"The Holy Spirit is palpably present"

 In our most recent blog post, 2014- 15 Dominican Volunteer Juan Miguel Alvarez reflects on his recent trip to the Vatican to witness the canonization of Archbishop Oscar Romero. Juan Miguel also  tells of his spiritual encounter with Pope Francis and how both men  continue to shape his faith journey.

1.                  What   was it like to be at the Vatican for the canonization of Archbishop Oscar Romero and meeting Pope Francis and some of the Cardinals? Please give us a small taste of that experience.

I cannot speak on the synod itself since I was not a synod member ,but being close to it and spending time with those who were in it was an exciting and refreshing experience. You could see the passion the youth people brought to this synod – they were a fantastic group of intelligent and deeply caring young people with an enormous desire to improve their Church. I also enjoyed meeting some of the cardinals and bishops I have always admired, such as Cardinal Tagle, Cardinal Maradiaga, and Bishop Robert Barron.

       
The canonization of Oscar Romero, Paul VI, and five others was a powerful mass. I sat with the auditors, close to the front, with the banners of these saints directly in front of us. As I looked up at them, at St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis, the hundreds of priests, and the hundreds of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, I felt overjoyed at the magnitude of the day. Having led a couple of trips to El Salvador and seeing the sites of Oscar Romero’s life, I thought of the wonderful people I met there and I realized how much this canonization meant for them, for Latin America, and for the entire Church. There were Salvadorian flags everywhere, but also people from all over the world. It was a true testament to the universality of the Church. 

2014-15 Dominican Volunteer Juan Miguel Alvarez

2.                 What about your experience surprised you and impacted you?

I had so many impactful experiences on this trip. Among them were the canonization mass, my visit to the catacombs of St. Sebastian, seeing the pope’s home, getting some inside-scoop looks into the conclave process, meeting young, passionate Catholics from all over the world, and of course meeting the pope. I was impacted by the levity of Pope Francis. He must have one of the busiest schedules on the planet, yet every time I interacted with him, he was laughing, he was present, and he was relaxed. No matter how tired he was, or how late it was, or how many people had asked for a selfie, his face always lit up when someone approached him for a conversation or a blessing. 

Juan Miguel, his wife Yadira, and Pope Francis

3.                 Did any part of your experience lead you to reflect on your service year with DVUSA?

I remember two times that I was reminded of my DVUSA experience. The first was during the canonization mass of Oscar Romero. I remembered my family, my friendships in El Salvador, and the families that have gotten to know in Chicago. I thought of my students at Cristo Rey, the families at my parish, Immaculate Conception, and the families I met at Casa Juan Diego. I imagined what St. Peter’s Square might look like one day celebrating the canonization of a young person from Pilsen. The second time was on an afternoon that I was able to walk around and explore Rome’s many beautiful churches and basilicas. I came across Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, a Dominican basilica that is home to St. Catherine of Siena’s tomb. I reflected on the year that my soul crossed paths with Dominican spirituality and thanked God for it. 

Juan Miguel and some of his students during  his year as a Dominican Volunteer at Casa Juan Diego youth center in Chicago

4.                 As a Latino, how have the legacies of Pope Francis and Oscar Romero impacted your life?

In different ways, they have both been hugely impactful on my spirituality. Pope Francis has made me reconsider the ways that the Church ministers to all people who seek God; he strives to find the sweet spot where the Church is 100% faithful in teaching the eternal truths we have inherited from Tradition, the scriptures, and the apostles, and also being merciful and charitable in its pastoral approach. He understands that this is not an “either/or” situation, so I have been intrigued and drawn in by his approach. He also has more patience, joy, and dedication than I will ever have. The Holy Spirit is palpably present when you spend even a few brief moments with him. 

Oscar Romero has been personally convicting and inspiring in my spirituality. He knew better than most the danger he was putting himself by standing up for justice, but he did what his conscience told him to do, regardless of the presence of these life-threatening people and groups. By their own government, the poor of El Salvador were kicked while they were down, stood upon to keep them down, and then brutally murdered. Romero radically and unabashedly lived out the gospel in that ugly reality, so seeing his birthplace, the site of his martyrdom, his home, was something that has made me reflect on the ugly realities that plague my communities – the city of Chicago, the immigrant families I am able to accompany, or my neighborhood – and radically live out the gospel in those places.

5.                 You  and your wife, Yadira experienced this journey together. What was it like experiencing the Vatican as a couple?

It was so life-giving! My wife was one of the few married young auditors; it was great to see how many people went out of their way to welcome and accommodate me as her spouse. They recognized that the role of the auditor was important and that it was, in fact, the reason each of these young people was brought to Rome, but that nothing takes precedence over your primary vocation. First and foremost, we were viewed as spouses – as a family. Through the charity and generosity of so many people, I was able to accompany my wife to nourishing, beautiful events, including the canonization mass, exploring the Vatican gardens, a powerful adoration night in San Lorenzo’s, and of course our various moments with the pope. Getting his blessing over our marriage was unforgettable. 

Juan Miguel and his wife Yadira

"I hope my students are inspired"

DV Julia Butts

Our latest blog post comes from  Dominican Volunteer Julia Butts. Julia reflects on her experience as a religious education  teacher at  the St. Francis Center, a center for low-income families in Redwood City, California and the awe-inspiring privilege to offer life lessons to her fourth grade students.

As a DV, I wear three hats: religious education teacher, English as a second language tutor, and advocacy coordinator for an after school program. That last hat is actually more like lots of hats disguised as a single one, but that’s a blog post for another time. Today I want to focus on the hat that’s surprised me the most: the hat of being a religious education teacher.  

When Sister Christina asked me how I’d feel about being a religious ed teacher, I was practically speechless. I told her I didn’t feel particularly qualified, but I would definitely be willing to give it a go. With a teacher’s manual in hand, I embarked on teaching 4th graders about the Catholic faith.

