Beginning Our Ministry with the Missionaries of Charity
Like the brothers from St. Louis who came before us to Kenya, we were set to do our ministry at the Missionaries of Charity Orphanage, located a few towns over near Langata, on the way towards downtown Nairobi. Arriving at the site on the first day with Fr. Tesha, we met Sister Gonzalo, the Superior of the Missionary of Charity Community there, who was a middle-aged Indian Sister with a kind and seasoned smile. We later learned that she had met Mother Teresa herself when she first joined the Missionaries of Charity as a postulant. As she began to give us a tour of the house, dedicated in 1988 with Mother Teresa present, the anticipation of meeting the children was matched by their reciprocal excitement to see us.
The main room, approximately half the size of a regulation basketball court, was situated so that the roof over the surrounding walls let in natural sunlight, shining on the stuffed animals hung on string between the wooden high-chairs of the girls. Sisters, volunteers, and the workers we would come to refer to simply as “mamas” were browsing back and forth by the chairs attending to the children. You see, these girls are completely dependent on the care of the community, sometimes in a way pretty similar to the needs of an infant, as a result of their wide range of physical and mental handicaps. Far from being unwanted and unloved, they have been wholeheartedly adopted by these Missionaries of Charity. Walking through this scene, I observed how the range of conditions among the girls impacted their responsiveness to our greetings. Some talked, some rocked back and forth with joy at the prospect of meeting a new person and were contented with our handshakes. Some expressed all of this with their eyes alone, and some, without the ability to maintain focused eye contact, let all this be spoken at a deeper level of the heart.
Without any context, the scene would have been jostling. However, the shock of the staggering challenges they face to accomplish daily tasks was brought into the light that these Sisters care for them with the unconditional love of Christ. Along the walls, hand-drawn quotes from Scripture, Mother Teresa, and other saints were arranged on wooden plaques to complement the eclectic assortment of posters ranging from the Sacred Heart, to Mary, to Mother Teresa holding an African child.
After visiting the children, we walked into the chapel where the Sisters and aspirants pray and gather for Mass. It was a simple, yet reverent, space with just a large crucifix in the front and the verse “I Thirst” painted on the wall opposite a statue of Mary. Eventually, after seeing the privileged position of prayer in the lives of these Sisters, it became clear that the Sisters were not only exercising virtue in care for these children, but that they were really striving to do it only all for Jesus. And this chapel was where they sure did a lot of praying. Across from the Marian garden, and under the picture used for Mother Teresa’s canonization, was a painted wooden board saying, “I will give Saints to Mother Church.” What a wonderful place to see this in action. Near that sign, another one instructed all visitors to refrain from taking pictures of the girls. Respecting this prudent policy, I will paint with words what I cannot describe through photographs.
One thing I noticed, right off the bat, is the Sisters know that they are serving Jesus himself when they care for the girls. This is at the center of the Missionary of Charity spirituality which drives them to do so with such compassion and endurance. They hold this in their heart and go about doing the simple tasks. They prayed before and after their work, but it did not seem like they were trying to hype themselves up to spend an hour handwashing a large pile of clothes in tubs. There was a sense that, “hey, this is just what we do on a Wednesday morning here at the orphanage.” The spirituality of the sisters is deeply woven into their daily tasks.
One weekday morning, after the Mass at our chapel at the Priory with the brothers, I began making preparations for the matatu bus ride to ministry with the Missionaries of Charity. As the chapel was clearing, as I was about to walk out passed the ambo above a stained-glass depiction of St. Dominic, I glanced at the lectionary and saw the Gospel responsory. It read, “Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” Ok. I think I was beginning to understand how the Sisters and the mamas there were able to do so much work with patience and joy. They were doing the Lord’s work, and God was blessing their efforts, and ours, abundantly.
Arriving again at the orphanage, we passed by the grotto of Mary in the middle of the compound and were greeted by many smiling faces as we walked through the doors, still tying our pink aprons around our waist to begin the day. We asked the girls how they were with a Swahili “mambo” and a steady handshake. In Kenya, greetings are almost always accompanied by a handshake, or some sort of physical acknowledgment of the other person. Although these girls do not belong to the hustle of the world outside the orphanage, a simple handshake is still important to them as Kenyans.
Augustine, Peter, and I made our way to the work area out back where wet blankets awaited the clothes lines and bananas, green beans, and cabbage from the fields awaited cutting. You see, some of the girls have a difficult time swallowing as a result of their physical handicaps. So, our task was to chop the food into manageable pieces to avoid a possible choking hazard for the girls as they enjoyed lunch.
Now, with an electric blender, this work could be done in minutes. But we didn’t use an industrial blender, just cutting boards and motivation necessary to use the blunt knives available. Hey, at least we got an arm workout. In the kitchen, next to our cutting booth, were two large, wood fire ovens. Nothing with a pre-heat option and timer. It was then that I remember reading that simplicity and identification with the poorest of the poor are essential to the Missionary of Charity spirituality. As we chopped, if we saw one “mama” we saw five mamas make their way briskly into the kitchen, often sharing a gentle smile or Swahili greeting with us as they walked past.
In addition to the Missionaries themselves and their group of about 30 aspirants in their initial steps of formation, these mamas are essential to running of the orphanage on a day-to-day basis. They worked hard, very hard, but they were certainly glad to talk with us. They may have had a shirt over their shoulder to wash or a plate of hot chapati in their hands, but that didn’t slow down their readiness to share a joyful laugh or exchange in a mix of English and Swahili. By the end of the summer, we had established a harmonious relationship working side by side with these wonderful women, generously giving of themselves to labor in the Lord’s vineyard here with the Sisters and the children. As was our practice on many of the days, the end of lunchtime for the girls meant it was time for us to make the 20-minute walk to the matatu stage to begin our ride back to the Priory.
To capture the rhythm that we had, learning some lessons while working in the mornings on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday there with the Sisters, I will move on to unpack more moments of grace experienced with the girls a little later.