Works of mercy bless villagers in Honduras

Patsy Pelton
Today’s Catholic

Dr. Kornblum, Sister Raquel and Jane Ebel look at the new AMIGA mascot, a bunny.
Photo provided

SELMA • When Deacon Ed Courtney, with the help of Deacon José Ocampo, poured out the contents of the three suitcases they brought with them from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church (OLPH) to the people in the villages of northwestern Honduras near San Pedro Sula last month, Father Armando Dominguez Vasquez exclaimed, “Mary has answered my prayers! I have been trying to teach my parishioners how to pray the rosary, but we had no rosaries. Now you have brought us rosaries, holy cards, medals and more.”

The gift of religious items came from OLPH parishioners after they had collected items for distribution by the AMIGA ministry in Honduras.

It was not just an ordinary collection though. After learning about the AMIGA program, founded by Dr. Helen Kornblum, a niece of Deacon Courtney, the parish started last March and filled two storage units with household items, toys, clothes, furniture and more, which were then loaded into a 45-foot trailer at the church that was shipped to Honduras in mid-November.

AMIGA, which stands for “A Mission in God’s Amor,” but just as importantly, “friend,” had its beginnings after Dr. Kornblum traveled to Honduras in March 2005 and worked with Matt Scheipeter of the Washington Overseas Mission, which works with the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) order. SSND sisters have been working in Honduras for over 50 years and have a province house in St. Louis where Kornblum is located. In what can only be described as a “God-incidence,” Kornblum teamed with Sister Raquel Ortez, SSND, and Jane Ebel, all from St. Louis, and all who had unique contributions to the vision of AMIGA.

Kornblum, Sister Raquel and Ebel traveled to Selma to help supervise the loading and to personally thank all who donated to AMIGA. While Kornblum was at Good Shepherd Church in Schertz to thank the parish, she told the assembly, “I absolutely fell in love with the people in Honduras. Here I was among the poorest of the poor, yet I was happy. It’s not about charity; rather it’s about justice and family.” She continued, “In a way, when we’re there, it’s as if we see the gift of holy Communion in action. By that I mean we have one vessel (our community), full of bread, which is then given to all, and we become the Body of Christ.”

Sister Raquel also spoke, “Thank you for all that you are doing for my Honduran people.” Earlier in the day Sister Raquel shared that her family lives in the area where the supplies are distributed. The AMIGA program began as a medical mission trip as Dr. Kornblum would come in small groups, of no more than 24, and they would stay in people’s homes while providing medical care in the mountainous areas. AMIGA also has helped to contribute items needed for Hogar de Ancianos, a nursing home run by the Sisters of Guadalupe in La Lima.

This trip to the villages in the Santa Barbara District would be different. Along with the medical care offered, Deacon Courtney and Deacon Ocampo, from St. Gerard Parish in San Antonio, would also come to help Father Armando with baptisms, weddings and first Communions across the 36 “aldeas” or villages that the priest oversees.

In addition, Kornblum’s high school son, Tom, would bring 12 of his classmates from St. Louis University High School, to provide a youth ministry program during their month-long stay there. OLPH parishioner Christina Velasco and Kornblum’s daughter Mara also helped with the youth program.

The deacons and other group members, George Pyle and Carlos Salinas, traveled through knee-high mud to reach all the aldeas that needed them where they baptized almost 100 children of all ages and offered first Communion to many of those as well. Pyle shared, “The people of all the villages were quite aware that we were coming from the Archdiocese of San Antonio, knowing that we have helped so much in Tegucigalpa. Not only were we coming from the San Antonio area, there is a village there called San Antonio.” Oh, and the parish that Father Armando serves? It’s called San Luis Gonzaga — and Kornblum’s vision to help the Hondurans grew and blossomed in St. Louis. As Father Armando told his flock, “We are not the church of Honduras. They are not the church of the United States. No. We together are the Catholic Church.”

Deacon Ed hopes to form a small community of parishes here in the archdiocese to help provide both material and spiritual items for the AMIGA ministry. In La Lima, plans are to build a storage building there so items shipped can be stored safely until they can be distributed.

OLPH has already begun the collection process for another shipment, possibly for this summer. If any parish wants to know how they can help, contact Deacon Courtney at (210) 599-1820 or e-mail ecourtney@satx.rr.com or contact Dr. Kornblum at (314) 922-3159 or e-mail hondurasamiga@yahoo.com.