Between February and April 2025, Sisters Maria Teresa Cuervo and Maggie D’Costa travel on behalf of the General Team to the Province of VedrunAmerica.
Below we share the third chronicle of their trip, between March 9 and 27, 2025, which they spent in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Dominican Republic
San Felipe de Villa Mella
Our first meeting was with the three sisters from the Villa Mella community. They live in the western sector of the city, an area with strong roots and significant expressions of black culture.
The sisters are dedicated to being a significant presence, as neighbors and companions of the health service. In addition, they also intervene in the technical training of young people and the accompaniment of the Vedruna pastoral in the Vedruna de las Palmas school. We also shared with some members of the Christian community San Felipe Apóstol and the priest Rafael Puentes.
While we were in Villa Mella, we accompanied the Christian community in the Walk of Faith: an activity that is celebrated on the first Friday of Lent, in which we pray for families, peace and health. At 4 o’clock in the afternoon, in intense heat, a group of people from the parish gathered to begin the walk. We began with a reflection on what it means to walk together, the purpose of the moments of silence and the necessary precautions during the walk, given that the road is very busy with public transport and motorcycles.
We also met the Vedruna Friends of Villa Mella. They are a group of 35 members, mostly women, united by the person of Joaquina de Vedruna. After a process of formation and participation in the Christian base communities, they have cultivated a deep Christian commitment, which they have realized through various volunteer work in areas such as health, education and Christian communities. They meet once a month to coordinate the shifts of visits to the sick and the maintenance of the Santa Joaquina health center.
In the past, they were in charge of the library, but today, internet access and cell phones have closed that cycle of service. They regret the loss of reading, meeting neighbors and the opportunities to accompany homework. This group deeply values the formative processes and the accompaniment provided by the sisters, which has been constant for more than 40 years. They are sincerely grateful for the unconditionality, closeness and creativity in the formation, always adapted to the needs of the group and the environment in which they live. The monthly meetings, in addition to addressing the corresponding agenda, are also a meeting place where they share both the gratifying and painful things they experience in their families.
In Santo Domingo we also visited the colonial zone: the center of the city, the boardwalk that defends the city from the strong waves and at the same time beautifies it with recreational spaces. The small square where the royal houses are located, the first sundial of the continent, the church of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, the Cathedral, part of the wall adorned with cannons, offers a very nice view, in addition to the historical memory that is collected there. On the sidewalk next to the small square is the altar to the homeland, a former church and convent expropriated from the Society of Jesus.
On the boardwalk there is also a majestic sculpture of Fray Antonio Montesinos, who was concerned about defending the indigenous people from the colonizers:
Tell me, by what right and by what justice do you hold these Indians in such cruel and horrible servitude? By what authority have you waged such detestable wars against these people who were in their meek and peaceful lands, where so many of them, with death and havoc never heard of, have you consumed? […] Are these not men?
Santa Joaquina de Vedruna Medical Dispensary
This is a small medical center that provides services in various health areas to the people of the area. The services are valued for the close and familiar attention provided in the areas of laboratory, general medicine, pediatrics, gynecology and dentistry.
The professional body provides its services as a volunteer, since the center does not have the financial means to remunerate health professionals. They only receive a symbolic contribution, compared to what they can earn in a private practice or on a state contract. The dream is that one day the state will include them on its payroll. The reception of patients and the cleaning and beautification service is in charge of the Amigas Vedruna volunteers, who divide the shifts of the week according to their possibilities.
Vedruna Technical Training Center
This is a professional training space at a technical level for people in the sector, especially young people, mostly over 18 years old. In agreement with the Instituto Nacional de Formación Tecnico Profesional(INFOTEC) they offer several courses to work in bank cashier, pharmacy, dressmaking, various areas of beauty, handicrafts with recycling material…
The facilities are simple, 4 classrooms with a capacity of no more than 25 students each. The people who coordinate the center are satisfied that many of the students get jobs or, according to their economic possibilities, start small businesses.
The team that coordinates the center is made up of five lay people, accompanied by a sister. The atmosphere is simple and of teamwork, in which each of the members has a role to play, supporting each other so that the project continues to move forward.
