Disciple: A Different Kind of Pilgrimage
By Alexandra Norman and the Rev. Rebecca Yarbrough
If collaboration can take many forms, at the heart of every one of them is relationships. On the day after Easter 2019, five hearty souls boarded a plane in North Carolina to head south to participate in the first annual diocesan-wide pilgrimage to Costa Rica. North Carolina and Costa Rica have been in a companion diocese relationship since the 1990s. The relationship began under Costa Rican bishop the Rt. Rev. Cornelius Wilson, who had North Carolina ties, and was strengthened under the Rt. Rev. Hector Monterroso, who also had a North Carolina connection, and continues with great enthusiasm with the Rt. Rev. Orlando Gómez Segura.
So why did they travel on a different kind of pilgrimage? It was a chance to broaden participation in the companion relationship, to show the fruits of the relationship thus far, to highlight the ties between our dioceses and how they can be a part of our everyday lives, and to give first-timers to Costa Rica an introduction to the work and people of Iglesia Episcopal Costarricense. It was a pilgrimage because we traveled from the capital, San José, to the port city of Límon on the Caribbean coast, stopping along the way to visit and worship with Episcopalians throughout the Diocese. We listened to the stories of the congregations, the clergy and the people, hearing what was going on in their lives and churches, how they were involved in their communities, and what their concerns and hopes are—and we shared some of our concerns and hopes as well. We were bonded over similarities and enriched by the differences, and many lessons were learned.
REACHING OUT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
Sometimes a difference can be made in a community simply by opening the door and looking beyond church walls. We participated in a day called Puertas Abiertas (Open Doors), the first open house held by Iglesia El Buen Pastor in San Jose, Costa Rica’s oldest Episcopal church. Alongside Padre Darren, the rector, and the members of his congregation, we actually stood in a pedestrian street and invited literally hundreds of people to enter and experience the church. It brought a new depth to worship to share Noonday Prayer with some of the people who accepted the invitation. We later learned some of them returned to church the following Sunday. Talk about evangelism—something so simple and yet so powerful. It inspired us and left us asking if it was something we’d be bold enough to try at home.
Prayer wasn’t the only example we saw of churches reaching out to the community. At Iglesia La Ascensión in Desamparados, we learned about their ecumenical work, including a multi-denominational Stations of the Cross, as well as their Alcoholics Anonymous program.
We saw, too, that sometimes it isn’t about the church making the first move to reach out. Sometimes it’s a single person who plants the seed that grows into a church’s garden. Esperanza Viva, a ministry started by a woman named Rosibel with the support of Iglesia El Buen Pastor, was founded to provide support for women with HIV/AIDS who were abandoned by their families. Over the years, they have grown to support not only women but the entire LGBTQ community, providing temporary housing for people in San Jose for treatment and advocacy for those who face discrimination.
We saw that dynamic at work again in Límon, where we had dinner with Marva Dixon, senior warden at San Marcos, who spoke passionately about the need for the Church to become engaged in helping with the unemployment problems in the city and envisioning a new future for Límon. Rosibel’s courage, and The Episcopal Church’s support of her work have made such a difference, and there’s no doubt Marva’s love of neighbor and community will make a big difference, too. Both are examples of carrying faith beyond church doors to live it out in community. It’s a step every one of us has the power to take.
NURTURING THE FUTURE
In a meeting with San José-area clergy, conversation was had around common challenges, not the least of which is building young adult ministry. Costa Rica has a huge central university, and the Diocese owns property nearby and hopes to turn it into a “hub” for student ministry. As always, the question is how to reach them. The North Carolina pilgrims shared the YEAH app (Disciple, Winter 2019) developed by the Rev. Adrienne Koch in Raleigh, and Costa Ricans downloaded the app right then and there. Bishop Orlando is passionate in the formation of young lay leaders and is excited to explore how we can mutually help one another strengthen youth ministries. There are encouraging signs of it happening sooner rather than later, as one of the pilgrims returned home with a deep desire to link her college, Saint Augustine’s University, with Costa Rica for young adult work. What a wonderful opportunity for partnership!
