In fast-growing Lima, Columbans have relied on parishioners to spread God’s word in newly developed areas.
By Fr. John O’Connell

In the late 1980s and early ’90s, there was little or no presence of the Catholic Church in the newly built-up urban areas of Lima, Peru, that were adjacent to a number of Columban-run parishes. We Columbans were already overtaxed in our duties and funding. We approached the Lima Archdiocese several times on this matter. We received promises, but no action.

So in 1994, we came up with a plan to combat the problem. We prepared eight teams of five or six lay people from each of the eight neighboring Columban parishes to go evangelize a section of this rapidly growing area. A married couple was chosen to organize and oversee the work, and Columban Father John Hegerty agreed to be the groups’ spiritual director and supervisor. It was agreed that the teams would meet once each month for prayer, reflection, orientation and evaluation.

Fr. John O’Connell and other Columbans work amid the poorest residents of Lima, Peru, the capital city where shantytowns are ever-developing at the city’s edges.

But the response was positive. Bible study and prayer groups quickly formed, programs were set up to care for the sick and the elderly, and the people began to assemble for Sunday liturgy (and sometimes Mass) and to look for building sites for chapels and meeting rooms.

From the beginning, the plan was for this laity program to last three years. After that, the local people would assume responsibility after participating in formation programs that we created.

There were shortcomings—some laity “missionaries” found the work too demanding and left—but the effort as a whole was a success. Priests and Sisters would not have been able to do as much as our dedicated lay people.

As these Catholic communities matured, they realized they needed the permanent presence of a pastor. So we Columbans assumed responsibility for this new parish: the now-thriving Parish of Our Lady of the Missions.

150 Meetings A Week
Another area of rapid growth in ever-sprawling Lima is served by the Parish of St. Peter and St. Paul, where I work.

There are more than 40,000 Catholics served by five churches, each with their own pastoral council and activities. This has led to a decentralized structure and lots of meeting rooms.We once added up the number of small-group meetings each week in the five churches and came up with 150!

There are meetings for liturgy groups, Confirmation preparation, parents preparing their children for First Communion, community service and prayer, health care and parish councils.

The Latin American bishops over the years have promoted lay involvement, yet we know that all have not been enthusiastic about putting this practice into place.

But here in Lima, we have been fortunate in that then Cardinal-Archbishop Juan Landazuri Ricketts insisted that laity and Sisters have a voice and vote in Church business. This meant that concerns and topics at meetings were often expressed by the people, not the clerics.

We have always promoted lay participation, involvement and formation at the parish level in liturgy, family catechetics, health care, Bible study and social action—all levels of evangelization.

As a result, we pray that we have done our part to advance the Kingdom of God among the poor people of Lima, Peru.