Los Guandules Community
Today, the three sisters of this community continue to be a constant presence in the area, acting as neighbors who contribute according to their possibilities and in tune with the reality of the sector. They accompany the life inserted in the neighborhood, the walk of the simple people, the adolescents and young people, participating in their searches and hopes through formation contextualized to the specific needs of each generation. One of the sisters is also the director of the Vedruna Las Palmas School.
The group of Vedruna Friends of Los Guandules is composed of about 20 people, mostly women, who meet once a month. In the meetings they deal with formation topics about the moment of the Church, liturgical seasons and the Vedruna Charism.
In one afternoon, we had the opportunity to spend time with many of them. During this meeting, they shared the dynamics of their meetings, which are held once a month. They begin with the reading of a text from the Gospel or an event of reality, illuminated by the Word of God or by a letter of Joaquina de Vedruna. After reflection, each one communicates what she has experienced during the month, which includes activities such as visits to the sick, participation in the life of the parish through songs, readings, welcoming celebrations and catechesis, among others. This group, full of faith and dedication, represents an important source of support and commitment to the community, reflecting the spirit of service and love that characterizes the Vedruna family.
Vedruna School of Las Palmas
This is an educational institution run by a sister and a management team. Teachers are appointed by the state, as are educational materials, which are also provided by the state. However, the school is responsible for finding the necessary resources for the maintenance of the infrastructure and improvements in its facilities. Here the Vedruna community accompanies the educational process, from the style of the Vedruna Educational Proposal, strengthening the Vedruna spirituality and philosophy.
The educational team has expressed its satisfaction with the family atmosphere at the center. There is adequate management, marked by collaboration, mutual support and the responsibility of each member in their specific role. However, one of the constant challenges they face is how to address the situation of children referred to as “dead alive parents” children, i.e., those children who do not receive the necessary attention from their families. For these children, leaving the school day means being exposed to the street playing, not completing their homework or continuing their learning process.
Fe y Alegría Matilde School
In this place, the sisters developed a deeply committed socio-pastoral educational work. Matilda was the first Dominican sister, who died very young.
Sabaneta Community
The community is dedicated to show the face of the Good Jesus from the Vedruna Charism, being merciful and committed to the impoverished and their cause; sensitive to the social and ecological reality, welcoming people who come to our house, especially young people and with whom we share life in mission, promoting a vocational culture.
Here we met the young people of the summer camp, who are between 15 and 24 years old. They are in charge of preparing and carrying out a few weeks of alternative vacations for the children of this rural area. In addition to organizing various recreational, educational and creative activities, they invite people from the area to help with the children’s snacks.
We were also with the Vedruna Friends of Sabaneta, who are initiating the formative process about the life of the laity in the Church, their calls and commitments. They are all teachers at the Federico García Godoy public school, where one of our sisters works. Their Christian commitment is lived in the family and by visiting the sick, participating in the various groups of the parish: welcome to the celebrations, visits to the sick, lectors and the ministry of singing.
Assembly of the Dominican Republic
We had the assembly of the sisters of the Dominican Republic, with the participation of the seven sisters who are in the country. We worked on the theme of synodality and shared leadership. In this space they were able to share that they feel confirmed and recognizing that some steps have been taken in these areas, both at the level of the country and the province. There were resonances around how to be creative and look for ways to strengthen the communities that are more fragile.
They are aware of themselves not only as Caribbean, but as part of the entire province of VedrunAmerica. There is a great desire to generate a dynamic in the continent in such a way that as few presences as possible are closed, as well as to be in an attitude of discernment to determine which presences to reinforce, which to accompany until the closure and which to close already, because there is no other alternative.
It was a pleasant day and we finished with lunch and a long after-dinner conversation.
More than peculiarities, in the Dominican Republic we were struck by the variety of names given to fruits and tubers in the Caribbean: for example, papaya here is called lechosa, while passion fruit is known as chinola. We also look at the words for transportation: the use of motorcycles as public transportation is called conchar, and the public service bus is called guagua. A small grocery store is called a colmado.