But the introduction into a community of faith doesn’t start with young adults, any more than it does here. In both dioceses, children are great priorities. We visited two Hogar Escuelas, in Barrio Cuba and Heredia, founded to keep children off the street while mothers work at low-paying jobs for as many as 12 hours a day. They are places of light, love and lots of learning, serving together more than 300 children ages 6 months to 12 years. We visited the Teen Center under construction in Heredia, on which two groups from North Carolina will be working this summer, so the Heredia school can provide a safe place for kids older than 12 before and after school. The work of Hogar Escuelas reaches even further than the communities they serve, as they were the inspiration for the Las Escuelitas at Holy Comforter, Charlotte; St. Mark’s, Huntersville, and St. Alban’s, Davidson. Visiting the schools was yet more proof that learning and inspiration go both ways when a relationship is truly mutual.
CELEBRATION
The work happening in Costa Rica is fantastic and inspiring (just as it is in North Carolina), but we were invited and reminded, too, to remember the importance of celebration alongside that work. On our last day in Límon, we worshipped with the congregation of Iglesia San Marcos on their Fiesta Patronale—their “saint’s day,” the Feast of St. Mark.
The service was a beautiful celebration of the love of God. Joined by the choir of San Francisco de Asis from up the hill, there were guest clergy (including the Rev. Rebecca Yarbrough, an unexpected honor) and a huge party afterward, during which the history of the congregation was retold, and music, dancing, wonderful food and great MCs were enjoyed by all in attendance. The plain parish hall was transformed with drapery and balloons, fancy tablecloths and flowers, and the pilgrims were included in every bit of the festivities. We felt so welcomed, overwhelmed by the hospitality of the people and their capacity for celebration.
The feast was not all we celebrated. From a broader perspective, on every moment of the trip we celebrated all we have in common with our Costa Rican neighbors, and we even celebrated the differences. We learned we share so many things: a love of good food and music, our Eucharistically centered worship based on the Book of Common Prayer even when the languages were different, our concerns about young adult ministry and the challenges of reaching out to introduce people to the Episcopal Church.
We learned our bishops share many priorities, and that the work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King is honored in Costa Rica just as much as it is here. We were reminded about how schedule-oriented we are, and how we could learn a lesson from living on “Tico time,” a much more relaxed approach to time. We relearned that to be welcoming and hospitable is time well spent. We found common desire to care for creation and were impressed with the steps already taken on that front, an example of which was a country wide ban on plastic straws. And in taking the time to take a breath and enjoy the moment, we experience joys like enjoying the mango tree in the front yard of Diocesan House, watching Capuchin monkeys at
the beach and sloths in the trees, and eating empanadas in an open-air “soda.”
A DIFFERENT APPROACH
This trip was different from many traditional mission trips, but a great deal can be learned from taking even a day or two to spend time with the people of Costa Rica, to share a meal, to worship together and find ways potentially to work together. Our companion relationship should not be just about us “norteamericanos” going down to “help;” when that’s all it is, we miss so many opportunities to learn and make new friends—to build relationships.
To anyone traveling to the land of our companion diocese, take the time to come together to revel in the gift of this formal relationship, share ideas and learn from one another. Use the opportunity to work together as we are able, and put predecided priorities on hold for just a bit to support fully instead the priorities of the people you meet. Granted, it’s a bit more difficult than a standard mission trip, especially if a congregation has gone for years and approached the mission trips a certain way. But a change to a more relational trip format helps to create relationships, build mutual learning and better enable us to understand a culture that’s not completely unfamiliar, but still quite different from our own, and abundant with its own special gifts.
GET STARTED
Costa Rica companion diocese officer Alexandra Norman stands ready to help any group design an upcoming trip to incorporate more time for relationship-building. She will be in North Carolina from November 11, 2019 through January 3, 2020. She’s happy to meet with any clergy, congregation, outreach or mission group, youth missioners or anyone interested in learning more about the Costa Rica companion relationship during that time. She can explain how to plan a work pilgrimage, and help you build relational time into your trip.
Another great resource to get you started is the Leader Guide.
2020 COSTA RICA PILGRIMAGE
The 2020 Diocesan Pilgrimage to Costa Rica will take place March 23 – April 2, 2020. Cost will be approximately $750 per person (virtually all-inclusive), plus airfare. It will be another cross-country pilgrimage, with many opportunities for time with our Costa Rican brothers and sisters, a work day or two, and time to enjoy the beauty of the country. Save the dates now, and watch diocesan communications for more information on registration. To stay in direct touch with developments, contact the Rev. Rebecca Yarbrough.
Alexandra Norman is the companion diocese officer for the Diocese of North Carolina. The Rev. Rebecca Yarbrough is the Costa Rica companion diocese committee chair for the Diocese of North Carolina.
