|  Desiring to serve in a rural area with little religious presence, Sisters Mary Kennedy and Reina del Carmen Rodriguez, SSND, minister to the Lenca, the poorest people in Honduras. Located in the Municipality of San Francisco, the Monte Verde mission is in a mountainous region in the Department of Intibuca, Honduras.
Sister Mary and Reina came to Monte Verde in January after the SSNDs in Honduras asked the bishop to suggest locations with the greatest need. From Monte Verde, Sisters Mary and Reina minister to 30 rural communities, consisting of 8,000 people dispersed over a mountainous terrain of roughly 150 square miles with no paved roads.
"Poverty and lack of opportunity are a big challenge,” says Sister Reina. “The faith and hope of these people have touched my own spiritual journey. When it seems there are no reasons for trust and hope, they put all their trust and hope in God.”
Only three of these communities have health clinics staffed by a nurse; two of the clinics have a doctor some of the time. Each community has an elementary school through sixth grade. Only one community, Monte Verde, has electricity for the municipal offices, the school and clinic, the convent and five of the 150 families. Monte Verde also has a computer center served by a satellite dish. Many communities are accessible only by foot, burro or horse. Traveling from Monte Verde to the most remote community is a seven-hour walk up and down mountain slopes.
The region is inhabited by the Lenca, one of five indigenous groups in Honduras. As a people, they have lost some of their sense of identity and are trying to recover more of their cultural traditions. All but a few words of the Lenca language have been lost. Enduring traditions include native dances, the weaving of colorful scarves and sowing and harvesting crops on steep mountain slopes with a hoe and machete.
“The people have been so welcoming to us, supportive in their simple and heartfelt ways,” says Sister Reina. Sister Reina shares the story of their neighbor Juan. Before they even met Juan, he brought them a treat of six ears of new corn (elotes). “He wanted to be sure we had elotes so we would not feel lonely or homesick being in a new and different place far from family and friends. I was profoundly touched by his concern and that of many others who, from their poverty, are caring for us.”
In the past 15 years, the Lenca have made great efforts to preserve their forests. Living in isolated areas, they struggle for their rights. They became a municipality 10 years ago, resulting in minimal government services and the first gravel road connecting them to the city of La Esperanza.
The Lenca are a deeply religious people who seldom experience the Eucharist or sacraments since a priest visits only once a year. Yet their faith is very much alive thanks to the pastoral agents, the religious leaders in each community who lead the weekly celebrations of the Word, prepare children for the sacraments, and represent their community at diocesan meetings and gatherings. Sisters Mary and Reina minister by tending to the people as needs arise (pastoral, social, or educational) and working with the pastoral agents.
“Every single day, in all my encounters, everything reminds me of what is real, what is really important in life – the essence of who God is and what God wants for us,” says Sister Mary.
By Sister Celine Schumacher, SSND
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