We also noticed that many people have nicknames and it has been the case that after knowing them that way for many years, they do not know their real name. We had this experience these days in one of the meetings: we were with a neighbor lady, known for all her life and when we asked her to introduce herself, no one knew her real name. Some examples of nicknames: Esteban is Pulungo, Altagracia is Petín, Angela is Negra, Camila Aidé is Ibelice….
Finally, we heard a striking popular belief, told by the person who experienced it in her family. A mother had 13 children, of whom the first six died for various health reasons and at different ages. The mother, not getting an answer from the doctors as to why her children died, goes to a fortune teller. She told her that the child who was still alive had the solution: when he was playing, calmly, she would hit him. With pain the mother did it and from then on her 7 children survived.
Haiti
Due to the situation of violence and insecurity in Haiti, the three sisters present here decided to leave the country before the closing of the border. After deep discernment and with great sorrow, they settled at a border point in the Dominican Republic, specifically in Jimani, in November 2024. This border point is located between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and the supply of food, construction materials, industrial products, among others, transits through it to Port-au-Prince. In their new location, the sisters continue to accompany the mission in Haiti, and in the town of Jimaní they have begun to develop pastoral and social activities in collaboration with the NGO Montalvo, directed by the Jesuit Fathers.
Given the current situation of violence in Haiti and the closure of the border, the community accompanies, both virtually and in person when possible and necessary, the educators, the Health Center and the water purification plant on the border. This community has the following objectives:
- To allow ourselves to be humanized by the people, learning from their values, such as the simplicity of their lifestyle, their culture, listening to their cries, their dreams and their longings. Keeping our ear attentive to God; our eyes fixed on Jesus, identifying with Him and making Him the center of our lives; and our feet in the suffering reality of our world, committing ourselves to the liberating project of Jesus.
- To live with enough, accepting what is different, defending the right to a dignified life for all. In this reality in which we live, we are called to listen to the groans of this abused and plundered earth, making grow in us and in the mission we carry in our hands a growing sensitivity to the environment and the care of nature. (Vedruna Family, Casa de Puertas Abiertas, Nº.3).
- 3. Cultivate relationships of love and tenderness with God and all of creation, making the community a place of welcome for each person as he/she is. With the Parish of St. Joseph, whose leaders are the Claretians, they are looking for their place of insertion in it.
The meeting with the sisters of this community took place in the street, between two market sheds, surrounded by the noise of the trucks supplying the stores. This environment was very meaningful for us, as it reflects in a palpable way the reality of Haiti and what it means to be inserted in the midst of the poorest. In the dialogue, four key elements emerged that coincided with our own reflections:
- Awareness of the presence of the God of Life, who walks with his people
- The trust placed in them by the sisters and the Congregation
- The constant communication that they maintain, accompanying them both from a distance and in close proximity to resolve concerns
- The reaffirmation thatthe services they provide are absolutely necessary, especially in this emergency context. Education, food and health are fundamental for children to be able to get ahead and, in time, become agents of transformation in their reality.
El Limón Community
It is dedicated to support and offer a process of formation and sacramental catechesis. Here is Betania Montero, UNHCR representative in Jimaní. As a social worker, she is in charge of being attentive and paying attention to the children, especially the deported Haitian children. She is in charge of making known the rights of children born on Dominican soil. There is also Mateo Austin, representative of CEDECO, who works for human rights, especially with deported Haitians.
Our perception of Haiti is that almost no one is interested in the solution of the conflict that is taking place there. However, Haitians dream and believe that the day will come when everything will be organized and at peace. We all carry within us solidarity and humanity: there are many gestures of welcome, help and hospitality. At the same time, a sector of the population clearly feels the discrimination against Haitians. One senses the fear they have of being deported to their country, when they see or sense the danger of deportation, they run and flee. The army trucks drive around all day to capture undocumented immigrants and then hand them over to the “migra”, since they must complete the number of deportations that the government asks of them. There are people who have been deported up to three times and return through the mountains, walking up to three days because there are no means to survive in their land.
The other chronicles of the visit are already available:
