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PDF versionIt's the heart that makes the ministry
by Joan Chittister on Aug. 31, 2010
There are ministries. And there are ministries.
Some ministries in life a person can spend a lifetime planning. Like how to become a paramedic or how to join the fire department or how to go about being an advocate for people in need. In all those ways, and many more like them, some special kinds of people set out to serve those who need a hand up in hard times or continuing support even in good times. Those positions we institutionalize. Those things the rest of us take for granted these others will do. These people we call the professional guardians of a society.
But there are other kinds of ministry in life, equally important to many but modeled by few. These are the ministries we never consciously seek out ourselves but that seem to seek us out on their own. Then they erupt in us when we least expect it.
This is a story about that second kind of human being, the ones who in times of dire need respond in unique ways -- in ministries without definition, outside the boundaries of institutionalized services, beyond anyone’s assumption that they should. These people we call the conscience of the society.
Lopi LaRoeLopi LaRoe, artist and printmaker in her soul, New York television and theater stagehand on her tax form, sat like the rest of us and watched her television set in horror as the picture of an epic earthquake in Haiti unfolded in front of her eyes.
For days afterward, everywhere Lopi went, she went haunted by those images, pursued by the pain of them. She was plagued by the awareness that untold amounts of pain and suffering were now raining down on the poorest people in the Western Hemisphere. She was tormented by the very thought of a people who had already suffered more pain, more poverty, more desolation, more rejection than most people would ever know. Most of all, she was goaded by the look in the eyes of the children, the orphans old and new, for whom there was no one to cover them at night from the pain of the days to come.
Unlike most of her world that long before had become inured to sufferings they could do nothing about, Lopi stood one night in the midst of the castaway materials of stage sets, materials that a people living in the open rubble of a ruined society could certainly have used for shelter. “I got angry,” she says. “Why weren’t we meeting the immediate needs of these people: something to eat, a bed to sleep in?”
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She made up her mind, then and there, that she had to do something. Otherwise, she would never be able to get those faces out of her mind. After all, she says, she had grown up being taken by her family to peace protests and public demonstrations. She learned young that, however little it might seem in the light of the great corporate aid organizations of the world, she herself would have to do something to impact the life of at least one person there.
So she did.
Lopi LaRoe designed a geodesic dome in which Haitian orphans could be safe from endless tons of rain and mud. Domes that would be cheap to make, easy to build, simple to ship, elemental to assemble on the spot. Domes that could be raised in days rather than the weeks, months or years that housing projects would take. Domes where children would have dry nights, warm beds and one another for security.
Haitians stand in front of a geodesic dome. Photo courtesy of Domes for Haiti.
Why did she do it? “I lived in a log cabin as a child,” she said. “We had no electricity, no water. We were part of the ‘back to the land movement’ and I knew how it felt to walk through mud and get to school dirty.”
One woman with an idea turned to her friends for help and found a city full of the openhearted and willing who were too far away to do anything major about such a problem, perhaps, but were too close to it as human beings to even think of doing nothing at all: Laidman Fabrications provided free frames to bring her prototype to life, Turtle and Hughes donated the metal struts. Sperry Sails supplied the covers close to cost. And Will Etundi, a party promoter, threw a party that in one night brought in $22,000 to provide the shipping and handling costs around the edges.
Then, in Haiti, Lopi went for weeks from person to person, official to official, begging anyone who would listen to discharge the domes that lay ignored at the port. Other shipments into Haiti -- deliveries that paid the large custom payments the government needed -- were being released before the domes the children needed.
Now, after months of frustration, those 10 domes were finally going up in Haiti in mid-August.
Finally, thanks to one woman, and all of those who decide to go on supporting her attempt to raise the $4,000 it will take to buy the 100 beds and 100 hammocks these domes can hold, there will be 200 dry sleeping places for orphans in earthquake-devastated Haiti.
“What did this project do to you?” I asked her. Her answer sounded like a ministry in the making. “The project changed me,” she said. “I have more resolve about the future than I’ve ever had in my life. I learned patience in Haiti because in Haiti nothing happens quickly. I also learned that gender roles in Haiti are right out of the ’50s and women must be empowered.”
So, on Aug. 19, with a crew of women as well as men, more black than white, more Haitian than American, Lopi herself trained this group -- and paid them -- to raise the domes that will keep their homeless children warm and safe and sheltered from the weather. Then she’ll go back to her life in New York.
Indeed, there are ministries and there are ministries.
From where I stand, it is clear that this one we are all being invited to be part of so that both Lopi and the children can get on with theirs: whatever that may be, wherever it may take them, whether they plan it or -- like this one -- it simply captures their hearts.
[Benedictine Sr. Joan Chittister is a frequent NCR contributor. Her monthly Web column, From Where I Stand, can be found on NCRonline.org.]
Editor's Note (Sept. 1): For more information about the 'Domes for Haiti' project you can visit the Web site here. For more information on Lopi LaRoe you can visit her photography website here.
