As I write this article, I am at the same time involved with packing my things to prepare for a long land trip; I am leaving the Amazon region as my mission place. I know I am just one of many missionaries whose imagination was captured by thoughts of working in the Amazon. People from all around the globe dream of visiting this part of the world! It is such a marvel: likened to being the lungs of planet earth, due to the role the rainforests play in filtering carbon and other gases from our atmosphere. So I was naturally overjoyed when I was assigned to a team of CICM working in a poor remote area of the Amazon region. In the beginning, I was primarily fascinated with the beauty of the place: the most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world, the natural beauty of the Amazon jungles, and miles of sandy beaches created by the grand flowing river waters. But, there was work to be done as well!
My experiences with the people in the Amazon region have been particularly in the city of Marabá, in the state of Pará. The city of Marabá is the where two great rivers in the Amazon region converge; the Itacaiunas and the Tocantins rivers form a sort of “y” shape in the city when viewed from above. Marabá is the main center of political, social and economic development of the southern part of Pará. It has a growing industrial sector, especially the steel industry, and has a vast agricultural boundary. The CICM-run parish there is situated in a district called Morada Nova, in a remote part of Marabá.
After arriving at Saint Anne parish and visiting with the twelve basic ecclesial communities, having meetings with various church organizations, civic leaders and parish pastoral communities, I gradually began to discover some of the realities of the place. It is not without its problems, sufferings, and struggles of the people.
One of the biggest problems facing the Amazon region is deforestation. Much of the rainforest has been destroyed in the name of transportation progress, by ill-suited farming practices, or by pure exploitation of the land for commercial or business gains. Beyond the atmospheric impact of deforestation, there are millions of species of flora and fauna—some found nowhere else on earth—that are at risk. Obviously there are national and global concerns and implications, but you may wonder what this means for the Church in Brazil…
There are various consequences of deforestation that affect the Brazilian people, but most are related to the strong connection it has to the nation’s economy. While the slowing or halting of clearing practices over the past ten years has obvious positive consequences for the environment, it has negatively impacted the economy of individuals, regions, commercial organizations, and even the nation. Where cultivation and logging was associated with growth and prosperity, curbing the exploitation has had an adverse effect on the economy.
Widespread poverty, especially away from the major cities of the east, is a reality for Brazil. Poor housing, unsafe or scarce food and water, lack of health services, crime, substance abuse, unemployment, and lack of available education are all part of the cycle of poverty we see in Marabá. When I first came to the diocese, I was accompanying the pastoral ministry for prisoners: making regular visits with prisoners and participating in meetings. At that time, Marabá had the highest homicide rate in the country. Most of the victims and most of the perpetrators in these prisons are the youth. As such, the newly installed bishop of the diocese recently strongly communicated a pastoral concern for the youth, and a priority on Christian formation programs for youth. Also, in preparation for the upcoming 2013 World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, several parishes are providing a series of retreats, seminars, and various youth conferences.
During my time in the Amazon region, I have primarily been involved with the youth apostolate. As part of the team preparing young diocesan representatives for World Youth Day, I have been involved with inviting young people from all the different communities of the parish to participate. It calls for a long period of preparation, with a series of regular activities at both the parish and the diocesan level. We have seen that this type of engagement offers young people the opportunity to appreciate each other’s diverse talents and skills while learning about fraternity, community responsibility and Christian communion. Youth formation within the church is very important and always challenging; it requires patience and creativity to adequately enter into their world and to understand their perspective and the language of their generation. Our hope is that positive connections formed within their church and community (and amongst each other) will provide the strength and resources our young people need as they face social struggles and the common vices of violence and substance abuse.
Our commitment to the youth forces us to recognize another challenge facing the people of the Amazon region: not only is the population confronting material poverty, they are also experiencing a kind of spiritual poverty. Many faith communities are withering under a lack of commitment and waning participation. Catholicism on the whole in Brazil has been facing a significant membership decline in recent years. Some may have abandoned religious practice altogether, but many others are turning to the rising evangelical Protestant presence in Brazil. This is a wake-up call for us Catholics. We need to hold firm to our faith while demonstrating the ability to grow and improve and remain relevant and present in the lives of Brazilians.
Another experience unique to the Amazon region has been my exposure with the indigenous people of Marabá. These native Brazilians are made up of ethnic groups or tribes of people who inhabited the country before Europeans landed and claimed the territory for the Portuguese Empire in 1500. Early colonizers and settlers were in constant conflict with the indigenous people, and the natives saw their land, culture and traditions decimated while many tribes were killed off or forced into slavery. Today, Brazil has granted indigenous peoples a legally protected status in terms of their traditional lands and the pursuit of a traditional way of life centered on forest and jungle habitats. However, they still face threats to their existence (and even deadly violence) from various afore-mentioned pro-development forces that are destroying portions of the rainforest. Governmental health and welfare promises to these native people are largely unfulfilled as well. I am nonetheless impressed with their humble way of life: they care deeply for nature and the environment.
I feel that my identity as a missionary has been deeply punctuated by this frontier assignment. Speaking the language and understanding the culture and traditions here has been challenging and sometimes frustrating. There are so many areas of concern: the unstable economy, the direction of the youth, the attrition seen in our churches, and ongoing issues for the indigenous and the environment. But reflecting on my role in both the moments of difficulty and the moments of joy, I can say that working in the Amazon region has been a blessing for me, and it has indeed been fulfilling.
Being a missionary calls for the ability to adapt to the realities and various situations facing the people to whom we are sent. While my dreams of coming to the Amazon and working amid its majestic splendor have been realized, it is the heart of the people that I will treasure most. Missionaries must accept that we are not the owners of the mission—we are simply workers in the vineyard. And God leads us to the places where we can fulfill our purpose. Being continually invited to assist Him is a blessing in itself—and makes every new mission area a “dream assignment.”
Noel Espina, cicm
Brazil
Fr. Noel Espina, cicm, is a native of the Philippines who joined Missionhurst-CICM in 2002, and was sent to the mission of Brazil in 2006. Fr. Noel was and ordained in 2010, and is currently serving as assistant pastor of Saint Anne Parish, located in the city of Marabá, state of Pará, in the Amazon region of Brazil.
