News

Two weeks in mission builds a new church

By Jeff Kurowski
Compass Assistant Editor

Despite enduring a more than four-hour bus trip on rough, winding roads to reach their destination in the Dominican Republic; eating meals by candlelight because there was no electricity; struggling to sleep at night because of noise from dogs, roosters and chickens; taking showers by pouring cold water out of a small cottage cheese container; and working day after day in extreme heat; it was a trip of a lifetime for a group of men from the N.E. Wisconsin Men's Mission.

In late February, eight men traveled to the diocesan mission in the Dominican Republic to build a mission church in Pinzon, located 20 minutes outside Elias Piña on the Haiti-Dominican Republic border. Fr. Bill Hoffman, pastor of St. Therese Parish in Appleton, who was in the Dominican Republic prior to the group's arrival, joined them for the outreach project.

Cal Martin of Kaukauna, founder of the N.E. Wisconsin Men's Mission, which grew out of the Fox Valley Mission Group, has helped the poor in Belize, Mexico, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, but for many in the group, including Art Hebert of Wild Rose, it was their first mission trip.

"The good Lord put me in this situation," said Hebert, a member of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Poy Sippi. "I saw information in The Compass about the trip, so I cut it out. I thought to myself, I'm 71 years old, in good health, I'd like to go. I didn't act on it right away. My wife, Marilyn, encouraged me to call Cal, so I did. He suggested that I try to find more men for the trip."

Hebert helped to bring Chris Waldhart of Redgranite, Toby Sanborn of Peshtigo Ed Mauthe of Fremont, and former Wisconsin resident Jim Schneider of Coal Creek, Colo., on board to join Martin, Fr. Hoffman, Bob Katzenbach of Green Bay and Dave Simon of Little Chute.

"It had to be the work of the Holy Spirit," said Hebert. "How else can you explain this group coming together?"

The living conditions immediately struck group members making their first visit to Elias Piña.

"The people don't have anything," said Hebert. "We are spoiled here. It's unbelievable how they live with so little."

"I didn't expect things to be as bad as they were," said Mauthe, brother of Fr. Richard Mauthe. "It really caught me off guard. When we had to eat in the dark, I thought to myself, what have I got myself into? These people deal with these conditions every day."

The men built the church in a plateau region surrounded by mountains. The extreme heat was a challenge.

"It's the dry season there at this time," said Fr. Hoffman, who served in the Dominican Republic for 19 years. "On one hand, rain doesn't stop the work, but you understand what these people deal with as far as the heat."

Fr. Mike Seis, a priest from the Diocese of Green Bay, serves two parishes, St. Teresa in Elias Piña and St. Isadore in El Llano, plus more than 90 rural settlements spread across the countryside. The new church will serve the rural community. Local men worked with the N.E. Wisconsin Men's Mission to build the church.

"They were relatively quiet, which was good because we couldn't understand them and they couldn't understand our language," said Mauthe. "We communicated with hand gestures. We worked well together. They are good people, very good people."

"If you parked a wheelbarrow, the locals jumped in to help," said Hebert. "They were so helpful and gracious."

Learning about life for the local families was a highlight, he added.

"Fr. Bill made sure I saw a house," he said. "We wouldn't live in something like they do. They had a separate building as a kitchen where they cooked. That way if a fire started, it wouldn't burn down the house."

Hebert connected with the local kids, teaching the boys how to arm wrestle and taking photos on his digital camera.

"They all wanted their picture taken, and they all wanted to show it to the other children," he said. "It was wonderful for them to see themselves. At church, they would just look at you and smile."

In two weeks, the men were able to build the church, except the floor and roof. Katzenbach placed a cross on the wall. The men prayed before their departure.

"We were together for 14 days and you would think there would be some bickering or bitterness after that amount of time, but we got along very well," said Mauthe. "We also need to thank our wives for their support. It's not easy having to take care of everything for the two weeks while we were gone. It was hard on them"

A trip to the diocesan mission is planned again for February.

"Fr. Mike has a site picked out for us," said Hebert. "I'd like to go back."

"I want to keep going where there is the greatest need," said Martin. "That need is in the Dominican Republic."

For more information or to support the N.E. Wisconsin Men's Mission, contact Cal Martin at (920)766-5704, e-mail: joyce.cal@juno.com or write to: 709 Mallard Drive, Kaukauna 54130.