I quickly realized the gravity of my job. For some of the students, these three forty-minute classes per week are the primary education they have in their faith.  At ten years old, they mostly do what their parents tell them to do when it comes to church. But someday, they’ll decide if they get confirmed. They’ll decide whether to go to church. On a deeper level, and even as soon as today, they’ll believe or not believe. They’ll feel God’s loving presence in their lives, or they won’t. They’ll pray, or they’ll reject prayer. They will feel called to service, or not. These are experiences and decisions they will re-face innumerable times over the course of their lives. And I’m in a position to influence them. It’s kind of a big deal, and so, one I don’t take lightly.

Thus, I’ve found myself reflecting on my goals in this role and on the impact of my teaching. Of course, I’m motivated by wanting my students to have a strong Catholic faith. But I’m more so motivated by wanting them to a) be informed about their faith, and b) to develop gospel values.

As they’re making choices down the road about whether or not they’re going to practice Catholicism, or another Christian faith, or another religion entirely, or no religion at all, I want them to have learned as much as they can about the faith they “started out” in. In my personal experience and the experiences of others that I’ve witnessed, the more one inquires about and learns about their Catholic faith, the more confident and faithful they become. And one thing’s for sure: religion is complicated. My students ask me so many questions. I answer all that I can and look up answers to the questions I can’t. And when the questions enter more complex theology that I could explain, but it’s a bit beyond their level of comprehension, I praise them for their inquiries and encourage them to keep studying and their questions will be answered. I want them to view this learning process as a lifelong one.

What I truly love is that being a religion teacher is about imparting values. My class is time dedicated to developing moral compasses, explicitly exploring and discussing what it means to be good.  We learn about being generous even when we’d rather be selfish. We learn about being kind to our enemies, and merciful to those who hurt and offend us. We learn about respecting the dignity of every single human being. We learn to care for creation. We learn to love. We learn how difficult it can be to do all of these things, but how faith gives us the strength to do all things.

At the end of each day, I hope that my students are inspired. I hope they feel God’s individual and immeasurable love for them, and in feeling God’s love, spread that love in all they do. I hope that regardless of whether they practice religion in a traditional sense, they stand by their values and strive to be good even when (especially when) it’s difficult to do so.  I feel blessed to play a part in the formation of their minds and hearts, and pray that I do my job well.

Some of Julia's teaching materials

A Seat at The Table

Our first blog post of 2018 comes from  Dominican Volunteer Stephanie Zavala! Stephanie serves at The Siena House, a homeless shelter for young mothers and their children in the Bronx New York. The names of Stephanie's clients have been omitted to protect their privacy.

 

I have started writing this blog about three times and there really is no way to tell you all about the incredible amount of joy and healing that the women from Siena House bring to me and to a shelter that is often heavy with loss, suffering, and grief. When I moved to our OLA community in The Bronx, all I kept hearing was that it was the children that made work worth it. But I could not stop wondering about the women I’d meet. I sat in the community room and expressed to one of our sisters that I was scared that the women would not like me, let alone want to build a relationship with me. Yes, I look like them, I share the culture, I use similar slang, and have some parallel experiences to theirs. But how could I—someone who carries the privilege of having a family, a home to run back to, and a higher education degree ever imagine that I could offer anything to the women of Siena? One of our sisters stopped me and said “You don’t have to worry about them liking you. Just think about being a role model for them,” as if it was me who was to teach them life lessons.  

Fast forward 4 months and the friendships I have formed with the women are what keep me going every day of my volunteer year. I sit with them at lunch and "S", who, mind you, slammed the door in my face one of the first weeks I was at Siena, makes me laugh until my stomach hurts. She has one of the kindest hearts and her humor is my absolute favorite. Maria is such a high maintenance princess, “Stephanie, can you watch "D" while I get her food. Can you pleeeease get me some water? Can you pleeeease carry "D" up to the third floor for me? I am so tired” but she has become one of my dearest friends. "C"’s little one, "M", has energy like no other —I reached my 10,000 steps in a BREEZE running around after her in the hospital waiting rooms. "L" comes to say “Hi” to us every single day even when she’s busy and I can tell she will remain in my life even after I leave. And right before I came home, "P" asked me to volunteer for a 2^nd year…

I have never been so impressed by the power of relationship as I am when I think about my times with the women at Siena. Even seeing the ways in which these women support one another by laughing, sharing food, and taking care of each other’s children despite the daily frustrations they face in this shelter is powerful. These women have life experiences that I will never know first-hand, and to pretend like I know what is best for them or think they should see me as a role model would be one of the most condescending things I can do as a volunteer. I am an undocumented immigrant who has succeeded, and society loves to glorify stories like mine setting me as an example to follow. But when they look at women like the residents of Siena House, they feel pity or pass judgment about their history. Had I walked into Siena with this mentality, I wouldn’t share moments of laughter with the women the way I currently do.

Yes, their babies are absolutely wonderful, but we need to start believing that Black and Brown women in these circumstances are also capable of giving joy. We need to shift the narrative.

(Fellow Dominican Volunteer) Niki Klco and I work very intentionally to form respectful and genuine relationships. We are honest about our limitations to help, we practice active listening, and we honor the women’s struggles understanding how survival tactics manifest themselves in a world that marginalizes poor, Black and Brown women. Sure, maybe I did not have to worry about being liked but I did have to be a friendly and consistent presence in order to gain the trust of the residents. I learned their names as opposed to calling them by their room number, I learned their children’s names, made myself available, and shared lunch time with them as much as possible (they could not believe a staff member could ever eat with them). It was these actions that built the foundation for the friendships we share now thus resulting in the women loving Niki and I.