An update from Chava Redonnet, the pastor of Oscar Romero Inclusive Catholic Church which meets in the dining room of the Rochester Catholic Worker (June 16, 2024).

Dear friends,

When my daughters were growing up, at suppertime around the table I would ask them each to share something that made them happy that day, and something that made them sad. (They hated it).  (But I learned a lot I otherwise might not have!)

So here’s my own “happy thing” and “sad thing” from the past few days. First the happy thing.

I love it when we have a bunch of people at community supper and Mass. Last night our board met out at the house before supper (some on zoom and some in person), and Librada and Maria hung out with us for a while afterwards. Maria brought some great potato salad. For me personally, things are so much better with Nina and Betty doing the cooking. So grateful. And Bill brought ice cream. At Mass, it was hot enough to need a fan, but the stand-up fan proved to be an irresistible draw for two-year-old Lucas, who wanted to lick it. I told the story about the raccoon and the cookies from way back at the beginning… this Sunday is the 13^th anniversary of the first Migrant Mass in 2011.  It was just a good and happy evening, and I am full of gratitude.

Meanwhile, back at the nursing home…

Just thinking about donning full PPE to go to my floors with Covid makes me feel like I’m carrying rocks on my shoulders. Mask, N-95, face shield, gown, gloves… one of my favorite elders was dying of Covid and I put all that on to sing to her and pray… she and I were at opposite ends of the spectrum, theologically and politically… we bonded over our mutual love of God. She called me her pastor. She told me I “had that [gestures out from the heart] inside,”  and that was why she asked me to be her pastor.  The day she died, I learned something important. I went up to the floor thinking staff might need support, but also thinking that she hadn’t been able to connect much with other elders in the past year or more and they might not even be aware of who she was. Boy was I wrong. I ended up going from one encounter to another, comforting grieving elders. They knew her all right, and she touched them deeply. The lesson is twofold – first, you don’t know what impact you might be having on others. I don’t think she had any idea. And – when someone dies, you don’t know who is grieving or how they are grieving – and people may be hit harder than you think. That’s a good thing for a chaplain to know, but also for all of us.

And one more thing – if we have five floors in quarantine, I’ll bet other nursing homes are being hit with it, too. Be careful out there.

Prayers continue for Gustavo in Guatemala (where they had another earthquake this week) and Fr Jim – for Betty’s mom in Cuba, for Pedro’s impending first grandchild – for Capo in the fields (until 9:30 last night!) – and Miguel, all the farm workers especially with the heat wave that’s on the way. Also for a young farmworker who is recovering from an aneurism – he and his family can use our prayers.