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Related coverage from NCR on Haiti:
- Haiti: Grace in the rubble, by Gerard Thomas Straub
- Quake strained Haiti’s already ailing food system, by Chris Herlinger
- It's the heart that makes the ministry, by Joan Chittister
- CRS faces long-term challenges in Haiti, by Rich Heffern
- Finding food now in Haiti is not shopping, by Melissa Musick Nussbaum
Wow!
Wow!
This is a very heartwarming
This is a very heartwarming story to read. We need many more caring people like Lopi LaRoe. She is a true follower of Jesus and a wonderful example to the rest of us. Many good things will happen when someone has the determination to keep forging ahead and asking others to help along the way.
Thank you. A beautiful and
Thank you. A beautiful and much needed story. May I and many others find the inspiration to act
What a special story to touch
What a special story to touch my heart, and I'm sure the hearts of anyone lucky enough to read this account.
Thanks, Joan, for sharing it. And KUDOS to Lopi for her courageous example.
Thank you, Sr. Joan, for the
Thank you, Sr. Joan, for the spirit lifter!
This "ministry" validates the good in the human spirit. Cheers for sharing the Lopi La Roe ministry with us. Blessings on you, Lopi.
I coordinate a group called
I coordinate a group called Women in Ministry. It is a gathering a women who share their stories about their ministries. I will take this story to the group. Many of the Women do not realize what a treasure they are..... how little things can grow into big things that effect the lives of many. Thanks, Joan
Beautiful story. Yet I
Beautiful story. Yet I question the use of the word "ministry" to describe what was going on here.
I think that the word ministry needs more definition and boundaries, otherwise, when everything is ministry, nothing is ministry. When the term ministry is used to describe every good work or profession, then male ordained celibates become the sole providers of ministry.
Everything can be ministry.
Everything can be ministry. We are all ministers: "Whatever you do for the least...." May we all have the courage to live out our ministry!
You Made My Day Sister
You Made My Day
Sister Joan,
Both you and Lopi are hot stuff.
Thank you for making my day.
One more beautiful proof that
One more beautiful proof that one person like Lopi La Roe can make a difference. Another example is that of the late Murray and Margaret Dryden who founded Sleeping Children Around The World in 1970 in Toronto, Ontario. Murray believed that every child deserves a comfortable bed in which to sleep. This year will see the 1,000,000th bed kit (bed mat, pillow, mosquito net, school clothing and supplies)distributed to a needy child. The organization still operates out of the Dryden's former home, is staffed entirely by volunteers, advertising, office materials, mailings, etc. are donated. Donation per bed kits is $35, every penny of which goes directly into bed kits. Distribution teams pay their own airfare to the countries where hundreds of bedkits are distributed. Those teams work in conjunction with organizations in the host country, such as the International Rotary Club. The bed kits are made and assembled in the country of distribution. The world needs more people like Lopi La Roe and the Drydens.
Lopi LaRoe sets a challenging
Lopi LaRoe sets a challenging example for finding creative and necessary means to help others in distressed conditions. I am certain that this project with the domed houses will not be her last one.
Thanks Joan for one more
Thanks Joan for one more woman making a huge difference!
Amazing...thank you for
Amazing...thank you for sharing this story. We need to hear these things and to experience hope.
"I got angry...." "I made up
"I got angry...." "I made up my mind then and there." Sr. Joan describes this type of ministry as "one that seeks us out" and then erupts in us "when we least expect it." There's another way to see it, and that's as an experience of the Holy Spirit at work in us. We really do live in Pentecost times.
Thanks Sr. Joan for yet another challenge for us to see things that happen in our times for what they really are.
Dear Sr. Joan, Lopi is truly
Dear Sr. Joan, Lopi is truly a beautiful person. Why is it that every story you tell has lines of negativity concerning males? Lopi doesn't need empowerment nor does any female. This world is as it is because of all of us both male and female. There isn't a nation on earth that does not have it's problems and many have female leaders. Corruption does not know gender but you continue to get in your licks whether justified or not. Hopefully all women will see desolation as Lopi did and do what their consciences tell them. There are millions of Lopis out there that have and will take action without hearing about all the negativity regarding males. Oh and by the way recently there were a number of male doctors on mercy missions in Afghanistan who were murdered by local militia. Sadly hatred for people doing good continues. Perhaps positive words about males would help to stop this senseless and horrific killing. Just a thought.
Hope in this war torn,
Hope in this war torn, fear-filled world is what we need. Tears of joy fill my eyes and heart as I read this story. Thank you Lopi for following the movement of the Spirit within you and thank you Sr. Joan for letting the world know of this Christ-like woman.
Thank You, Joan, for writing
Thank You, Joan, for writing about my project from your perspective. I must say that the comments everyone posted really gave me a boost in spirits today. Jean Rodenbough is totally right. This is my first humanitarian project, but it will certainly not be the last! I have to humbly correct one thing, however. I did not design the geodesic dome! All the credit goes to Buckminster Fuller for patenting this design in 1954.
Today, my crew, which consists entirely of Haitian youth, 5 teenagers, 2 girls and 3 guys, built dome number 6 at Dr. Roberts Orphanage in Bon Repose, Port Au Prince, Haiti. The girls were thrilled to get their own house! Please take a look at my blog tomorrow for an update including photos of the kids!
