Article for SOLT Mission Magazine

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 9^th 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.”