Amaze:  1:  to fill with great surprise or sudden wonder; astonish  2:  to bewilder

Source:  Webster’s New World Dictionary

In being a member of an international congregation, I have often experienced feelings of great amazement.   Travelling to different parts of the Institute fills me with astonishment, great surprise, wonder and, at times, bewilderment:  I can be in one world and, in less than 24 hours, find myself in a completely different world.  This again  was my experience during my January visit to the two African Regions of Zambezi and Mozambique.  Since I arrived in Africa during the Christmas season, I tried to connect this experience with the daily liturgical texts.  I was struck by phrases of the Lucan  gospel, which was the Scriptural text most frequently proclaimed during those days. The words, “amazed”, “astonished”, “wonderful”, became an adjectival perspective from which I tried to describe the experiences, visits, meetings, beauty and challenges I encountered. 

I was more than amazed, stunned would be more like it, when I arrived on Zambian soil and Edna O’Connor informed me that Carol Schommer had been imprisoned.  Disbelief gave way to curiosity – why was she incarcerated?  A new law made it illegal to take more than ZIM $50,000 (about US$15) out of Zimbabwe in order to stem the flow of money being drained from that country.  Carol was imprisoned with about 15 other women who were trying to make some additional money for the Christmas holidays.  The experience for Carol, rather then one of privation and desperation, became a moment of solidarity and shared grace with these other women and for us, as RSHM. 

My amazement continued as I listened to the reflections of the sisters during their mini-Assembly in which they discussed the political, social and economic realities of Zambia and Zimbabwe and the consequent impact on our life and mission as RSHM.  The concerns of crossing national boundaries, of being women without borders, involve real risk for those living and ministering in the Zambezi Region.  Many communities have also suffered from the insecurity which results from escalating break-ins and robberies - one  in Dangamvura had serious consequences for its local community members.  However, the sisters affirmed that they would not live in fear, that they were not exempt from the experiences of the people they served and that flight from this reality of insecurity was not an option. 

I was amazed by a 10 year-old orphan, Chris, who is suffering from AIDS.  He has the most beautiful smile and an highly intelligent mind.  Chris is just one of the 2.6 million children in Sub-Saharan Africa who live with HIV+/AIDS. I was astonished by Barbara, 8 years old, whose own mother has died from AIDS and who is now caring for her aunt, who is also suffering from this terrible plague.  Barbara is one of almost 10 million children of Sub-Saharan Africa orphaned by AIDS.  These and many other children I encountered are the human face of the HIV+/AIDS pandemic and its death-dealing impact on this future generation of Africans.

In Harare, I was amazed by the untiring hospitality of Denise Osterhaus and Francis Kay, who opened every door and made every bed for the numerous visitors to Mabelreign.  I was amazed at my first meeting with Carol who was so joyful and at peace following her prison ordeal.  Later, I was amazed at the beauty of Chishawasha Valley, where Silveira House is located, a place where “people are helped to do what they really want to do themselves”.  The programs designed there relate to the head, the hands and the heart:  assisting people to think out a way to construct a better future, to teach them the skills to shape this future and to help them trust in the One who calls them to this new future, one of justice, wholeness and solidarity.

In Chinhoyi, I was enchanted by the joyful, life-giving Shona liturgical song, word and dance, in praise of “Mwari Baba”.   In Epworth, I celebrated with the people their new spacious church building, another of the footprints of God on African soil.

I was amazed at the “projects” initiated by each community in the Zambezi Region related to the focus of our 2001 General Chapter on women and children: pre-schools for vulnerable children, My Brother Martin Hospice, monies for school fees for needy families, food distribution to the hungry, development of work opportunites for poor women.

In Mozambique, I was amazed by the depth of the prayerful sharing and insight of the JPIC Team on the call of Samuel, the reading for the first day of our meeting. I was moved by how our international network as RSHM, through the development work of Kathleen O’Keeffe, has resulted in the construction of a pre-school in Beira for the neighborhood children.  I was also amazed at Margaret Treacy’s abandon when speaking in Portuguese!  I was taken by the beautiful Mozambican countryside, the rock configurations and the lush green valleys, on our 5-hour drive to Nyazonia, the newest work of RSHM in the region.  I was filled with admiration for African peoples who, on a daily basis, demonstrate such faith, resilence and hope in the face of challenging social, political and economic environments.

Of course, not all of my responses to Africa were ones of amazement: I had other words to describe the HEAT and the mosquitos and concerns about running water or lack of it.   A  sprained foot and a minor automobile accident in an airport taxi also added adventure to my African journeys.  

I want to thank Margaret Treacy and Serafina Helena, the two Regional animators, for all they did to make the visit such a rich, learning and living experience for me.  Most times, it is wonderfully amazing to be an RSHM!