Sharing the Love of God in Batesville, Texas

This year we were blessed to have a very large and talented group of young women bring their enthusiasm and love of God to the people of Batesville.  Eight young women from Louisiana, one young woman from Alabama, and our affiliate in Uvalde, Julissa Garcia, joined five of the sisters for the week long Vacation Bible School from June 8-16.

Sr. Clarice Suchy, Sr. Margaret Ann Mire, Sr. Grace Bambo and novice Arlyne Casas traveled with the young women from Covington to Uvalde on June 8.  On Saturday, June 9 the group gathered together at the Loma Vista Ranch in Batesville for a day of retreat and preparation for our experience.  Sr. Dolores Aviles led us in our reflections for the day as we shared about the treasure that God has given to each of us and worked on building community within the group.  In the evening Lorraine Coleman and her husband, the owners of the ranch, treated us to a wonderful barbeque dinner.

On Sunday, June 10 we gathered with the people of Batesville for Sunday mass.  After the mass the volunteers went two by two to visit the different houses in Batesville.  They invited the families to the afternoon Bingo and encouraged them to register their children for the Vacation Bible School.  Our prize Bingo was a big success, and we had a large crowd of families enjoying an afternoon of fun together.

On Monday, June 11 Vacation Bible School began.  Each morning the group traveled from Uvalde to Batesville.  Sr. Clarice helped the group begin each day with time for prayer, reflection and sharing about the theme that we would present to the children in the afternoon.  After this the group planned the large Church assembly and their individual classes.  This group of young women included many talented singers and actors.  We had lots of creative input for the skits on the different Gospel stories.  The group also had fun learning the theme songs and hand motions for them.  This also contributed to building our group spirit and unity.

After a quick lunch we finished any last minute preparations and then got ready to welcome the children.  The young women enjoyed welcoming the children into the Church and sharing about God’s love through prayer, song, and drama.  By the end of the week all the children were singing and participating in the Church assembly. 

After the assembly the children went to their small groups where they worked on arts and crafts and continued to learn about the theme of the day.  Each afternoon finished with a snack.

Sr. Isabel Ordono was able to join the mission on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. She had classes with the adults.  They enjoyed having the opportunity to share with each other and to deepen in their faith life.

Before we knew it Friday afternoon had arrived and our mission was coming to a close.  To help the children celebrate God’s love we gave them a piñata party at the end of the afternoon.  Then several of the adults from Batesville prepared a delicious dinner of carne guisada, rice and beans for the group.  We were all once again touched by the generosity of our friends in Batesville.

Our feelings were mixed as we left Batesville that evening.  As always, saying goodbye is difficult.  One week is such a short amount of time.  However, we were filled with the joy of having shared God’s love with others throughout the week.  Each of us had snapshots, both real and mental, of the children’s smiling faces.  Their joy and simplicity was contagious.

Report from Sr. Clarice Suchy, stj

è Batesville 2007 in pictures

Page last modified: 07/29/2008
For comments or questions, contact  maryannstj@bellsouth.net