Thanks again to Joan for writing about Domes For Haiti. Thanks to everyone for the support, both financial and spiritual.
from Port Au Prince, Lopi LaRoe
The sentence “Then she’ll go
The sentence “Then she’ll go back to her life in New York” hit my hot button. What’s with the type of “ministry” involving dropping in to do a little feel-good and then dropping out again feeling good about doing feel-good in a distant place that stays nicely and safely distant? People will write about Lopi and confer on her a Catholic humanitarian award, but meanwhile in distant Haiti….
And what did you do Marta?
And what did you do Marta?
Well, Anonymous, I looked for
Well, Anonymous, I looked for a reputable organization with an on-the-ground commitment to Haiti and found Catholic Relief Services and contributed money to its work there. I did not go riding off like the Lone “Lopi” Ranger. What about YOU?
Marta, you did what you could
Marta, you did what you could and Lopi did what she could. Why all the negativity? Why the name calling? I just can't understand why you would be so hostile to someone who, like you, wanted to help, but found a different way to do it. With all of the serious issues and conflicts to address, why get so worked up and sneer at someone's attempt to help others? I don't see how the fact that Lopi didn't make a life-time commitment invalidates the good work that she was able to accomplish. I guess I don't understand your priorities, as there are other, much more important issues with which to be angry. Getting upset because someone found a different way to help those in need shouldn't be a reason to get upset.
we all have unique callings
we all have unique callings to ministry, we all do, as Jesus told us specifically to feed the hungry, to sell all of our goods and give the money to the poor, giving our shirt as well as our coat to whosoever requires our coat, going the extra mile, turning the other cheek, attending widows and orpahns in their distress, of any faith or nationality, rather than create them as we do in Iraq. Our ministry accomplishes all which is specified in Matthew 25, by which we are judged, not by sacramentalist word games, by the Sermon on the Mount, and on the Plain, and in the Magnificat. Our ministry announces by making REAL the Good News for the poor, as Jesus ordered, a year of Jubilee and of debt forgiveness. This is our ministry.
Really.
Love our enemy. Love the unloved. Love the unlovable.
in a way which can be known as love.
This is our ministry.
Blessedly I have been at long last been blessed with rootedness in one community, one the border, stability, to do as Merton advised, to make personal connections, in stability, as Saint Benedict orders, and as tis commentator Marta urges, but this is a very rare ministry now, which not even the itinerant Mother Teresa achieved in her remarkable and richly rewarded ministry.
stability is a rare blessing, and where ministry comes most deeply.
love thy enemy, dude.
now, I go forth chillin with my peeps in Ciudad Juarez, and in Palomas.
this too is ministry.
I do believe you are Charley
I do believe you are Charley of the Desert! Am I right?
and you Kenn of the
and you Kenn of the Barbie?
that name has been in the news lately around here . . .
I think you're overacting and
I think you're overacting and being a bit harsh.
Hello Marta You're jumping to
Hello Marta
You're jumping to the wrong conclusion here. I am in New York now after having completed my first humanitarian effort. You are so far off base with your comment it is almost comical to me. "dropping in to do a little feel-good" does not describe the two months of hard work I just completed. If you had lived through it yourself, you would not be so quick to use that description. This project required every ounce of my spiritual, emotional and physical being to complete. It was not "little" and most of it did not "feel good"
Your judgment of my emotional connection to Haiti is offensive to me. It is not ever distant from me in my mind or heart. My relationship to Haiti is a long term commitment. I would like to see your dedication and efforts pay off to help other people you never knew before but will never forget.
One last clarification: I am not Catholic. I am a spiritual person, but I do not follow organized religion. I was raised Catholic and I have alot of respect for the good works that many Sisters do throughout the world and it has deeply affected me and who I am in the world.
In the future, before you jump to such confusions, perhaps you ought to ask more questions....
Sorry to "burst your bubble",
Sorry to "burst your bubble", Sr. Joan.
"Ministry" refers to an ordained mission.
Apostolate?
Yeah, that fits it.
I know, I know.
Y'all are gonna "crucify" me...I don't care.
It's the truth.
Women religious; lay male religious; men and women dedicated to God in single life have all contributed in wondrous ways to making our Lord's Gospel present.
But "ministry"?
Don't think that "ministry" is for the "entitled"; if they're living the way they are supposed to, it is supposed to be the "cross".
Whether or not they do it, that's the case, in season and out.
read as well The Church With
read as well
The Church With a Human Face: A New and Expanded Theology of Ministry by the Reverend Father Edward Schillebeeckx OP
and
Ministry: A Theological, Pastoral Handbook by Reverend Father Richard P. McBrien
I took a look at the Dome for
I took a look at the Dome for Haiti website and Lopi's blog as well. It is amazing and wonderful! I thank you, Sister Joan, for this inspiring article. May the Holy Spirit work in each of us and inspire us to such ministry--whether it be here or overseas.
It was the ANGER that led to
It was the ANGER that led to the ministry. Women all over the world need to learn to FEEL that anger, the anger they need to rise up out of oppression and get the people, both men and women, to change what needs to be changed. Anger can be a wonderful epiphany and an excellent motivator. God is in the ANGER.
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