meal, and praying together. It’s about sharing our experiences and challenging each other to grow in our ministries, with each other, in our own personal lives, and in so many more different aspects. The people we share community with motivate and encourage us to do our very best. And I think Dorothy Day summed it up the best when she said, 

“We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.”

Susan and her community pose for a Christmas Card

Epiphany: Jesus's continual entrance

The following was written by our current volunteer Ashley Strobel. Ashley ministers with high school students at Immaculate Conception Academy in San Francisco. She wrote this post in preparation for our mid year retreat, and her questions challenge us to seek our own Epiphanies of Jesus’ continuous presence in our lives.

On Jan 8th, we celebrated the Feast of Epiphany, the Feast of the Three Wise Men finding the Baby Jesus. You might celebrate this feast by giving out gold chocolate coins or hiding a crown in a cake.  This is what I have done for many years past...until this year. This year I had my own personal “Epiphany” and I have come to realize why I am in San Francisco.

The word Epiphany means a moment in which you suddenly see or understand something in a new or very clear way. That moment happened to me the evening of the January 8th after the 5:30 Mass at St. Dominic’s. Here in San Francisco, I am very blessed to have the privilege to attend a Dominican Parish. On that particular Sunday, the Pastor of St. Dominic’s, Fr. Michael Hurley O.P, preached the homily. It was reflecting on his homily that made me really stop and think for a moment.

He asked three Simple Questions

1) Why did the Three Wise Men find Christ?
2) Where did they find Christ?
3) What’s Next?

Let me explain...why did the Wise Men find Christ?  They found Him because they were looking for Him. They left everything beyond and in a sense got a one-way ticket to find the Jesus. They had no information about where they were going besides the Star. How does it apply to you and me?  We will not find Jesus until we look for him.

Have I really been looking for Jesus?

Where did they find Jesus? They found Him in a home. The Bible does not say where the home is located, it just says a home. That home should be mine and your home.

Would the Wise Men find Jesus in my home?

And lastly, what’s next? The Wise Men were told depart by another way. In essence, thing cannot go back to the way that they were. We need to usher in this New Year with new changes in our life.

Have I made the necessary changes in my life?

Ashley experienced her own epiphany in St. Dominic's Church (photo by Cary Mauers)

For some divine reason, this was exactly what I needed to hear. After Mass, I went and sat in front of the Nativity Scene one last time this Christmas Season. And thought back over the past 5 months and how these questions applied to my months of service here. Not going to lie, the beginning of my year was really rough on me. I was living in a brand new city, 2,292 miles from the only home I have ever known. My ministry site was in an environment that I had never really experienced. I work in Catholic High School, even though I was homeschooled for 12 years. Not to mention I went from living with my family, to living with 15 sisters. My life had taken a complete 180 degree turn. For the first two and a half months, I felt more alone and more homesick then I had ever thought could be possible. One of the few things that kept me afloat was the fact that I firmly believe that God place me here for a reason and I had to continue to put my all my trust and hope in Him, no matter what. By the end of October, my faith in Him paid off because I was making friends, San Francisco was growing on me in ways I did think it could, and I finally could remember more than 5 students’ names!  And to add to that, by the time my Christmas break was over, I was looking forward to getting back to San Francisco, my work and my friends here. 

For a while, I really could not pinpoint what had changed or when that change had really happened. But then I thought, why bother?  My attitude changed and I am just glad it did. As I sat before the Baby Jesus after Mass, I realized that when I first came here I was looking for some big awesome reason for why I came here. By time November came around, I was just so tired looking for that reason that I stopped.  And when I did stop, I had more time to spend on what I was doing in that moment. Thinking back over Father’s Homily, I realized that I did not have to look for a reason, I just had to look for Christ. He was the reason I was here and He will always have a plan for me. By accepting that He, and only He, was the reason I was here, I had to look for him in the places I frequented the most, both in the convent where I live and in the school where I work. In other words, the place that I have learned to call home for the year. Lastly, what do I do next?  I live my life in this moment, doing everything to best of my ability for the Glory of God.

I want to end with two quotes. The first is a Children’s book that I just recorded for an AmeriCorps national day of service project. The book is called “The Three Questions”, inspired by Leo Tolstoy and written by Jon Muth. The second is a quote near and dear to my heart. It was given to me by a dear friend right before I moved here. It has helped through my lowest moments. They both continue to inspire me. I hope you are also inspired.

 “Remember then that there is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side. This is why we are here.”

                                                ~ Jon Muth

“Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence.”

                                                ~Pope John Paul II

Ashley's snow angel from mid-year retreat

An Open Heart Perspective

The following post was shared by by current volunteer  Julia Siwierka. She ministers with Opening Word.

If you told the 17-year old version of myself as I graduated high school that one day, I would be living with sisters in a convent, I would have thought you were crazy. In fact, if you told me this even two years ago, I would have completely disregarded it. And if you said that I would be teaching classes to immigrant women learning English, I would have certainly laughed out loud. It’s not that this is all preposterous or entirely unlikely to happen. Rather, it’s that my life never seemed to veer in this direction. I never anticipated ending up on Long Island for a year, and yet it happened. And I realize that the fact I never thought this would happen is a true blessing in disguise.

