Remembering Sr. Mary Mahoney in Bolivia
Sinsinawa Dominicans Tere Auad, OP; Mary Howard Johnstone, OP; Patricia Rogers, OP; Jeri Cashman, OP; and Robi Huddleston, OP, came to Bolivia in January to accompany Jo Anne Leo, OP, and me [Peggy Ryan, OP] as we commemorated the 25th anniversary of the death of our Sister Mary Mahoney, OP, who drowned in a flash flood outside of Cochabamba. Two other Sisters, Gilchrist Conroy, SP, and Gerry McGinn, OP (Sparkill, NY), both Maryknoll Associates; and a Bolivian boy, Juanito Vargas, also died in this shocking accident. This anniversary was a special event. For Jo Anne, Jeri, and Robi, all of whom were ministering in Bolivia at the time of the accident, this day was full of memories.
On the day of the anniversary, Jan. 21, our contingent of Dominican women of Sinsinawa joined Maryknoll Sisters and Fathers, Presentation Sisters of Dubuque, Dominican Fathers, Tere’s family, and friends to travel to the site of the accident and remember with the townsfolk there. As we arrived in Charamoco, a farming village in the valley of Cochabamba, elders of the community were waiting for us on the steps of the beautiful adobe chapel. We greeted the villagers, asked them their names, and then they explained how they remembered the Sisters and Juanito. One woman, Doña Gertrudes, pointed to a picture of Gilchrist and said, “She was my godmother when I was baptized.” Our Bolivian Sister Tere Auad welcomed all to the celebration of the Eucharist and expressed our gratitude for the opportunity to be with the people of Charamoco. We joined in song in Spanish and Quechua, the Indian language which Mary Mahoney mastered sufficiently to preach the Christmas homily. During the psalm response, we heard, “like the corn and the potatoes planted in our fields, in the same way your Word is in our hearts.” Our Dominican brother, Father Matt Mueller, OP, who worked on the pastoral team with Mary, Gilchrist, and Gerry 25 years ago, broke open the Word of God for us. Matt spoke of the gifts that each team member brought to ministry and life in community. At the end of Mass, the village leader, Ernesto, told us that they would always remember the Sisters and Juanito.
We then went together under the hot, noonday sun to the simple monument of cement and four steel crosses located on the roadside to honor their deaths. All over Bolivia, roadside monuments are constructed to remember those who die in accidents. The women from town handed each a candle and a flower as we left the bus to walk the short distance to the monument. With more prayer, song, laughter, tears, and stories, we saluted these women and Juanito. We lit our candles to symbolize our trust and hope in the belief that the spirit of each of these women and this young Bolivian boy still lives here among the people of Charamoco and in each of our hearts. We left remembrances of our sister Mary there. The townsfolk shared with us the local corn drink, called chicha, and delicious sandwiches.
As Dominican women, we believe that “when a woman asks to become a member of our Congregation, we open ourselves to her influence and to the Spirit speaking in her. Together we enter a process of change that carries our past into the promise of the future” (Constitution, page 44). Each of our missions, no matter where it is located, is a place of sacred conversion, and each member, in her life and death, calls us to change as we seek to deepen our commitment to preach Christ crucified and resurrected among the people of God. We are reminded by Mary, in her life and death, what we want to carry from our past into the future―our commitment to the Dominican way of life through prayer, study, ministry, and community, and our desire to join with others to seek out the crucified Christ of our day and accompany him or her into new life, into Resurrection. What better promise of the future could we possibly have?