Missionary Chronicles - Santiago, Chile

What joy it is to live for such a great mission, what joy to live for Someone who gathers up everything we do. If there is anyone this new foundation is transforming, it's me. I am so grateful to be here, to be able to represent the Saint John Society, and to come in His name. I want to share with you a few brushstrokes of something whole books could be written about. Not because of me, but because of how unpredictable God's work is.

From the moment I landed in Chile that first Sunday, I already felt the Father's protective, watchful hand. Fr. Osvaldo, who I live with, picked me up at the airport, and when I got to the house, the three priests I live with were waiting with breakfast and welcomed me as though they'd known me my whole life. We celebrated the Sunday Masses, and the community was so happy and hospitable, wishing me the best for this new adventure. Cardinal Chomali's invitation was now confirmed by the way the Church welcomed an arriving missionary.

That same afternoon I went to have dinner with a very kind family whose children attend the Universidad Católica, and right there they all offered to show me around the university. In a psalm I was praying one of those mornings, this servant reflected, “people unknown to me, they help me”. The Lord knows them, and He has been placing them in my path, so much so that on meeting them it's as if a deep bond of years already existed.

A clear example is a family that had recently been on vacation in Europe and spent a few days in Medjugorje. In the short time they were there, each of them experienced God at work in confession and in the closeness of the Virgin. On the last day, they ran into trouble getting to Dubrovnik, where they were to continue their vacation, so they stayed one more day in Mary's land and went to visit the castle that welcomes pilgrims. There, serving for the summer, were SSJ missionaries from Rome and Scotland. Needless to say, once they met, they started talking about Jesus, about how He is alive, stories of His power, and what the Lord was doing in that family. One of the kids told me, 'When we said our goodbyes I didn't want to leave — I want to stay here and serve with them.' They got back to Santiago the same week I arrived. They invited me to their home and invited the rest of the family too. It was as if we had known each other our whole lives — the Gospa brought us together! This afternoon we're going out to do mission work in the neighborhood together with the two kids who were in Medjugorje. And there are so many more stories like that one!

I'll take the liberty, since this is the first chronicle, of sharing one more story. When Fr. Ivan and I came a few months back, among other things, we went through many neighborhoods in western and southern Santiago. There are so many vulnerable neighborhoods, and the work ahead for Volver a Empezar (Starting Over, VAE) seems enormous. There are many deeply committed priests working in these neighborhoods; and we noticed a few in particular that would be good places to start VAE. Once I got here, a VAE family from Pilar reached out to me because they wanted to help plant Casas de la Palabra (Houses of the Word) in the neighborhoods. God is faithful! They told me that when Fr. Teo gave them a blessing two years ago, before they set off with all their belongings for Chile, he told them, 'May the Lord protect you, watch over you, and use you as instruments to bring VAE to Santiago.' That blessing has been fulfilled. Most surprising of all, when I went to visit them (they welcomed me as if one of the apostles had arrived) they asked me where we were going to start, whether there was already a designated neighborhood. When I told them the chosen neighborhood was Lo Espejo, they started jumping for joy. "We have family there, we already know a lot of people," they shouted in my ear. As Proverbs says, "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." (Prov. 16:9)

The missionary's prayer speaks of "the immensity of our lands." That is crystal clear here, in a city this vast (7 million people), a university as large as the UC (34,000 students), and the boundless reality of the working-class neighborhoods. These first few weeks I've been getting around a lot by subway and on foot, which puts you in contact with a great many people. A confession here, countless blessings and prayers there on the sidewalk, off to one side of the flow of people. And that is only a sign of a deeper reality: that immensity is not unbreakable. The seed of the Gospel carries tremendous strength, the strength to transform. One by one, cor ad cor, through the personal influence of the seed that grows in one soul and comes into contact with another soul in which the Word then begins to take root too.

And that's exactly how it's gone: I went to hear confessions at a retreat for a program called Entretiempo, and a man who'd had a very powerful experience heard about the project and told me, 'Count on me for whatever you need.' He's already written to me to gather his friends.

Another young man I met after Mass asked to talk with me because he had questions about the faith. We got together at a café and talked for two hours. When we finished, he asked if he could introduce me to a friend from school who could really use this, and he called him right then and there. Both of them want to do something for their group of friends. And there are so many more stories like these that remind me every day that we carry a treasure in jars of clay; that what we offer has an enormous power to transform the life of anyone who receives it with an open heart. There's no room to feel overwhelmed — only to put your hand to the plow!

I ask the Lord that these chronicles may help each of us, as we read them, to grow in faith and to do something for Him. This week I read a line from St. Cyprian that challenged me: “Let us not talk about great things; let us live them.” Each of us can do something great, simply, every day. I ask you to keep interceding for this new foundation that is just getting started. This new adventure has already begun! I'm counting on your prayers, and you can count on my faithfulness.

Greetings! Fr. Máximo Stöck

This chronicle has been translated with an AI assistant from the original Spanish text.