You have turned my mourning into dancing ...so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. Psalm 30:11-12
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Mourning. Shuttering their doors in March 2020, the Franciscan priests and brothers of Las Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano prayed. What would happen should COVID-19 attack the ‘abandoned and incapacitated’ under their care at Virgen de Socorro? Nearly 300 vulnerable souls, many carrying the names of the churches where their mothers had left them as newborns, trusting that the brothers would care for their babies because they could not. What would happen to all of those who typically would stream through the open door of the Obras hospital, seeking medical and surgical care from across Guatemala? They, already weak, ill, would need to survive COVID-19 without the brothers’ tender touch, as strict government restrictions made it impossible for the brothers to visit and care for the sick, their vocation, their very sense of being. What would they do?
They did what they always do. They prayed. They carried the cross of Jesus, because in so doing they felt closest to him. They lived the anguish and the cost of love. And, they trusted in Jesus just as he trusted in the Father that they would rise again. They prayed for their children, Guatemala, the world, and they prayed for us. Holding a special mass for Faith In Practice, they carried us to God and we felt it, huddling around our computers to watch on Facebook. Feeling the Spirit, feeling their love, letting them lead us into believing that “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” [Julian of Norwich]
Movement of the Spirit. And, then they rolled up their sleeves. In the weeks and months ahead, prayer fueled their joy, and they began planning. Hope fired their audacity. In the time when caution seemed to be the better course of action, they stepped into a new and bold future. For years, they had the dream of expanding the operating room suite and pre-and post- operative areas built by Faith In Practice in 2006. The dream to expand made all the more urgent as the surgical waiting list grew and they watched the suffering deepen due to the impact of the pandemic.
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Even if the future was uncertain - - because the future was uncertain - - now was the time to act. So, in earnest, and with the support of the Amigos Pro-Obras who had built the Virgen de Socorro in 2016, the dream began to take shape. Previously closed doors opened, architectural plans were developed, meetings with the municipality were held. The dream that had encountered obstacle after obstacle in the past, started to become a reality. For months, the operating rooms had stood mostly empty. Only in May 2021 did the Faith In Practice teams return. Now, there was a future rising up and the capacity of the operating room suites would nearly double.
This took place simultaneously with the Obras’ planning to reopen by developing strict COVID-19 prevention protocols, in conjunction with Faith In Practice. Reopening for medical clinic visits, welcoming Faith In Practice surgical teams beginning on May 1, 2021, the Obras has been successfully serving with no incidence of hospital transmitted COVID-19. The past two years have not passed without heartbreak. The Obras lost board members and brothers to COVID-19 but these losses served only to deepen the resolve to serve. In this, as in all things, they followed Jesus who rose, who rises to new life while bearing his scars with love.
Mourning Turned into Dancing. Now, nearly two years after the day the Obras’ doors closed due to the pandemic, after months of struggle to return to serving and the return of Faith In Practice teams, the Obras is completing the new operating room suite that includes a new pre- and post- area, new bathrooms and breakroom for surgical teams, an expanded convalescent area and a total of EIGHT operating rooms. Faith In Practice, a major contributor to the cost of the construction, will be present at the inauguration and the first visiting surgical team to use the OR’s will be a Faith In Practice team in March 2022.
At that time, there will be dancing, all the while, never forgetting the mourning, the sacrifice, the hope in the face of despair, which will make the dance all the sweeter. See the construction’s progress here and stay tuned for news on the inauguration.
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2022 Women's Luncheon:
A New Dawn
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Chairs: Mrs. Allison Cattan Ms. Megan Vondra
Speakers: Dr. Catherine Cahill Dr. E. Stirling Craig Ms. Andrea Tager
Save The Date May 6, 2022 Hotel Zaza- Museum District
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Guatemalan Volunteer Scholarship Program
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We are rolling out a new scholarship program for our dedicated Guatemalan volunteers! Volunteers can apply for assistance with school supplies as well as scholarships in healthcare-related fields for their children and grandchildren.
They are applying now!
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Installing new ultrasound and x-ray equipment to better serve the community, Hilario Galindo also just completed construction funded by Faith In Practice to increase its in-patient hospital capacity. Flourishing and excited for the future, Hilario Galindo is energetically growing into the vision we have always shared -- a thriving health center in Western Guatemala with a bright future ahead.
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U.S. Volunteer Teams return to Guatemala in March after a delay due to Omicron. Honing our already robust COVID-19 prevention protocols to ensure that volunteers are safe and will be able to return to the U.S. Guatemala staff are ready to receive teams even as they continue the mission through mobility, women’s health, and telemedicine programs. See FAQ’s related to return-to-country here.
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