A chat with Vannie Edwards, a young PLA from the North West District

Vannie Edwards and youths at Wauna Nort West. ( Photo: Vannie Edwards)

In a recent conversation by WhatsApp with Ms. Vannie Edwards, a Parish Lay Assistant (PLA) from West District, she narrated that she is one of the youngest at her church, St. Theresa, an outstation of the main parish at Hosororo. I asked Miss Edwards a few questions which she responded to and which gives an understanding of the youth and church engagements there during this time of lockdown. Her narrative I share with the Catholic Standard.

When did you become a PLA?

“I became a P.L.A for my church St. Theresa in 2018. The community is an outstation of the main Our Lady of Lourdes chapel at Hosororo, located a little way from the town of Mabaruma. At the main church, there is one priest for twenty eight parishes”.  

She narrated that at St. Theresa there are three PLAs and she works mostly with the youths and children.

After becoming a youth leader and PLA, Vannie, as she is popularly known, went to St. Ignatius, Central Rupununi, in 2018 as part of her church team to participate in the Presynodal meeting on the Amazon. She and team also visited Trinidad that same year for the Jesus Explosion, a charismatic movement of praise and worship with focus on how to be a better Christian.

What did you do before becoming a PLA?

“I was active in church activities engaged in a youth group, assisting fellow young people to be prayerful, to visit the sick, shut-ins and elderly in the community. Our youth group also visited other young people, encouraging them to form youth groups in other outlying parishes. To offer them some things to do from the church aspect. This initiative came from seeing that young people needed support and guidance to live meaningful lives centered on God. In other words, how the church can assist young people. It’s sad to see that some are killing themselves by suicide; in recent times four young people killed themselves in different places in the sub-region: one in Kaituma, one in Mabaruma, one in White Water and one in Hosororo. Those youths needed help and our youths need to do more to combat this issue”.

How did the youth groups get started?

“It began as a charismatic group that reached out to the young people in the area. The main youth group is comprised of youths from Hosororo, the main parish, but now there are young people from all over the sub-district. The network of youth groups reached out to other parishes to keep prayer meetings etc. The youth groups also have senior church members who accompany us. They also encourage some of us to be nuns and priests and so on”.

Miss Edwards shared that Mabaruma and the Northwest is blessed to have produced their own priest, Fr. Marlon Innis SJ: “We are all proud of him. He is a wonderful priest, very down to earth”.

There are three main youth groups from different outstation churches from the main Church at Hosororo. The name of the youth group at Our Lady of Lourdes in Hosororo is Young Apostles. The one at Mabaruma is the St. Joseph Youth Group; there is Army Anointed Reigning Mighty Youth group from Kumaka, and St. Theresa´s Youth Group.

What are the groups doing to engage youths and others during this time of the pandemic when the churches are closed?

Her responses were: “We have a group chat on WhatApp where we engage with other young people and also adults. We do bible sharing, reading, meditations and songs on the social media platform. The group has members from all other places like Hosororo, Kumaka, Mabaruma and Wauna. There are also others from as far as Trinidad who take part in the activities in the group chat”.

She continued, “everybody contributes in the chat group and it’s encouraging. I found it a good way to support each other in order to keep the faith alive by praying, and sharing about church and God during this crucial time of COVID-19 lockdown.”

Besides this faith activity on WhatsApp, Miss Edwards and her fellow youths assist elders in the area who need help in cleaning and washing, and also carry food for them. They do these things observing the precautions of COVID-19 such as social distancing, wearing masks and praticing hygiene.

Besides church activities, Vannie is a nursery school teacher, and of recent through the church she got a job with UNICEF. According to her: “I go out to teach using resources from a kit given to me for early childhood children most of whom are Venezuelan migrants in the area”.

At home she keeps regular prayer meetings with her family, along with being active in the group chat on WhatsApp. The family prays the Rosary, the Divine Mercy chaplet and offer prayers for the entire world, the pope, the church, for the poor and suffering in the world during this pandemic crisis.

The young missionary, who loves working with children, also prays for them: “Especially those who suffer from domestic abuse, aborted children, and for families that need God, particularly those who have gone astray. Prayers are also offered for the political crisis in Guyana and the effects the pandemic is having on the world. I think that God is putting people to the test with these things. And it’s sad to see Guyana being upside down, where people forget about Jesus and get worked up over politics that results in anger and bitterness with one another”.

