Education plays a central
part in the work of the ecclesial family team at Our Lady of Mount
Carmel mission in Benque Viejo Del Carmen, Belize. Our Lady of Mt.
Carmel oversees the education of approximately 1,800 students between
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel primary school, two elementary schools in the
villages of Arenal and Calla Creek, and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High
School.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High
School was founded by Fr. John McHugh in 1990 with only a few
classrooms and some young and eager American volunteers. The high
school has come a long way in the last 20 years and now has an
enrollment of more than 400 students and is primarily staffed by
Belizean teachers. 12 new American volunteers still come each year;
having the volunteers present helps maintain the original vision for
the school, to educate and serve those students most in need. In
Belize a high school education is highly valued. To graduate high
school is a great achievement; many of our graduates are the first in
their family to complete high school.
There is a great gift and
responsibility having so many young people in our care. When I first
arrived Fr. John Robinson and I were discussing the privilege of
being an education and the great impact you have on the students
lives. He told me we have to be very present in the schools. We
reach 1,800 kids in our schools, far more than we see at Mass on
Sunday. This is where we can form them, and therefore form the
culture.
Each member of the team
serves in education in one way or another. Between the weekly
Masses, retreats, and confessions, the priest do an excellent job
serving the students. In my English class the 9th grade
students wrote a journal entry about school and at least half of them
mentioned Mass and Friday being their favorite day of school because
they get to go to Mass, even the ones who aren't Catholic! The
priests do an excellent serving the students. The students know the
priests love them; it's beautiful to witness. The sisters, along
with the candidates for priesthood, serve in the primary schools.
They teach religion to all grades and give courses, including
Theology of the Body to the teachers. S.O.L.T. Lay members serve as
a teacher in the high school, and as the Director of Catechetics at
the parish, preparing formation and retreats for the lay ministers
and organizing classes for the Sacraments.
Serving as a lay person as a member of the team at this mission has been a wonderful blessing. I am constantly learning from, confiding in, and being inspired by my team members. More importantly than the work we share is how we function, striving to love each other as a family. My mom, upon visiting last year, was the first to bring it to my attention. She shared with me how worried she had been having her daughter so far away in a developing country, but after visiting she wouldn't worry anymore. She said, “It's so great to see you're taken care of. You have a family here. I can see the priests and the sisters really love you and you love them. I don't have to worry. I know you'll be taken care of.”