Sister-parishes persevere

At a time when the term "sister-parish" was virtually unheard of in the Albany Diocese, parishioners of St. Bridget's Church in Copake Falls were already reaching out to help marginalized Catholics in Nicaragua.

"In 1991, one of our parishioners, Bill Von Anken, traveled there as an election observer in the wake of the Sandinista revolution. When he returned, we began to talk about becoming a sister-parish to the people in Malpaisillo," explained Bruce Gardiner, one of the first parishioners of St. Bridget's to propose such a relationship. Several parishioners traveled to Nicaragua to meet their peers at Nuestro Senor de Esquipulas parish in Malpaisillo and determine the parish's most pressing needs. Then they began to send small amounts of money for much-needed medical supplies.

St. Bridget's also raised money for a water system; supported the parish school; and donated printing supplies, audio speakers, vestments, sacred vessels and a guitar.

Commitment

Through years of political and economic instability that gripped Nicaragua during the 1990s, the parish continued its commitment to Nuestro Senor de Esquipulas, which was going through its own transition.

"The parish went through seven pastors in five years," Mr. Gardiner recalled. Still, he said, "we were able to help them build a chapel for some of their outlying mission locations. They have seven missions and about 40 house churches in an area about the size of Columbia County."

In addition, parishioners here helped parishioners there establish two scholarship funds for students' education and, in 2001, a $30,000 revolving loan fund to help farmers buy tools and machinery and grow corn, sorghum and sesame.

The farmers could borrow money to grow and sell their crops; once their initial low-interest loan was paid off, they could borrow from the fund again and continue to farm.

"When the cost of the harvest dropped significantly the second year, some of the farmers purchased livestock. The program worked great for three years," Mr. Gardiner said.

On trips between 2001 and 2004, St. Bridget's parishioners donated a fax machine, bibles, a set of encyclopedia and school supplies.

Bad news

In 2004, St. Bridget's parishioners received word that the pastor of Nuestro Senor de Esquipulas had been transferred to another parish. The newly-ordained priest who replaced him, Rev. Ariel Rojas, quickly realized that a significant amount of money was missing from the loan fund.

After some investigation, it was discovered that the administrators of the fund under the previous pastor had taken the money and left the country.

"It was a deep disappointment to us," Mr. Gardiner said. St. Bridget's parishioners debated whether to continue the relationship, but decided that while a few individuals had breached their trust, "the people of Malpaisillo still needed help and we didn't want to abandon them. We made a long term commitment to our sisters and brothers to help them."

Recovery

Over the past three years, Juan Sanchez, a native of Nicaragua now living in Copake Falls, has been working with an attorney in Managua to establish a federally-chartered foundation for the parish in Malpaisillo.

"This fund is managed independently. We can still put monies into it to assist the parish; they can use the money as they need it. Additionally, any entity can make donations to that fund and it will be managed according to the parish's need," Mr. Gardiner explained.

Father Rojas recently visited St. Bridget's to meet the people that have walked with his parish through suffering and joy. He "wanted to let us know that he is serious about this relationship," said Mr. Gardiner. "We have hope that, over time, the relationship will deepen, allowing more people from both parishes to realize that we are all members of the body of Christ and that we are sharing in one another's lives, no matter what happens here or there.

"Here at St. Bridget's, we're learning that it is not often easy to help the poor. Their needs are basic and many. Our parish journey with our sisters and brothers in Nicaragua helps us to understand more clearly what it is to be 'called to be Church' today. We sustain our relationship with the people of Nuestro Senor de Esquipulas by walking with them together as motley pilgrims on the bumpy road of life."

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