Carmellita

In December 2009 I took a trip to see Fr. Bernie in Coban. The goal was to check on the two containers of aid sent there. Apart from verifying that the cargo and handling was just fine, what I encountered was a chance to learn about the community that two priests, Fr. Bernie and Fr. Basil had built.

Fr. Bernie and Fr. Basil were sent to Guatemala in the early seventies to establish a Benedictine community much like the one found in Collegeville, MN. The Benedictine Association of Coban was founded and they established a monastery, raised a church, and built a following.

Currently on the "compound" they are working on finishing off a two newly constructed buildings dedicated for a Multimedia Training Center. Beds, chairs, and tables included in the cargo will help fill the buildings.


We also toured some communities northwest of Coban. In one, where Fr. Bernie already built and established a school and now they are building a chicken coop that will hopefully house 1000 birds.

In another, named Las Palmas, they were pouring the concrete floors in a structure that will become the school. After viewing the school we were walking back to the truck when I was told the caretaker of the school wanted me to meet his daughter. She had received a walker from us. Her father said since she was gifted the walker her attitude changed dramatically. She is up and around.

They told me that beforehand Carmella was not actively walking on her own. Her parents had tried to have a medical team operate on her clubbed feet but the doctors detected she had a cold on the day of surgery. He said because of her malnutrition and a lack of money they stopped seeking care.


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UPDATE from Fr. Bernie 2/2/10:
Hi Karin, Oscar my helper is in the city with Carmelita who has her feet twisted. He is doing the rounds with the head of Pediatrics in the hospital San Juan de Dios. She will go to the city on the 19th of February and have her operation then. We had the idea of having the gringo doctors do it but they do not do this type of operation since it needs followup etc.
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A MESSAGE program volunteer has kindly pledged a donation of $150 towards the expenses for transportation, food, and lodging to support Carmella and her family during her surgery!