It was no ordinary day. He walked into the Cathedral from the main entrance, down the aisle, gentle and calm as if it was any other Sunday. I remember this day and it wasn’t just any other Sunday. The Episcopal Ordination of the late Bishop Emeritus Tomas A. Camacho on January 13, 1985, brought extreme joy to the faithful of our islands. I clearly remember hearing his voice as he sang the Servant Song “Here I Am Lord” while walking in to present himself to accept God’s call to be the first bishop of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa. It was the perfect song as it truly exemplified his life and how he shepherds his flock.
On December 3, 1986, we were struck with a devastating super typhoon and the island was severely damaged and destroyed and was without power. At the time, we were caring for my husband’s father who was in a comatose condition in our home in San Vicente. The day after the storm, Bishop Camacho arrived walking his way through the fallen trees carrying a box of jar candles for our night light use while caring for our ill father. We were in awe after the Bishop left. Despite the devastation from the storm less than 24 hours beforehand and dealing with our sick father without power and water, Bishop’s visit, his thoughtfulness, and care, left us feeling loved and hopeful that things were alright.
Over the years, I’ve known Bishop Camacho to reach out to his people in many ways. Whether it was a joyful, sorrowful, happy, or sad occasion, he made time to be present or connect with them. When families were in a sad situation, he would visit them personally or call to comfort them over the phone when unable to be there. He would remind us of God’s love and mercy and not hold grudges, to forgive, and not lose faith.
The Bishop’s Chamorro writing and translation skills were excellent. His desires and dreams of preserving the religious cultures and traditions of the islands were very much fulfilled in his works. The milestones of his translations were incredible. I’m aware that he translated books of the Old Roman Missal (known before as the Sacramentary), the Lectionary, the New Testament Bible, the New Roman Missal, all the sacramentals and burial books, and other more to the Chamorro language. He also translated parts of the Old Testament and all 150 psalms. He asked me to consolidate his translations of all the psalms into a prayer book. I plan to and pray that one day I will fulfill his request.
My translation work with Bishop Camacho goes back to 2007. Father Isaac Ayuyu, Carmen Taimanao, Maria Guerrero and myself spent hours, weeks, and months reviewing his translations of the New Testament Bible in Chamorro. It was tedious work going through the readings line by line not only to correct spellings but to make sure that the translation from the English version was faithful.
The review of his translations of the New Roman Missal was an extensive project that Bishop was concerned about the amount of work and time I had to put into it that he would constantly remind me that my husband should come first. Whenever he saw my husband, he never failed to thank him and my family for their patience and support.
On Sunday, December 8, 2013, after being discharged from the hospital, Bishop Camacho called and asked me to meet with him. On a Thursday afternoon, I sat across from him. He looked at me, his face calm and with a soft smile, and gently told me in Chamorro “esta ti siña hu kuntinuha” (I just can’t do it anymore). With a small frown, I asked him what he meant and he repeated again “esta ti siña hu kuntinuha i che’chu’ finu’ Chamorro para i North Star” (I just can’t do it anymore, continue my Chamorro work for the North Star). I felt the emotion in his words and his eyes. There was sadness as he spoke. This great work that he enjoyed doing for so many years as a shepherd and now he feels he can no longer continue must have been very painful for him. His reflections on the Sunday Gospel printed in the North Star “GININ I UBISPU”, a page of his sharing on his thoughts and teaching written in Chamorro was coming to an end.
Shortly after he shared his decision, he then asked me to continue part of his work by editing the Sunday Readings in Chamorro for continued printing in the North Star. He said the Chamorro readings will continue through me. It was difficult for me at first to grasp. I couldn’t speak for a moment, staring at him in silence. He then handed me an outline of his meeting with Bishop Ryan Jimenez, who was then the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese, about his decisions, including the work for the North Star.
I responded willingly to help with my Chamorro but I was quick to tell him that I didn’t know how to use a computer. Bishop Camacho responded, “I’ll teach you everything. It’s very easy.” He was so encouraging, how could I say no? Almost immediately I started to receive his files to continue his work. He even sent someone who assisted him a lot from the United Bible Society to install a Bible Translation Guide on my computer. Bishop was very meticulous with his work. He scheduled days for me to come by his home to show me what I needed to know. It was tough for me, but Bishop Camacho was determined that I learn what he wanted me to know.
A few months before he passed, Bishop called me to share some good news. He was elated to share that the updating of the old church songbook in Chamorro that included music notes was progressing well. The book was put together by the late Maria S. Reyes and was dedicated to him as the first bishop of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa. He also shared that he confirmed with the family that was sponsoring the printing of the songbook and was excited that the songbook would get reproduced. I recall that he once told me earlier that he felt very blessed because people on our island were very generous in assisting the projects of the Diocese.
He left me with much work to do as he requested all novena and devotional books to be updated with the latest Chamorro orthography. He encouraged me to persevere in this work because the Church is the strongest support of the Chamorro language.
He would call me often following a new North Star edition to share that the readings were excellent. I responded back telling him that it was his translations that were excellent. Knowing that someone reads and reflects on the Sunday readings in Chamorro, let alone Bishop Camacho, was gratifying enough to make my work feel appreciated. As we continue to celebrate mass in Chamorro, understand that Bishop Camacho’s presence is with us.
Bishop Emeritus Tomas A. Camacho, a powerful leader yet humble and faithful shepherd, noble and smart, showed his humility to his grave. His death brought witnesses a great example of Jesus’ teachings. Let us always remember him in our prayers.
Rita C. Guerrero
San Vicente, Saipan, CNMI
March 22, 2018