 Naturally, you could imagine my initial fears when I found out that I would be teaching classes when I had never taken an education course in my entire college career. Indeed, as a psychology/theatre major, teaching was never in my horizon as a possible career path. I remembered tutoring sixth grade students when I was a sophomore in high school and having to help students with their homework or attempt to explain a problem (this was also tutoring in math which only heightened my worries). It was an absolutely dreadful experience, I think because I was so afraid of telling the students the wrong thing. So harboring this six-year old memory, my only context for “teaching,” made me question my sanity when I agreed to take on the position as a computer and job readiness instructor with The Opening Word. In my interview with my now supervisor, I made sure she knew that I had no formal experience teaching. And yet, she iterated that she was confident in my abilities to learn and be willing to try this new field. Her confidence in me gave me confidence, and it allowed me to feel more comfortable in accepting my ministry position.

 Now I have spent four months teaching classes to our Bridge or Transition Students—these are the students who are in the process of moving on to other ESL classes, breaking out into the job market, or any other further step they may be taking. Each day presents its own challenges, but every day I feel more and more certain that this is the ministry I was supposed to be in.

 The Opening Word is an ESL literacy program that is ministered by the Dominican Sisters of Amityville. There are three sites located in different parts of Suffolk County, Long Island that teaches English to populations that are disadvantaged and underprivileged. As the years have progressed and the surrounding neighborhoods have changed, the population of students have also changed, but now the school focuses on adult women immigrants. These students come from all over the world from El Salvador to Mexico to Haiti to Peru all the way to Poland, France, Pakistan, Korea, and China. Their ages range anywhere from 18 to mid-70’s, and their previous education ranges highly as well, from women who have their Masters in their own country to those who are not literate in their own language. The Opening Word works with students based on their individual needs and progress. It gives students confidence not only to move from classroom to classroom as test scores increase, but also to go out into the world and communicate with others.

I rotate from site to site each day, teaching in total 60 students each week. As previously mentioned, I teach computer and job readiness skills to help increase their marketability when they “graduate” from the program or head into the world of employment. Some students are currently working but are seeking better jobs, some have been looking for jobs for years but are not getting the responses they are looking for, some have no experience in this country but pages’ worth in their own, and some are waiting for work until they feel 100% comfortable with their speaking abilities. Similarly, students’ experiences with computers vary too; some students are quite computer-savvy while others have never touched the computer in their homes. Some students have yet to see a computer in their houses. It’s been an interesting experience to try to pull together resources for these students to use that will be meaningful, fun, and practical in their lives (I’ve even learned a thing or two from my own research!). It can be exhausting having to do so much work outside of the classroom before and after class, but it is all worth it when a student tells me, “Oh! So that’s how you do that!”

 Every day, I’m struck with the sacrifices these women have to make in order to be here in New York at The Opening Word. They have made sacrifices in their countries and in the United States for their families, their children, their jobs, their homes, their everything to learn. And yet, these sacrifices drive them to continue to learn. Sure, every day presents its challenges for adult learners, like when their children are sick or they were asked to work extra hours on the midnight shift. But no matter what, they are still dedicated and willing to do what it takes to come to class. It’s truly inspiring.

 What has been most inspiring to me is the fact that these ladies have overcome some grossly inhumane, unjust, and downright horrifying experiences to be where they are now. Sometimes it’s amazing the things they share with me—a discussion on the usage of laptop computers can turn into a dialogue on technology through the generations and then become a talk therapy session. Naturally class sessions cannot always be these intense soul sharing times, but every now and then it becomes obvious that a student simply needs to share a part of herself even just for that moment. I’ve heard some stories that should only be in movies, where women are treated like property to be used in any way, where their children are forcibly taken from them, where gangs claim their territory, and where governments neglect to protect their citizens. And still, their spirits live and thrive on, seemingly growing stronger with each day alive. They continue to love and learn and be present to those surrounding them. These women live with a sense of openness that allows people into their lives even for a little bit of time that lets one see and really feel what their lives are like. I’ve been a witness to their living spirits and their great open hearts when they share their stories, and while my heart breaks and mends itself again with them, this has also been my greatest blessing so far. Being with these women even for this short amount of time has taught me what it really means to be a woman, a human being, an emotional creature, and for that, I am eternally thankful to each and every one of them. I’m learning to open my own heart as well to other people and new experiences, and I’ve realized that is how we are all connected: in our sharing and in our love for ourselves, our neighbors, strangers, our world, our Love. It can be scary letting other peoples’ stories enter into your heart (and it is much more terrifying to send out your story to other peoples’ hearts), but I can affirm from my own experiences that it is so very beautiful too.

 Without my students, I would not be the person I am becoming. In a place where I am supposed to be the teacher, my students have taught me infinitely more, and I will always be indebted to them.

PS. I have also spent time starting a new website for The Opening Word. Our new website will be www.openingword.org as of January 15th!