The Church in Costa Rica

I´m two countries and one month out of Costa Rica (CR) and haven´t written about my experiences there. I´ve been wanting to do the Church justice, and I´m a trifle concerned I´ll fall short. So, Marta and Bishop Hector, if you´re reading this and I have something wrong or I´ve left something out, please post a comment or e-mail me, and I´ll take care of that.

Here goes ...

I arrived in San Jose, CR, having received a warm invitation from Bishop Hector Monterroso (who has been bishop for seven years) and everything else being coordinated by Marta Davis, the Companion Diocese Officer. I was given a safe place to sleep and delicious meals shared with wonderful people. I had looked at a hostal and decided to accept the Bishop´s offer to stay at the Diocesan House for the duration and was very touched by the look of relief on his face when he learned that I was staying at the house rather than elsewhere in the city. It was hospitality at it´s best ... and it gave me comfort to know how well strangers are welcomed, whether we be angels or not.

The Bishop and Marta took me to Hogar Escuela, which translates to Home School and means, more accurately, School Home. It´s a program that seems to be part daycare, part pre-school, part after-school, and part day-treatment, with it being fully staffed with educational, nutritial, and medical professionals. The entry about the garden was inspired by my visit there. The school and the Church attached to it have received loving care and attention from the diocese and from relationships it has built with dioceses in the U. S. The Bishop and Marta talked often of the international relationships that have been eseential to the nurturing of the Diocese of Costa Rica. I experienced a bit of those relationships, as two groups from the U. S. came while I was there, one from North Carolina, with whom CR has the longest standing relationship, and one from Wisconin, the Diocese of Fond du lac. Angie Smith, from Wisconsin, was part of the initial "wouldn´t it be great if" stage of the new school being built in Heredia and the Church that has recently been planted there.

A new church being planted is no small thing anywhere, and in CR, it´s really quite a statement, reflecitive of the priorities set by the Bishop: Expansion of the Church, Theological Education and Formation, and Christian Testimony to Service. The sites of the Episcopal Church in CR follow the once-upon-a-time railroad from Limón to San Jose. The oldest Episcopal Church in Central AMerica is El Buen Pastor (The Good Shepherd) in San Jose. There´s an Episcopal presence at all in Costa Rica because the laborers from the West Indies brought with them their Anglican tradition. The shift from the Anglican Church to the Episcopal Church is a story I don´t have.

The Bishop arranged for me to visit two other areas, Limón and Siquirres, and the churches there. I celebrated Mother´s Day at St. Mary´s in Siquirres, a day that this year coincided with the Feast of Mary (Aug 15th). The Bishop confirmed a number of young people, too. I was invited to read the Gospel in English while a priest read it in Spanish, and apparently our picture was sent to a newspaper, La Extra. I didn´t see it. That afternoon, I went to Limón and was hosted by Marcia Scott, a retired school teacher who prayed and sang with me. She showed me her church of St. Francis, and we prayed Morning Prayer one morning at St. Marks. She introduced me to some food I may actually try to cook back home and walked with me every morning. She accompanied me to the beach and to my canopy tour, though she declined to zip, and has said she´d welcome anyone who wanted to visit Costa Rica and needed a place to stay. I would gladly recommend her. Again, hospitality in top form.

My favorite experience in Limón was my time with The Mother´s Guild, the oldest organization in the Episcopal Church in CR. A group of about 8 women, one of whom was a deacon, visited two elderly women (one of whom was also a deacon!). These visits included singing, scripture reading, reflections, a bit of a sermon by the deacon we visited, and prayer. I was moved by the invitation at both homes to offer the closing prayer. These women´s first language is English, and it was spoken with a beautiful lilt reminiscent of their West Indian heritage, and I imagine their gracious spirits and love of God are part of that heritage as well, and I was blessed to share that fellowship.

I returned to Siquirres for the follwoing Sunday and was asked "to give the word, " which was an invitation to preach. I accepted the invitation, grateful that it was an English-speaking congregation. I was hosted by the priest of St. Mary´s Sonia Richards, and her husband. I was well-fed and well-informed. I practice the tiniest bit of Spanish, but as we all spoke English, we often resorted to that.

When I returned to San Jose and the Diocesan House, the group from Wisconsin was there, and I was among friends again. They graciously invited me to go with them to work on the new school being built. I spent the day digging trenches and remembering why I´m so very gratefl for the education that allows me not to have to work so hard. The construction crew members are from Nicaragua, hard-working, focused young men who make next to no money and stay at the site, sleeping in a makeshift lean-to that can´t possibly protect them from all the rain. The Wisconsin Group also invited me to dinner with Padre Jorge and his family. Padre Jorge is the priest at the church growing in Heredia. He and his wife provided a wonderful meal of new foods I actually tried and enjoyed, and wine, which is always good. I practiced a bit more Spanish, and conversations flowed as they tend to when one is among family and friends.

The Church in Costa Rica has committed itself to working with women and children. This commitment has received national attention, and while the only recognized church in Costa Rica is the Roman Catholic Church (others are considered "asssociations"), the government has financially invested in the programs initiated by the Episcopal Church. It´s one more relationship cultivated by the Bishop and reflective of the priorities he set forth for the diocese.

I wrote in an entry about Managua all the things I hated about the place. Many of those things were true in Costa Rica as well, although the level of desperation is significantly greater in Managua than in any other place I´ve visited. (Note: The unemployment rate in Nicaragua is about 70%, compared to the 10 to 20 percent in other countries I´ve visited so far.) While the conditions were similiar -- and photos would help to illustrate that -- the difference for me was the presence and activity of the Church. The Costa Rican Church is ENGAGED! And engagement means change and hope for more.

I´m grateful to Bishop Hector, Marta, the Wisconsin Group, and to the priests I met for bringing into sharp focus the absolutely essential responsibility the Church has to God´s people. I´m grateful my Costa Rican experience stands in sharp contrast to my experience in Managua, but beyond that, I´m grateful that there are loving, committed, hope-filled people working with and for these of God´s people who need the salvation that comes with the justice that is the Good News of Jesus Christ.

I´m grateful, too, for the example of the Church in Costa Rica. I hope I follow it a fraction as well.