Within 30 hours of their plane’s touchdown at Saipan’s airport, the two visitors had met with our Bishop, the Governing Board, staff and volunteers of Karidat, and they had been taken on a driving tour of the island, for a little sightseeing. Phew.
And here they were, the two representatives of Catholic Charities USA, ready to direct a retreat for all of us gathered at the Maturana House—staff and board members of Karidat, priests and parish representatives and ministry partners, a couple of dozen of us in attendance in all. I could not have been the only one wondering what kind of first impression our small group gathered there offered these jetlagged travelers.
Jeff Bialik and Greg Kepferle are both executive directors of Catholic Charities programs in California, and Jeff confessed that his program has a budget of $40 million a year, operating dozens of outreaches, not least of which is a low-income housing project of hundreds of units. But while the statistics might have been intimidating, these two kind and friendly individuals were not: they were genuinely interested in and seemed impressed by all of the programs that Karidat manages to keep running, with a budget that is a fraction of what they each have at their disposal.
We at Karidat are proud, too, and also modest—if it is possible to be both! See, not so long ago Karidat had only a couple of branches of outreach, and just 3 or 4 staff at any given time. Now there are 14 employees, 10 service programs, not least of which that it has operated since 2001 the only emergency shelter for women and children on-island.
But enough about numbers, that is not what the retreat was about: the real purpose of the retreat was to consider where the greatest areas of need are within the CNMI and to make a plan for how to address them. What are the social service priorities of the Diocese right now? Since 2014, Karidat has been a member agency of the Catholic Charities USA network, and the installation of our new Bishop of Chalan Kanoa in August of last year provided an opportunity for Karidat to reflect on its mission as the primary organized social service arm of the Diocese. The retreat offered an opportunity to work on strengthening relation- ships and to look toward a strategy for the future. “When I look around, I can see that there is so much more that we could do,” says Lauri Ogumoro, current Director at Karidat. The potential is great, and there has already been so much accomplished; why wouldn’t we as a Diocese feel hopeful about the future?
During the day-long retreat, and inspired by the parable of the Good Samaritan, we asked: What is the root of our call to love? What are the ethics of Christian service? Where do we go next, and how do we confront the current challenges in Saipan? on Tinian? Rota? The brainstorming session at the retreat included ideas about how to respond to shortages in affordable housing or outright homelessness, the sufferings caused by drug and gambling addictions, and more.
At the end of the day, the notes were com- piled and whittled down to three key priorities for the Diocese, recurring themes that were emphasized throughout the day:1) faith formation, 2) response to urgent social needs, and 3) addressing the negative social consequences of economic development. Then Jeff and Greg gave us some homework: in the next phase of planning, Bishop Ryan and Lauri Ogumoro will review the results of the retreat and come to some decisions about how to refine the recommendations and outcomes and integrate it into a new diocesan plan. And then I guess it will be up to the rest of us—priests and parishioners, staff and volunteers, to get to work.
And that brought us full circle around to where we kicked off the retreat: we had begun the day with a reflection on the beloved parable about neighborly love: “And [a Samaritan] came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.(Luke 10:34) Ideas about service are a great starting point, though it is also important to remember that sometimes the ideas and the vision come along as we go along the way, as we actively reach out to those in need. The Samaritan in the parable sets an example as someone who did not set out with all the elements of the plan in place, but works it out as he goes along. The point is: he was ready to serve, just as are we in Karidat, in our Diocese, and in our parishes.
Animu!