On March 19, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, a group of 13 pilgrims from New York and Boston embarked on their first mission trip to Madagascar.
Among global ranks, Madagascar is considered one of the least developed countries in the world, 90% of the population faces an impoverished quality of life. Given these conditions, education is broadly inaccessible and under-resourced.
I was one of the blessed pilgrims that went to serve Shalom Madagascar located in Antsiranana, a city in the north of the country. We brought 13 luggage filled with generous donations and interacted with the kids there throughout the school day doing various activities like sports, painting, health checks, nutrition workshop, dance, and English classes.
Shalom Madagascar serves as an oasis for over 140 children in providing basic academic instruction, learning about the Catholic faith, and meeting their basic needs like providing them lunch meals/snacks and the opportunity to shower every day.
The community itself also helps the parents/guardians of these children by offering them the opportunity to take cooking classes as a way to show them the importance of nutrition for their families and how to provide nutritional meals with the limited food they have access to outside of Shalom.
Something truly beautiful that Vanda, the head missionary, said was the class also teaches them the importance of their human dignity. Through the lens of the faith, it shows them self-respect and care for their person as living temples where God dwells in us and are made in His image.
She said the people of the area have a habit of rushing in eating their food when they have the chance to eat because of hunger. The message she says they try to teach the people is that human beings don’t nourish the food, on the contrary the food is what nourishes us. Taking our time to appreciate the gift of food, but also the enjoyment of eating honors our human dignity.
Vanda shared in their evangelization the missionaries work like ants in talking about the Catholic faith with the Malagasy people. They first get to know and develop a relationship with the people they encounter, by visiting their homes and seeing their living conditions. The missionaries work in fulfilling basic needs like providing food and then guided by the Holy Spirit introduce them to God and help them cultivate their faith and foster hope.
Challenges Faced in Carrying Out the Mission
The Shalom House itself is a modest dwelling.
For example, to help you get a sense of some of the challenges the missionaries have:
Things that we take for granted at home like having WiFi accessibility and electricity are some of these challenges. While there we would experience the internet connection and the electricity shut off usually around late afternoon/evenings leaving us with flashlights to help get around the space.
Additionally, two very small classrooms hold between 35-50 students and are not equipped with fans or any other forms of air circulation, the reason being is that the country’s lack of infrastructure and reliance on costly energy sources keeps the electricity expensive. The classrooms don’t have basic items you find in a typical classroom like chalkboard erasers.
While helping the teachers shower the kids, I saw four stalls resembling portable restroom structures, but used for showers right behind a four foot wall that separates it from a chicken coop . There are no shower heads and the children work together to bring buckets of water from a well at the back of the Shalom house for their showers. A year ago they discovered there was water underneath the grounds, a big blessing as most people in the area don’t have access to clean water and have limited means to obtain. They had only two towels to dry off the boys and girls. Imagine the number of kids and only having two towels ( thankfully we were able to get them additional ones).
The Joys of the Mission
Picture the sound of children singing Shalom songs translated into Malagasy/French, reciting prayers from their classrooms, their laughter coming from those same classrooms & the courtyard, or – before the start of the school day – the sound of a bell rung by Vanda that indicates either (mass is about to start or it was time to say grace before any of the meals for the day).
What really makes Shalom Madagascar quite special in addition to all the children, are the five missionaries present every day that are the backbone to the operations here. You can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in them. The way regardless of the challenges they face by simply living and carrying out the Shalom mission in a country, where over 90 percent of the population lives in poverty and resources are limited, is something that can only be explained by the strength of their faith and how the Holy Spirit works within them. This divine strength is outwardly projected through in the way they carry on in their daily work. A work that especially with the kids shines through their warmth expressed with hugs and smiles, making sure each child knows they are precious and loved.
The fruit of their teachings and work is shown in the children. Something that struck us was the wonderful matters of these children. The youngest are three, four, and five years-old; the way they act are well beyond their years. For example, with this age group when we were giving out candies while they were painting, they waited until all the children in the classroom had a candy in hand and said a prayer before having them.
Monday, when we met all the kids that attended the school, we saw several dressed in their best clothing and others in clothing that was torn and worn out. We also saw that the majority either were bare foot or had sandals. When we distributed the donations on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday it was incredible to witness their immense joy when they received their new article of clothing, rosaries, and goodies. They wore their new clothing after their shower and even put on a fashion show happily showcasing their new outfit.
To Love And Be Loved. The Love of God is the Ultimate Treasure We Hold.
A takeaway of this experience is that regardless of the donations they received, what they cherished the most was our affection towards them. All earthly gifts are unmatched for what is rooted in the human capacity through God’s gift for us to love and be loved. In the eyes, smiles, laughter, and innocence of these kids we saw the seeds of these interactions blossom in love.
We experienced this with all the kids, but especially with our interactions with six extraordinary kids named Chamela, Gina, Gianna, Nana, Victoria, Didier, and Anjara. Their ages range from the youngest (Chamela) 4 years-old to the oldest (Nana)15 years-old. Three of them (Nana, Gina, and Victoria) stay at the Shalom house for different familial reasons and another three are being helped with some temporary housing off site while permanent homes are in the process of being built for them thanks to the generous contributions of benefactors of the Shalom work.
