By Mary Grieco
Catholic Herald correspondent
Eagle River parishioners visit sister parish in Honduras
EAGLE RIVER -- It's an experience that continues to tug at their hearts. Six members of St. Peter the Fisherman Parish, including the pastor, Fr. Robert Koszarek, recently returned from a 10-day trip to El Progreso, Honduras, to get acquainted with members of their sister parish, San Ignacio de Loyola.
They soon saw first-hand that "parish" in this case has a very different meaning. San Ignacio includes 48 communities with 16 chapels, all served by one priest, Chicago-born Jesuit Padre Juan (John) Donahue. His parish encompasses a third of the city of 150,000, plus remote mountainous areas. Since roads are unpaved and rutted -- and rain-soaked at this time of the year -- getting from place to place proved to be a challenge. In fact, the road to one of the chapels has been totally washed away.
"Their infrastructure is broken down, including all of the things we take for granted: sewer, water pressure, garbage," Koszarek said.
But not having all the modern conveniences soon didn't seem important. The people of San Ignacio extended a warm welcome to the visitors, who were invited to stay with families. "It was like having a brand new second family," Patricia Yates explained.
Julian Figneroa, a St. Peter parishioner whose native language is Spanish, was a welcome asset to the group and was frequently called upon to translate. "If we hadn't had him, most of us wouldn't have gotten a measure out of all this," said Ziggy Stardust, music minister for St. Peter Parish.
He and Figneroa were warmly received into the home of a family of 18. "It was wonderful to be involved in the day-to-day life of a family," Stardust said. "It was such a bonding experience, and the connection stays in my heart.
"I call this a discovery mission," said Stardust, who had previously traveled to Haiti on a work mission. "We wanted to learn what this community is all about, what they need and what we can share. He brought with him a new guitar purchased by musicians at St. Peter. As he learned new songs at San Ignacio, and taught others to them, it was obvious that music was transcending cultures, even though translations were sometimes needed.
St. Peter was paired with San Ignacio about a year and a half ago through the Parish Twinning Program of the Americas. A representative from that program accompanied the group.
"The best way for both parishes to become sister parishes is to meet each other," explained Dottie Meyers, a pastoral council member who organized the Oct. 13-23 trip. Since it is nearly impossible for the Hondurans to obtain visas, it was decided that St. Peter parishioners would go to them, and the invitation was extended to the parish as a whole.
Gail Baumann was one of the first to put her name on the travel list. "Ever since I was very young I've thought about the missions," she said. "I was anxious to see how other people lived." She and some of the others prepared for the trip by taking a Spanish class offered by the parish.
Among the items that the group took to Honduras were school supplies. While there, they visited the four kindergartens run by the church, and each day they traveled to different chapels within the parish to better understand the needs. Simply put, "they need almost everything," Koszarek said.
But what they do have is a strong faith. That comes through loud and clear in liturgical celebrations, which sometimes go on for well over two hours. No one looks at a watch, Stardust noted. One Mass that was to have started at 2 p.m. actually began after much socializing just before 3 p.m. With a double homily, plus time for translating the one given by Koszarek, personal sharing and a sign of peace during which all extended a hand to everyone in the church, it ended at 5:30 p.m. But no one complained, even though some still had nearly an hour's walk to their homes.
Koszarek noted that five "L's" characterize most of their worship: late-starting, lively, loving, long and normally lay-led. With only one priest, the parish relies on laity to take on leadership roles. Delegates of the word, roughly akin to lay leaders of prayer, are indispensable to the 16 chapels.
The Eagle River delegation met with several groups to share ideas. Koszarek noted that the people from San Ignacio were particularly interested in how St. Peter runs its parish festival and thrift shop. The visitors also met with a women's craft group to determine if there is a way to help them sell their work, thus helping them become self-sufficient. Unemployment and poverty are rampant, and many women are desperately looking for ways to help support their families.
St. Peter parishioners are still discerning the best ways to assist their sister parish. They have already given some financial help and are sponsoring a medical student who has promised to practice in his homeland when he finishes his studies.
The possibilities are endless, and now that the first steps have been taken and borders have been crossed, real faces can be associated with those needs.
Editor's note: For more information on the Parish Twinning Program, contact Frances Sosadeeter at 941-921-3368 or ptpa@earthlink.net.
© Superior Catholic Herald, 2003