‘We love because he first loved us’
By Tracy Galusha
St. Mary Parish, Sutton
We often hear it is better to give than to receive. But, to receive and be received are the first phases in producing fruit that lasts. The same is true for missionary work.
This was one of the lessons learned by 12 students and four chaperones, guided by Father Lee Jirovsky, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Sutton and St. Helena Parish in Grafton, on an eight-day youth mission trip to Roatan, Honduras, marking the parishes’ second international mission in two years.
Each day began with daily Mass, followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Choosing to receive His love carried the young missionaries into unchartered waters and steep hills in the heat and humidity.
The needs of the poor, the crippled, and the blind seemed obvious. Admittedly, the missionaries’ instinct was to give, to work, to supply those in need with preconceived ideas of what they lacked, in light of their conditions. But through the encounters, Jesus brought to attention the missionaries’ own limitedness, weakness, and blindness, instead. They learned they needed to learn to be received.
Alberto was a blind man, abandoned by his family, who often went days without any visitors. The mission with him wasn’t about the food provided, nor the radio he was given. Missionaries offered time and engaged in a bilingual conversation, but even those things would come to an end. Only after being received by him, were they truly able to give what Alberto needed the most – to be seen, to be known, to be loved.
Other receptions came as a surprise. The children at Crawfish Rock School, for example, were so excited for the visitors’ arrival that they couldn’t even wait for the group to park before climbing on the trucks. Lesson plans weren’t needed that day.
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Courtesy photos
At other times, the missionaries were received with indignation because of their Catholic faith. They prayed for them anyway.
All of these and countless other moments were when 1 John 4:19 became more than just a Bible quote on the back of a youth ministry T-shirt: “We love, because He first loved us.”
This kind of sacrificial love is only possible through, with and in God. Receiving His love is the key to giving well.
Because in the end, the soccer balls, volleyballs, Band-Aids and books would run out. The bags of groceries would diminish. The shoes would be outgrown. But the greatest of gifts is love – which cannot deflate, be spent or worn out.
All 11 students who participated in last year’s mission returned to participate in the 2025 event. Dyvet Fonseca, an incoming junior at Sutton High School, was added to the group as the ‘rookie’ missionary. Fonseca, who joined her older brother David on the mission, said she learned a lot from those who went before her.
“Something I think I learned from the older missionaries was definitely go with the flow and be ready for the unexpected,” Fonseca said. “So many plans changed and some things we didn’t get to do, but the older missionaries had a positive attitude through it all.”
Angelina Cloet, who will be a senior at Pius X High School in Lincoln, decided to join her former classmates of Sutton for another mission, which she said brought them “closer together and in such a special way.”
Cloet said being a missionary wasn’t about the material goods given out, but instead about the memories and relationships being established.
“I love interacting with every child, especially the ones at the schools,” she said. “Even with the language barrier, we could still read each other’s emotions. Overall, it was such an amazing experience.”
Roatan has 12 Catholic churches, but only two priests to minister on the island of more than 100,000 residents.
“I enjoyed a brief lunch conversation with the assistant pastor, who was new to the island in his second assignment,” Father Jirovsky said, as he related some of the struggles he encountered during the home visits. “Between my broken Spanish and his limited English, we both felt overwhelmed with the needs, both spiritual and material.”
Father Jirovsky experienced some of the helplessness of having so little to give.
“It took a lot to keep from crying,” he said. “All I had was two hands and Jesus; but God put me in those moments to be Christ for them. It was humbling and heart-wrenching to receive their joy.”
Fonseca said she learned not to take things for granted, like celebrating Mass every day and getting to be with family.
“For some people, having those things would be a blessing,” she said.
Clearly, the need is great in Roatan. But the invitation is ready for future missions. One has only to receive it.
