While reflecting on mission and the path of synodality proposed by Pope Francis, I find myself thinking of the presence and work of two companions who have enriched our mission at the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers center in the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia.
“We know how beautiful and tiring that journey has been,” said Pope Francis. “We are making it together as a people who, even in our own day, are a sign and an instrument of intimate union with God and of the unity of the whole human race.”
A year ago, we welcomed John O’Donoghue, a returned Maryknoll lay missioner who continues to serve in mission, and Victor Artaiz, a Franciscan lay missioner who is in the process of joining Maryknoll Lay Missioners. They are part of our community.
O’Donoghue began his mission journey at 29 years old, when he served with the Peace Corps in Lesotho, in southern Africa. At age 40, he met Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta while serving for a year with the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India. O’Donoghue, a native of Ireland, says this profound experience strengthened his desire to volunteer and instilled in him a way of serving the world.
At age 53, O’Donoghue joined Maryknoll Lay Missioners, where he served for 17 years. In East Timor, he supported a program that manufactured specialized shoes, wheelchairs and hand-operated tricycles for people with disabilities. In Kenya, he worked on income-generating and microfinance projects to help alleviate poverty. In Bolivia, he served with the Missionaries of Charity for seven years.
Now retired, O’Donoghue continues to volunteer. Twice a week, he cares for the sick who have been abandoned by their families at a Missionaries of Charity shelter in Cochabamba. “We have challenging moments,” O’Donoghue says. “But when I arrive here in the morning, I feel a tremendous sense of joy, peace, and happiness.”
For Victor Artaiz, from Connecticut, his mission calling came after working in sales for 30 years. He joined the Franciscan Mission Service in 2021 and was assigned to Cochabamba. He served in prison ministry for men at El Abra prison and provided spaces for the homeless to shower. He also helped at the Cristo Rey children’s home.
Maryknoll Father Juan Zúñiga, who is now a member of Maryknoll’s ruling General Council in New York, had invited Artaiz to help with prison ministry. Artaiz then started working with Maryknoll Father Gregory McPhee in the community of Los Molinos in Tiquipaya, where he served alongside Maryknoll Lay Missioner Louise Locke in an after-school program.
His Franciscan spirit has led Artaiz to commit to caring for Mother Earth. At our center, he collaborates with our composting program and the Agroecological and Holistic Medicine Producers’ Fair held every Thursday.
“This community has provided me with fruitful relationships that have broadened my knowledge of the culture and strengthened my faith through daily Mass and spiritual conversations,” Artaiz says.
He began the orientation with Maryknoll Lay Missioners in El Paso, Texas, this fall.
Since 2021, several independent institutions have reemerged at our center, carrying on mission and training activities. Committed to care for creation, working with people with disabilities, missioner training, technology, personal growth and language instruction for missioners, these institutions have found a home here.
In addition, the center hosts groups such as the Christophers and the Federation of Older Adults, which meet for workshops and spiritual retreats.
Working together with these institutions has taught us the wisdom of Bolivian culture and cooperation, as well as the importance of caring for the land and what it provides.
In the same way, the support of our mission partners O’Donoghue and Artaiz enriches our community. As Pope Francis pointed out, we must build vibrant and diverse communities that foster collaboration among people with different charisms and life choices.
Featured image: John O’Donoghue, Victor Artaiz, Maryknoll lay missioners and returned Maryknoll lay missioners (from right to left) serve in mission in different ministries in Cochabamba, Bolivia. (Courtesy of Alejandro Marina/Bolivia)