My the good Lord help us! 

No St. John´s celebration in 2020 for Catholics in the interior of Guyana

In the interior of Guyana, the annual celebration of the feast of the birth of St John the Baptist on June 24th usually begins with a solemn Mass, followed by a public activity of lighting a huge bonfire and people gathered around to walk on the remaining hot coals. The public event normally is accompanied with mostly Brazilian forró music and dance, something that is practiced especially in the Rupununi; a celebration that takes a similar form in neighbouring Brazil. However, this year 2020, the solemn feast was observed at home and families prayed for those victims of the Coronavirus, especially at Santa Rosa, Moruca which is the hardest hit Catholic indigenous area presently.

In Guyana, the St. John the Baptist celebration began to be observed at Santa Rosa to celebrate the arrival of the first priest to the people there after they requested for a sacerdote to be their pastor. According to Church documents, Fr. Hynes arrived at Santa Rosa on June 24th 1830 - the feast of St. John, where he baptised 75 children and married two couples.

Upon the priest´s arrival at Santa Rosa, the early Morucans welcomed him with the local custom of firing bamboo cannons and a bonfire. A symbolic gesture of God´s mission to John as in the story of John the Baptist where God sent him for that special mission to preach about repentance and to baptize people, tell them about the Kingdom of God and prepare them for the Messiah’s coming.

Given this history, St. John´s celebration was subsequently brought to the Rupununi by the Arawaks of Santa Rosa; the oldest Catholic mission in the interior of Guyana. Later, most Catholics and others embraced the practice in celebrating the feast in the Rupununi. In neighbouring Brazil it is also celebrated and Catholics of the Rupununi working over there are exposed to the solemn religious feast, so both sides most Rupununians celebrate it depending on which side they are for June 24th every year.

Speaking with residents of the Rupununi and Santa Rosa by Whatsapp recently, they said that this year there were no activities of making a bonfire and walking on the hot coals in the villages because of the mandatory ban on social gathering and on public events to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus in indigenous communities. A celebration that a lot of people missed.

May Saint John intercede and pray for the people of Santa Rosa who are suffering from the Coronavirus out-break there these days. St. John Pray for Morucans!

Brief history of feast of the birth of St John the Baptist

The nativity of John the Baptist on the June 24th is a high-ranking liturgical feast, kept in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran churches. The sole biblical account of the birth of John the Baptist comes from the Gospel of Luke.

Christians have long interpreted the life of John the Baptist as a preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ, and the circumstances of his birth, as recorded in the New Testament, are miraculous. John's pivotal place in the gospel is seen in the emphasis Luke gives to the announcement of his birth and the event itself, both set in prominent parallel to the same occurrences in the life of Jesus.

Brief history of the bonfire for the St. John celebration

The celebration of mid-summer´s Eve was from ancient times linked to the summer solstice. Some people believed that mid-summer plants especially Calendula/ Marigold had miraculous healing powers and they therefore picked them on this night. Bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits which were believed to roam freely when the sun was turning southwards again. However, over time, this holiday has lost most of its sacral meaning and only its festive elements remain.

Additionally, although mid-summer is originally a pagan holiday, in Christianity it is associated with the nativity of John the Baptist, which is observed on the June 24th annually. It is six months before Christmas because Luke 1:36 implies that John the Baptist was born six months earlier that Jesus, although the Bible does not say at which time of the year this happened.

Perhaps it’s time for unconventional education to shine

Photo: M. Abraham

Education has come a long way in Guyana contributing to national development. However, there is still some division between those who have the opportunity to study and those less fortunate children who lack opportunities and support to pursue it for upward mobility. This system of education that produces some social inequality is promoted by conventional ideology for capital and market products. Guyanese Indigenous people and other poor rural population because of their geographic location, cultural and social differences have always been at a disadvantage in obtaining formal learning, despite governments’ efforts to deliver quality education to them.

In 2020 came COVID-19 and the Ministry of Education began closing schools to contain the spread of the virus. This activity interrupted the academic learning in the classrooms for all children in Guyana and these days all are at home.
For Indigenous children in the interior, a few lucky ones are receiving academic lessons work at home, while the rest are in the farms with their parents. The majority lack access to online learning provided by the Ministry of Education, although some try to listen to the radio if they have solar energy or batteries to power the device at home.

