Dear Columban Friends,
I believe we can all agree that a little sweet treat often makes our days a bit more enjoyable! Birthday cakes help us celebrate, and a “special” dessert prepared by a loved family member reminds of good times together.
In Lima, Peru, Columban missionaries work with migrants who travel to the capital city in search of better lives for themselves and their families. Some migrants are from Ecuador, while others are from Venezuela. And some are Peruvians who had travelled from remote towns or villages to the capital city looking for more opportunities.
Since more than one quarter of the people of Lima live in poverty, it is a major challenge for new arrivals to find suitable housing and regular employment. Furthermore, many of these migrant women struggled to find work due to their low level of formal education or were unable to take on certain kinds of jobs due to family commitments.
Seventeen migrant women came together at the Columban Mission Center in Lima to attend a series of ten workshops on making pastries, in the hope of equipping themselves to start a small business in their own home, which would enable them to provide additional financial support for their families.
“However, the pastry-making workshops were intended not just to enable those seventeen women to support their families, but also to help them grow as persons in their new surroundings,” emphasizes Marisol Rojas, the Coordinator of the Columban Mission Center. Elaborating on this broader vision, she explains, “The sessions, which took place twice a week, were led by Elena, an experienced confectioner, so the participants learned the craft of pastry making and explored their own creativity by experimenting with new recipes. At the same time, they grew in trust and in friendship with one another. Over the course of ten weeks, they gradually found the courage to talk with one another about their personal struggles in this huge city, developed the ability to laugh about their mistakes around the oven, and discovered the confidence to share about their dreams for themselves and their families. Moreover, as they listened to one another, they affirmed each other’s courage and resilience. And the gratitude they felt for the ongoing nurturing of their skills and spirits frequently found expression in their spontaneous prayers at the beginning of each session.”
Reflecting on his experience of supporting Marisol Rojas and accompanying another group of women who had participated in a similar workshop series at the Columban Mission Center some months previously, Fr. Dylan Tabaco, a Columban from the Philippines, said, “Creating and baking, learning and relating together enabled the women from various backgrounds to understand and respect each other. Since all of them had experienced the prejudice and pain of being an outsider, they understood the importance of stretching one’s mind and heart to go beyond superficial perceptions and come to know one another at a deeper level. The pastry-making workshops provided them with opportunities to make new friends, gave them confidence and skills to explore new ways to support their families; and deepened their faith in God who accompanies them through all the ups and downs of life.”
While none of the women who have participated in the pastry-making workshops envisage their future as “life on a platter,” all of them have discovered how a platter of delicious pastries nurtures their taste buds, their spirits and their dreams.
With your support, the Columban missionaries can continue to equip those living in poverty with not only practical skills to earn a living but also with affirming their value, their worth and their contribution to the world.
Whether it is on your birthday, the birthday of a loved one, or in memory of someone special. Please know that you and your intentions are always remembered in our Masses and prayers.
Gratefully yours in Christ,
Fr. Al Utzig | Director, U.S. Region
The Missionary Society of St. Columban is entrusted by the Holy Father with part of the Church’s mission to spread the Faith and saving work of Christ.” (Vat.II) The Society works under the guidance of the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and under the leadership of the bishops. We are listed in the U.S. Official Catholic Directory published annually by P.J. Kennedy and Sons. As such, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service recognizes us as a religious not-for-profit corporation, therefore contributions to our work are tax deductible. We employ no outside professional fund-raisers and pay no commissions.
