Cathedral parishioners travel to Peru to serve poor

In 1995, on the Solemnity of the Annunciation, Pope St. John Paul II published his encyclical Evangelium Vitae: On the Value and Inviolability of Human Life. In it, he reaffirmed the importance of the church’s teaching on the dignity of all human life. He writes, “Every individual, precisely by reason of the mystery of the Word of God who was made flesh, is entrusted to the maternal care of the Church. Therefore every threat to human dignity and life must necessarily be felt in the Church’s very heart; it cannot but affect her at the core of her faith in the Redemptive Incarnation of the Son of God, and engage her in her mission of proclaiming the Gospel of life in all the world and to every creature” (EV, 3).

It was with this in mind that this July, I and 10 others from St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fargo, set out on mission—a mission to promote this Gospel of life by acknowledging the God-given dignity of the poorest of the poor in Chimbote, Peru.

During our 10-day mission, our group was able to construct two houses, buy and distribute groceries to the community, and host a meal and party. All these things are very basic ways of acknowledging the dignity of the human person but were very needed in this community. St. Mary’s was doing only a little bit to help empower two families to become the people God is calling them to be.

Do we have these same issues in the United States, or even more locally in the city of Fargo? Of course! However, the advantage of an international mission trip is twofold: Firstly, we are able to make a real difference in the lives of others who may not otherwise have it. Peru doesn’t have the social programs or volunteer culture that exists in the United States, and often international NGOs are the only way they have hope of receiving any sort of help. Secondly, it is important for the missionaries to witness and experience how poverty is experienced in a different culture and participate in the global missionary activity of the Catholic Church.

Elizabeth Norberg, a 16-year-old Dilworth resident and parishioner of St. Mary’s, noted this about her time in Chimbote: “My experience in Chimbote was like nothing I’ve ever done. I’ve volunteered in a homeless shelter and helped out at a food pantry, but this was different. Not only were we able to help build a house for a family, we had a food distribution, and held a dinner for the parishioners. Everyone was so joyful even though they had so little, and were in unlivable conditions. There was hardly even a language barrier, and even though most of us spoke little or no Spanish, it was incredible how well we could communicate with the Peruvians.”

To fulfill the church’s call for solidarity with the poor, it is important to see and experience poverty in all its forms. It’s important to enter into a place where we don’t know the language or culture, but we still speak the universal language of love. How often do many of us ignore the person sleeping on the streets or dismiss the panhandler on the side of the road? Our dignity is not found in money or things, but rather whether or not we have the ability to intentionally place ourselves in the position to be in the presence of God in prayer and become the people we are called to be. For our families in Peru, the lack of reliable food, clean water, and proper shelter prevented them from growing in the ever-important relationship with Jesus Christ.

After finishing and furnishing the house we built, Elizabeth mused, “As I was finishing the paint in the boys’ room, they came and were peeking into their new room with the biggest smiles on their faces. They were so happy to have their own room, each to have their own bed, which for most of us is not something we even think about.” This is an acknowledgment of dignity that these boys may never have experienced.

Mission, dignity, and love all go hand in hand. Love guides mission, and part of mission is acknowledging dignity. Words cannot express my gratitude for the people of St. Mary’s and the sacrifice they made for these two Peruvian families. As John Paul II writes, “It is in fact these ‘works of charity’ that reveal the soul of all missionary activity: Love” (Redemptoris Missio, 60).