For parents, teachers, the Ministry of Education and modern society, it is crucial for children to receive academic education and perform well at the core subjects to obtain the benchmarks rated by the system; a pivotal achievement for the Ministry of Education to be on par with standard education of the world that capitalism promotes.

But let’s be real. The same education based on ‘meritocracy’ fails most of Indigenous and other poor children with its rigid and selective system centered on education of the head and intellect and limited space for critical analysis. Given this understanding, it is hoped that COVID-19 serves to revolutionize education. As the meritocracy system slows down during time of closure of schools, perhaps it’s time for unconventional education to shine.

Given that conventional education comes to “educate” indigenous people, it should also consider that they have a unique worldview of education.

With the closure of schools parents are teaching the children to plant and grow local food from the farms, apart from teaching them the local language and customs from the elders. Additionally our children are learning to live sustainably with the environment and the proper use of lands while learning the importance of the natural resources etc.

Furthermore, there is a lot of richness in popular knowledge to learn from in rural and indigenous communities in Guyana. Some examples are the local season for fishing and hunting. There are also concepts of mathematics and sciences these communities generate. The circular shapes of the cassava bread when baked can teach shapes and the carbohydrate and other nutritious values it contains. There are many more examples of popular education to teach the children. This shows that conventional education is not the only way of schooling a child. Unconventional learning is also valuable and it should not be perceived as a second-class education. Having this aspect of education is vital for coping with disappointments when children academic performance is low at school. So while schools are closed and meritocracy learning slows down during this pandemic, it is time for unconventional education to shine for those students not having access to academic lesson at homes, until schools reopen in September.

Yours truly

Medino Abraham

Celebrating Pentecost in the adversity of COVID-19

 By Marlon Innis SJ 

Last Sunday, May 31st, the Church celebrated Pentecost, Jesus sending down the Holy Spirit to his disciples empowering them to continue the mission. Armed with the Holy Spirit they were able to perform wonders, and be the prophetic voice to the people. The Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to proclaim with wisdom the coming of God’s kingdom among us on earth. This mission still continues today. Prayer, devotions, meditations among others are very important, but there is a need to do more. For example we can pray for a divine intervention, such as sending rain during a drought. If we fail to address destructive human practices towards the rainforests, then droughts are inevitable.

Similarly, the Church is the prophetic voice which must speak out in defence of the poor and vulnerable especially in face of adversities. For example, during the Forbes Burnham administration, Father Andrew Morrison, SJ now deceased, continuously used his prophetic voice to speak out and to challenge the ills which were destroying the fabric of Guyana's nationhood, and he was right to do this.

In recent times, there appears a reduced appetite for the prophetic voice to address core issues facing the people. Appeasement and remaining silent in order to protect a vested interest should not be entertained. Although Archbishop Oscar Romero who was an academic and a conservative chose to use his prophetic voice in defense of the poor and vulnerable. I think that the need for prophetic voice is worldwide but more so in Guyana especially during our adversities.

While in Guyana, the focus is on finding and maintaining ways of combating the rise and spread of COVID-19 which will eventually pass, there also exist opportunities for initiatives which will not only address the spiritual needs of the people.

Fifty-four years after independence we are still faced with issues, such as racial biases, voting according to race and exclusive governance, lack of care and concern for others, and perhaps the absence of a link that connects the spiritual/religious care with the fundamental issues of the day among many more. For instance, how is it that Catholics can attend Sunday Masses and other religious events where we profess brother and sisterhood, but during election season hatred, malice, anger, intolerance, stereotyping and negative judgments are displayed against each other. How can we link the Gospel message to people’s life situations so that efforts can be made to process our thought patterns? Is there a role the Church can play in nation building?

The feast of Pentecost provides the answer for us, which is to fiercely embrace the value of the Gospel by rejecting the evil which our two political dinosaurs, who have and will continue to feed their supporters, inclusive of members of the faithful, a racial diet which seeks to divide and sow the seeds of mistrust. Efforts must be made to teach our faithful that collectively all can rise up in faith, inspired and motivated by the Holy Spirit and the various initiatives which are in place to empower the people, to reject the source of evil and destruction in our country.

In the United States, there is protest in the midst of COVID-19 over the murder of African Americans. This violence is driven by the same force and motivation which is also at work in Guyana, a belief that one group of people is privileged over the other. Hence this cycle is repeated regularly. Almost every nation and its people bear scars that have deep-seated feelings of anger and resentment. This has plainly been displayed in the United States; likewise Guyanese bear the scars of post-colonization repression under varying leaderships which have governed Guyana. We carry many wounds from the past and unless these fundamental issues are addressed, our socio-economic, political, and spiritual development will remain an elusive dream.

