‘Serving humanity is like serving God” A Catholic church in Essequibo continues to play a pivotal role in its communities

By Indrawattie Natram

For centuries, the Catholic Church has been known for its effortless humanitarian services, especially reaching out to the most vulnerable in society.
On the Essequibo Coast, the St Francis Xavier Parish Roman Catholic Church in Charity continues to be the “life blood” of the region when it comes to effectively providing its services to the vulnerable communities in the area.
St Francis Xavier Parish, which is headed by Pastor Hugo Cardenas, is renowned for meeting communities’ needs by providing one hot meal to some 400 vulnerable students in areas of Upper and Lower Pomeroon and the Essequibo Coast. Along with feeding students, the church also facilitates a dormitory for male students who attend various secondary schools on the Essequibo Coast.

The meals, which the students uplift, are prepared by local members in the various areas. Feeding programmes are conducted in Charity, Kabakaburi, Lima Sands, Santa Rosa and Malbourgh. Father Humberto Villa, Head of the dormitory, said that there has been an increase in students who are accessing the services offered by the church.
A female dormitory is also planned to be established on the campus of the St Francis Xavier Parish at Charity.
Father Humberto Villa, who is from Argentina, has a degree in Philosophy and Theology, and also serves as assistant priest. He explained that it is a unique opportunity for him especially to have counselling sessions with the boys at an early age.
“It’s a great opportunity to teach the word of Christ to the blooming mind. If you give a cup of water in Christ’s name thou shall be rewarded,” he pointed out in a recent interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine.
While the church was established some decades ago, the dormitory came into being almost four years ago with the intention of offering accommodation to students who could not afford daily transportation costs to school. Most of the students are from the riverain communities, and as such, they would spend the school week at the dormitory then return home on weekends or holidays.
The boys, whose ages ranges from 13-16, are being nurtured at an early age with the teachings of the Catholic Church (which include teaching the ten commandments, mannerisms, self discipline and respect for elders) along with being fed and freely accommodated.
The boys are also afforded recreational activities, especially during holidays. Father Humberto revealed that trips are made to the lakes, and camps are organized where the boys are exposed to games like cricket, football and volleyball.
Humberto stated that as a Father serving his communities and young people, he feels like it is a blessing. “I feel very lucky, to come to this side of the globe to serve my fellow human beings; I am indeed given the best opportunity ever,” he declared.
“Works of the church”
The church is always extending its love to humanity, and has also catered for the homeless and elderly. Father Humberto said priority is also placed on assisting persons who are homeless, building homes for them through a self help initiative. However, he noted that it is only on a small scale since the church cannot afford homes for every homeless person.
Another valuable service that the church has focused on is extending counselling especially to “troubled married couples”. This, he said, has been generating interest, and a lot of couples continue to utilize this service.
Father Humberto said while the church’s primary focus has been its interest in extending the services such as helping the vulnerable, offering counselling in different areas etc, the aim of the church is to present Christ to persons who seek him.
He noted that the church is being supported financially by both local and foreign non-governmental organisations, namely Holy Childhood in Rome, John Fernandes, Institute of Incarnate Word and Cross Catholic outreaches, among others.
Every three months, priests from various churches meet and network, and ideas are exchanged. On Sundays there is Sunday Mass, while during the week there are bible studies, visitations to Christians and home teaching the scriptures. The church is also managed with the assistance of nuns.
Similar churches are located in Suddie, Henrietta, Lima Sands, Aprico, St Louis, Siriki, St John and Malbourgh.
Challenges
While efforts are being made to inculcate the teachings of Christ, Father Humberto acknowledged that the church continues to face numerous challenges. He outlined one as not being able to attract and win many souls. From his observation, he has concluded that there has been an extreme decline in Catholic membership, as many have been joining other denominations over the years. Father Humberto said one of the reasons for this is that people are easily drawn to material resources offered by other churches.