The six kids accompanied Vanda to pick us up at the airport. It is a marvel to see how quickly they became accustomed to our presence. We went from being complete strangers, to becoming familiar faces as if we have known each other for all their lives.
Fun fact about them – they know three languages: Malagasy, French, and Portuguese.
In conversation with Nana, the oldest of the six children, what particularly stood out to me was when she said, “O amor de Deus é meu tesouro”, which translates to “the love of God is my treasure. She said this while pointing to an image on her necklace of the Divine Mercy. Nana suffered the loss of her parents in 2020 and with her sister Gina didn’t have one until Shalom Madagascar became their home.
Her words strike a humbling understanding of what it means to have true and genuine faith. An understanding that regardless of the hardships, conditions, and crosses you carry, what keeps you going is God and His love for you. God always calls us and offers us His love. It is about asking Him to give us strength to surrender ourselves because it is there in that total surrender that we meet God and come to know His Love that never ceases.
Nana is an example for us all on the power of not only accepting His love that is freely given, but also about reciprocating our love to Our Father, especially in Lent. A time that is ultimately meant for us to allow ourselves to be transformed by seeking and desiring to grow closer to God.
St. Joseph’s Presence, God’s Mercy, Jubilee Year of Hope and the Grace to Help our Brothers and Sisters
In addition to God’s presence, St. Joseph’s accompaniment in this trip was also felt beginning from the moment the pilgrims departed for mission on his feast day. There are two icons of St. Joseph on the Shalom grounds, in the dining room and outside the courtyard. The six kids have a medal of the Holy Family. It is in St. Joseph’s obedience to God and his unbreakable faith that we can see with hope God’s promises completed in history, present, and in the future. That is what ultimately sustains us, having faith and trust to persevere on earth. These kids embody that a strong faith is possible regardless of the hardships.
On the day of the return back to the United States, it was Laetare Sunday – a day that anticipates the joy of Easter, Christ’s resurrection. A reminder through the gospel reading of the Prodigal Son that God loves us equally with his merciful heart.
The kingdom of God is heaven and earth. Jesus is fully alive among us and is calling us back to Him. This is what this Jubilee Year of Hope is about, renewing our relationship with Christ by having faith at the foundation of hope. It is about recognizing that we are united with Christ and with each other as one church. As one church we have a duty to bring Christ to those who don’t know Him and share in this hope with others. Christ walks with those who have the least. We serve Him when we serve them. As Mother Teresa once said, “ a life not lived for others is not a life.”
This is the fruit of the mission trip: a renewed call to serve those in need.
So far, Shalom in Madagascar relies on the generosity of 9 benefactors who help provide children with access to quality education. With just $50 a month, a child can attend a private Catholic school, receive daily meals, have access to a daily shower, and transportation to and from school.
You too can become a benefactor and make a lasting difference in a child’s life. By following the link below, you can set up your monthly sponsorship or make a one-time donation. Every contribution is deeply appreciated and truly needed.
Pilgrim Testimonies
Mayeline Fernandez, Shalom Boston
“It was such a great trip to do during the Lent season. Before the trip I already knew that I would receive so much from the Malagasy people. I already knew that even though we were the ones seemingly giving to those in need, we would receive so much more from them. I already knew that they would be a people full of gratitude, love, joy, and with a strong faith. But it was so moving to experience all of this in person. To live in similar living conditions as them— in the hot weather without air conditioning and sometimes without electricity. To get to know the Malagasy children who go to the Space of Peace. To see how they always gave thanks to God before eating. To see how intelligent and talented the children were. To get to know the Malagasy culture. It was so moving to be united to the Malagasy people and to experience all their love, joy, and gratitude in person.”
Jacob Checo, Shalom New York
“My experience with the children and missionaries in Madagascar was one that I’ll never forget. In a beautiful way, their lack of material goods seemed to fuel their abundance of joy. Despite their poverty, both the missionaries and the children were able to greet us and take us into their homes with open arms and open hearts. Their desire to know God and to understand the mystery of His love was poured out on us through their generous smiles, their laughter, their tears, and their prayers. They’ve etched their names into my heart and I’m grateful beyond measure to all the benefactors, missionaries, and families involved in the maintenance and use of the “Space Of Peace” mission in Madagascar. Shalom!”
James K, Shalom New York
” Madagascar is one of the 10 poorest countries in the world, as measured by GDP.
While it was clear to us on the mission trip what the people lacked in terms of good housing, reliable electricity, access to clean water, and many other basic necessities, it was also clear that many of them were still grateful to God for what they had and were willing to share what they could: a smile, a greeting, even an invitation to come into their humble homes for a visit.
I was also truly humbled by the offering of the Life Community missionaries. The six of them, far from their homes, in an unfamiliar culture and language, experiencing material poverty and hardships but still working to bring Christ to all they meet.
Finally, I’ll never forget the children singing Happy Birthday to me in English on my birthday. They were the ones who enriched my life and made all the sacrifices that it took to get there and stay there worthwhile.
I thank God for this experience, and pray I can continue to share my story so others may be inspired to assist in this good work that God is accomplishing through this mission.”
Nataly Lado
