(Chihuahua) – At Vista Cerro Grande, in the city of Chihuahua, an experience of mission and service brought together Sisters and lay people from the Provinces of Brazil and Argentina–Paraguay, together with local volunteers and religious sisters. Promoted by the Cristo Re Canossian Province, in line with the Chapter orientations to expand and support Canossian volunteering, the initiative fostered encounters between cultures and collaboration in service of the most vulnerable communities.
For the Province of Brazil, Sister Dilma Maria de Andrade, Pedro Pesavento, Rafaela Eduarda da Silva and Ariel Cristina Dias took part; for the Province of Argentina–Paraguay, Sister Ylse Franco Cáceres, Rosario Sancho, Patricia Cabrera and José Pereira.
Patricia and José, a married lay Canossian couple from Encarnación, Paraguay, share their testimony.
A call to set out on the journey
We are Patricia and José, from Encarnación, Paraguay. We are both 37 years old and have been married for eight years. Our professions are dentistry and law. We have been lay Canossians since 2021. On our spiritual journey, we have had the opportunity to take part in several mission experiences, but this was our first Canossian international volunteering experience.
When we received the invitation to take part, we felt great joy, accompanied, however, by doubts and concerns, as often happens when embarking on something new. We chose to embrace this opportunity as a call from God and said yes, trusting that He would guide our journey.
Meeting, sharing, serving
The experience took place in the city of Chihuahua, in the Mexican state of the same name. We took part in various activities in the Las Norias neighbourhood and at the Edyfica educational centre, Canossian Education and Integral Formation. There, we supported activities for children and adolescents, including workshops, games, and medical and dental check-ups. We also helped some people with reduced mobility to clean their homes.
We met a very welcoming community which, despite living in situations of vulnerability, welcomed us with immense love. Each encounter introduced us to people, stories and realities that deeply challenged us.
We were particularly struck by the valuable work of everyone involved in Edyfica. We saw how they accompany the educational journey of so many children and young people, valuing their abilities and broadening their opportunities. We were deeply moved by their commitment to showing that different possibilities exist and that, through education, each person can choose and build their own path in life.
Faces and stories that remain in the heart
We felt deeply involved in everything we experienced and witnessed. We carry with us the faces of the children, capable of savouring every moment, discovering and expressing their talents and potential. We remember the joy of their smiles when a task was completed.
The encounters with the people we helped to clean their homes also left a mark on us. A seemingly simple activity helped to make the spaces in which they lived cleaner, more cared for and more welcoming, in a way that respected their dignity.
We were moved to see so many volunteers giving themselves to the community, offering their time, their abilities and, above all, their hearts in service of others.
In every person and in every story shared, we were able to recognise the face of Jesus.
All of this will remain in our hearts forever: not simply as a memory, but as a new impetus to bring hope, closeness and respect for the dignity of every person, wherever we may find ourselves.
Together, ready to give more
We are grateful for our Canossian lay vocation and for the community we were able to form with the other volunteers. We felt part of a family, and this made everything easier. Through this experience, we reaffirmed our desire to live the Canossian charism and to be instruments of God: imperfect and fragile, yet willing to become signs of His love.
As a couple, we return with deeply grateful hearts for having lived this experience together. We feel strengthened, engaged and eager to continue working for education and for the dignity of every person, convinced that we can always give more.
To anyone who feels called and desires to live an experience like this, we offer encouragement: say yes, even with fears and doubts. We are certain that God accompanies us on the journey and is never outdone in generosity: through service to others, He transforms our lives too.
Always united in the heart of Mary, Mother of the Greatest Love and our Mother.
Patricia Cabrera and José Pereira
Encarnación, Paraguay