The temptation is to appease and to keep silent so my vested interest is preserved. This pattern of self-interest can be seen in Guyana at present. Perhaps the words of Martin Niemoller, who was a well-known Lutheran pastor, might offer them a second thought. "First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a socialist, then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist, then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me." 

Opportunity in the crisis 

Dear Editor,

In Guyana, the nation is caught in a web with post elections results fiasco since it was held on March 2nd triggered by the touted occurance of fraud in the electoral process or because both major parties want to be in power. Faced with this situation of political quagmire the population is kept in suspense to know who their legally elected leader is.

Then came Covid-19 to make things worse with deaths, followed by curfews etc, which the Guyanese people have to put up with. These situations affect the Guyanese psyche particularly the divided politics that plagued the nation since independence. The people do not deserve this from our leaders.

With the impact of COVID-19 and its quarantine measures to keep people at home to control the spread of the virus, many are bored despite the good coming out of it such as the planting of gardens, praying etc.

There is also the issue of big families cramped up in small apartments or houses, making it impossible for social distancing, and the increased likelihood of the evil practice of domestic violence and child abuse occurring in our homes during this time. To make matters worse, due to the shutdown of most workplaces, people are out of jobs and there is no money to buy food for families. Many go starving without meals. Luckily, there are those generous persons rendering assistance to those in desperate need of food etc.

In such time of despair people usually turn to Church and the creator for comfort. But these days church buildings are closed to contain the spread of the virus. This made pastors switch to use the internet (those who are fortunate) to celebrate Masses or worship services with the faithful. A great initiative of virtual evangelization of the faithful locally and abroad.

However, more could be done besides the livestreaming of Masses, and prayers. For example bible study or bible sharing by Zoom with a group of lay persons and their priests or pastors. Same could be done for those who don’t have internet access to engage in bible study as a family and pray for Guyana during this time of quarantine and political crises.

I am fortunate at Ignatius House (Chicago) to have the opportunity to attend daily and Sunday Masses. However I think an opportunity is being missed to find creative ways to teach and preach the Gospel message. While it is good to live stream Masses it is important to find creative ways to teach the faith. Probably support groups could be formed; to explore the deeper meaning of our Catholic faith. Additionally, an environment can be created where persons can examine their faith journey in connection to COVID and the other impasse. How can I see the image and presence of God in other persons who hold differing views from mine.

Additionally during this lockdown, it is important to contemplate and empathise with those: in confinement sometimes for crimes they didn’t even commit, for the imprisoned refugees, the visually impaired, the physically disabled, the animals locked in zoos denied of their freedom in their habitats. Those shut-ins, those patients who are quarantined or isolated, those that suffer from domestic abuse, those stranded and unable to return home because the closure of borders and those materially poor without food for the good Lord to send generous people to assist.

Finally, Guyanese should contemplate on the negativities that divide us triggered by race-based politics, and think about inclusiveness to deal with the current COVID-19 pandemic. We can do this hoping that a post Coronavirus unity will prevail. We must think about working together towards nation building for ALL, because presently the nation´s soul is shattered a result of the pandemic and political crises. We need to seek God in this situation.

Marlon 

                      
 “What can I do for you?”asked Jesus – How would you answer?

   Photo: Vaughn Nicholas Duncan

By Vaughn Nicholas Duncan

Lent was a moment of reflection for many. In my time, I ponder many questions about life and purpose. Many of us have potential but what exactly is our purpose? As a young person, pondering about life and what direction to take, it makes room for doubts and regrets. The first and most obvious question was, “What is my purpose?”

Sometimes we sit back and ask God to guide us, or exclaim, “Jesus, take the wheel”. It is important to trust God and his plans. If you tell God your plans,  he will laugh at you? True story. Now what if you saw Jesus walking on the street and you shout out and call to him. He turns around to you and asks you this question, “What can I do for you?

How would you respond? The blind man said, “Jesus I want to see”.

