Extension magazine - Spring 2023

42
IGNITE
Feature Story
Extension | Spring 2023 43
Hurricane Maria in
2017 couldn’t do it.
The earthquakes
of 2020 couldn’t do
it either.
The island-wide
economic recession, which has left
45 percent of people in poverty,
couldn’t do it.
Neither could Hurricane Fiona
in 2022.
Some hugs (“abrazos” in Spanish)
are just so solid that they cannot
be broken.
Guánica, Puerto Rico, is out of
the way for anyone visiting as a
tourist. It is tucked into the southwest
corner of the island, far
from the capital, San Juan. But if
you go way off the beaten track,
you might stumble upon a center
for children and families run
by the indefatigable, ever-joyful
and white-habited Dominican Sisters
of Our Lady of the Rosary of
Fatima.
The kids at the center come
from the poorest of the poor families.
The neighborhood streets are
filled with potholes and littered
with broken-down cars. The sisters
embrace these families and
remind them that their dignity is
more than their circumstances
might suggest.
It is after the hurricanes and
earthquakes, after the many devastations
and upheavals, that those
with any means in Puerto Rico flee
to other places. In their quest to
find a better life, they often leave
behind the poor and most vulnerable.
Like so many poor, the children
are under-resourced, underestimated
and underdeveloped.
But they have come to the right
place, a place that welcomes them
unbreakable
Dominican
sisters reach
Puerto Rico’s
poorest
communitiesHUG
with open arms and seeks to
unearth all of their potential.
THE
Religious sisters who are twins
Sisters Judith and
Maristella Maldonado
are religious sisters
at the center and
are, in fact, twin
sisters. They
must have had a
wonderful time
in their mother’s
womb, because
they sure do enjoy
each other’s company.
They finish each other’s
sentences and take turns
making each other laugh
out loud. Their habitual
smiles are visible at all times. Gleeful
joy is clearly the most important
protocol at the center.
The center is one of several
Ready, set, GO!
Sister Judith
Maldonado
keeps children
active and smiling
at the center.
PHOTO CATHOLIC STANDARD BY JACLYN LIPPELMANN
that the Dominican sisters operate
in Puerto Rico’s poorest neighborhoods.
Its official name is El
Instituto Especial para el Desarrollo
Integral del Individuo, la
Familia y la Comunidad,
Inc. It translates to
“The Special Institute
for Integral
Development of
the Individual,
Family and Community,
Inc.” That
is a very official way
of saying, “Abrazos
rule here.” Hugs are part
of the formula of social
change. A hug is more than
a sign of affection. It can
also be a conduit to transfer
joy and a sign of solidarity that says,
“You are not alone or abandoned
amid your circumstances,” as is
certainly the case in Guánica.
On an Extension visit last year,
the children—ranging in age from
6 to 15 years—organized into four
lines, four children deep. The music
began, and they started to dance.
Everyone focused on a boy, front
and center. He was not exactly
light on his feet, but he was game
to dance. They all were game to
follow his lead. It was an outbreak
of normal, childhood joy.
Just when one’s capacity for joy
had almost been exceeded, one
of the twin sisters (who knows
which) blew a whistle and led the
kids in a group chant:
“¡Soy grande! ¡Soy inteligente!
¡Soy fuerte! ¡Soy importante! ¡Y me
doy un abrazo!”
“I am great. I am intelligent! I
am strong! I am important! And I
give myself a hug!”
This first effort did not meet the
sister’s decibel requirement. She
blew her whistle, and they went
again. Children never need an
excuse to be loud, and LOUD they
went. The sister was well satisfied.
Their fun together is all part
of the “unbreakable abrazo”—the
hug of pure joy, affirmation and
solidarity that the sisters offer to
this community with so many
struggles. Every day, they show
the community that the reasons
to have hope far outweigh the
reasons to despair.
Like a hug from God
The Dominican sisters say that
their charism is to give away the
love that God gives them. They
give away the gift that they receive.
God’s “abrazo” empowers and fuels
Sisters Judith and Maristella and
the other Dominican sisters that
serve the community. The center is
living proof.
The center (supported by Catholic
Extension and our parish
partner, Mary, Star of the Sea in
La Jolla, California) takes on the
whole of families’ needs. The sisters
offer social and mental health
FAR LEFT Sisters
Maristella and
Judith Maldonado,
Dominican Sisters of
Our Lady of the Rosary
of Fatima and identical
twins, uplift families in
Puerto Rico.
LEFT Children show
off their strength at a
center supported by
Catholic Extension
that brings joy, love
and empowerment
to struggling families
in Puerto Rico. Photo
taken during Puerto
Rico’s mask mandate.
services. They offer fine arts programs.
They tutor and train on the
journey to and through high school
to post-secondary opportunities.
They help the victims of domestic
violence and child abuse. They
serve the elderly, who, like the children,
are often left behind and forgotten
as people flee the island.
Sisters Judith and Maristella
are the Beatitudes come to life.
“Blessed are the poor” is more easily
comprehended after watching
these sisters give such love to the
least of Puerto Rican society. These
sisters—unbreakable, indefatigable
and ever-creative—are God’s
“abrazo” for the most vulnerable
and innocent among us. Not even
hurricanes, earthquakes, recessions
or the upheavals of men and
women can break love’s “abrazo.”
So, I am GREAT! I am intelligent! I
am strong! I am important!
And I give myself a HUG!
(The sisters are well satisfied!)