Ramel Portula, cicm
Missionary in the USA
The first of July marks Missionhurst’s first year in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, serving Saint John the Evangelist Parish in Columbia, Maryland. Where did the year go? As people say, time flies when you’re having fun. The past month or so has been busy at St. John. Although the seasons of Lent and Easter were long, we persevered through them with parish activities. Sonny and I are still in transition, just as the community that received us.
Rebuilt National Conference
At the beginning of June, some catechists and parish staff members attended a two-day Rebuilt Conference in Timonium, Maryland. Rebuilt is about parish renewal, transforming parishes into thriving centers of missionary activity. The team from Saint John attended workshops on youth and family ministries, developing pastoral care ministry, getting people out of the pews, Children’s Liturgy, forming parish small groups, and “attendance vs. discipleship.” These are some of the many ‘catchy-titled’ breakout sessions that were offered.
This was a national Rebuilt Conference attended by hundreds of parish workers and clergy coming from parishes across the United States. Fr. Michael White, the pastor of Nativity Church in Timonium, and Tom Corcoran, pastoral associate at Nativity Church co-authored several books about their experience with parish renewal using the Rebuilt model. We ended the two-day conference energized and full of ideas for SJERC-Columbia.
Mass for the Preservation of Justice and Peace
In the words of Archbishop Lori in his April 22nd letter to priests serving in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, he wrote, “Troubling actions by the US government have brought negative consequences to the most vulnerable here and worldwide while also increasing awareness of the Church’s urgent humanitarian work. To be our brother’s and sister’s keeper means resettling refugees, giving unhoused neighbors a safe place to sleep, and providing physical and spiritual nourishment to alleviate suffering and contribute to peace and stability.”
He invited the clergy to concelebrate at the Mass on June 11, which he offered for the Preservation of Peace and Justice in thanksgiving for the work of Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore.
I joined our parishioners who volunteer for the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul of Saint John at this Mass for the preservation of justice and peace. Many clergy from the archdiocese, men religious serving the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and bishops from other dioceses were at the altar with Archbishop William Lori.
The beautiful Cathedral was packed. The energy was palpable. The bells tolled from Baltimore’s mother church for this Mass. The choir was splendid. It was profoundly moving. The archbishop spoke with such a prophetic voice. He began his homily saying, “We gather today in a spirit of deep gratitude and with no small amount of urgency.” “Gratitude and Urgency”: those two words stayed with me throughout the entire celebration.
Saint John Celebrates Corpus Christi with a Procession
The heat of late June did not stop parishioners from coming out and processing with the Blessed Sacrament on Corpus Christi. Parish leaders organized the Corpus Christi procession with an emphasis on the multicultural gift of our parish. There were five altars set up around Wilde Lake Campus. These were the altars where the monstrance rested for veneration, which Africans, Anglos, Filipinos, and Hispanics all beautifully decorated. The decades of the Holy Rosary were also said in English, Pidgin English, Filipino, and Spanish. The English and Spanish Councils of the Knights of Columbus served as honor guards during the Eucharistic procession. After the Benediction, everyone enjoyed the cold, refreshing, and delicious fruit drink prepared by the Hispanic community.
Interfaith Vigil for Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Immigrants
Columbia has a strong interfaith coalition of churches, organizations, synagogues, and mosques collaborating in addressing concerns caused by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency activities across the country and in Maryland. Saint John the Evangelist co-sponsored an Interfaith Vigil for Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Immigrants together with the Columbia Jewish Congregation and other churches, advocacy groups, and civic organizations.
Held at Oakland Mills Interfaith Center in Columbia last June 29, the interfaith vigil was a Sunday afternoon of prayer, songs, and stories of tragedy and resilience. This event was attended by over 250 people, including local elected officials and state representatives. Witnessing the collaboration of different groups that put this together was a beautiful experience. To those who attended, everyone likely knows someone affected by the immigration raids - neighbors or acquaintances facing uncertainty, fear, and isolation. The current situation also reminds our Jewish congregations about their ancestors’ collective memory of the holocaust, escape, and migration.
Rabbi Michael Hess Webber of the Columbia Jewish Congregation gave the opening prayer, and he prayed:
“We were once strangers in the land of Egypt and, I expect, most of us in this room come from families of refugees and immigrants fleeing persecution, if not recently, then many years ago! We know, whether from personal experience or ancestral memory, what it means to be forced from our homes to escape tyranny and persecution. Let us not forget, in this critical moment, what it means to be vulnerable, what it means to uproot, to march into the wilderness, to survive - or even more - to thrive. This collective experience of our ancestors must sensitize us to the human rights and needs of those who are seeking refuge NOW.”
It was an afternoon dedicated to expressing solidarity and building bridges with various faith groups and organizations. We ended the vigil with the clergy leading the assembly in singing, “We Shall Overcome.” I foresee that more of these gatherings and prayer vigils will take place in Columbia and beyond to express ‘righteous indignation’ over what is happening. Our mission compels us to walk alongside the vulnerable and amplify their voices, so that others may hear when their voices are silenced.