Every day, we wake up and have to make decisions. Some tough, some simple, and decisions may not only affect you, but your friends, your Church and even your family. You may take a few moments to ponder your decisions because we worry about the implications. A friend once told me that she does not know what see wants in life. We wish the path ahead would be clear and easy to follow. We live in a system and our survival depends on that dollar. It may not be the dream job, but it pays the bills. And misery comes with the package. This may drive the young mind crazy. Add Murphy’s Law into the equation and you feel like you are drowning in the deep blue ocean with no life jacket in sight, or on an endless horrible bumpy savannah road. Almost every youth has their story to tell of their lack of sense of direction and vision. Then in the dark quiet moment, reflections come. Regrets and doubts with a bit of emotions can be quite paralyzing and counterproductive. So I had to ask myself this question, “Am I going crazy?” and “Depression?”

A good friend said to me, “It’s normal”.

As youths, it is normal to feel that way. (Not saying to ignore the signs of mental health issues) Do you remember when you were in school and even up to University, that everything seemed straightforward? Now, welcome to the real world, our older folks would greet us. You will be fouled and you will get tackled or get hit in ribs by the cork ball or even cleanly bowled between your legs.  

It is normal to feel weak, down and alone. Like everyone in the world has turned their backs on you. It’s normal to feel like you have to face it all alone. In his weakest moment, Jesus carried his friends to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. But his friends fell asleep and later ran away. He was betrayed. Nevertheless, Jesus prayed and persisted.

It is normal for young people to feel like we are falling in an endless dark pit. Maybe it is okay (NO, IT IS NOT OKAY) to turn to a bottle of rum, then pick a motorcycle and speed down the road, only to end up on a hospital bed the next morning. (Not Okay right?) It will be a big regret and you will beat yourself up for not considering other alternatives to escape your misery.

Sometimes, all you need is a friend to talk with. That one friend to ask you the right questions in the most confusing time of our young life. A friend who can help you to reflect. Reflections can also bring out a renewed and refreshed soul. And not necessarily on the first try. In a conversation with a friend, he pointed to Jesus’ question mentioned earlier.

And so to my fellow youths, I know that path is cloudy and the world is full of challenges, but time will clear it all. Giving up should not be an option. I found solace by not asking “What is my purpose?” but by thinking of how I would answer Jesus if he came up to me and asked, “What can I do for you?” 

  A good life a new way

   

Our world is going through a profound crisis due to globalization, neo-liberalism and the economic model of development that exploit natural resources. This system of development promotes a systematic way of living known as the throw-away culture; this perverse economic model also generates a violent social exclusion that impedes the access of millions of human beings to food and other basic necessities.

This conventional model of the “good life” concentrates wealth in the hands of a few and at the same time causes the death of the poor and marginalized. The obsession for wealth and the ideology of development of a nation promotes exaggerated fast profits, and consumerism. A cruel capitalist system that triggers environmental, ideological and economical crises.

This system that exploits the environment is taking the planet at risk of sustainability. To combat this, there is need to create awareness. There are huge investments in capital expenditure and others centered on human and social works, but none of them opts for nature as important to the integral part of all beings. In contrast, comes the other meaning of “good life”: living in communion with others: nature and mother earth, with animals, and indigenous peoples with their ancestors. Native peoples have a mystical aspect extremely strong that overwhelms the crave for consumerism.

To include the concept “good life” in development for indigenous peoples. They prefer to talk about a good life that means collective, in community, in communion and where human beings coexist with one other and with nature, not individualistic. For them, the good life is awareness not to destroy nature, but to care and live in harmony with it.

The meaning of the good life also signifies a world different from the way Jesus planned it. A place in which peace reigned, also solidarity, and fraternity. In this understanding, it is important to create only one project of good life or else we would be repeating the same thing that was invented which a determined culture or idea shaped us. We need to see diversity to understand the good life, but at the same time establish some common principles. There is a need to accept from every aspect and turn our dreams into a common one.

The good life is personal conversion, to consume less, promote less so-called ‘development’ that affects nature. Practice sharing, and not all for one-self, but for other persons to taste and have a part to play in the same thing. The good life is for all, not just for the privileged and elites. To live the good life is to live like the indigenous peoples where there are no abandoned children nor rich or poor in their villages (outsiders tell them that they are poor), to live happy with little. It also means to reach out to those who are different in religion, ideology etc. The good life is above all of this which calls for us to respect it. The good life also means dialogue because there is no dialogue without respect. We can´t say this or that is more important. It calls for profound love. This paradigm of the good life will not happen today or tomorrow. However, we can bring about this dream of the good life with little steps.

M. Abraham