NARRAGANSETT — Ceili O’Connell, 17, cradles Jorge, a five-year-old orphan who has cerebral palsy. They just met, but their bond is already strong.
“He doesn’t really communicate, but he’s very peaceful,” said O’Connell, a parishioner of St. Thomas More Parish, as well as a junior at Narragansett High School. “He has these big, brown eyes.”
O’Connell soothes Jorge to sleep as her parish pastor, Father Marcel Taillon, baptizes children at Hogar Immanuel Orphanage in the Dominican Republic. The orphanage is part of Mustard Seed Communities, a Catholic non-profit organization that seeks to improve the economic, social and spiritual conditions of communities throughout the Caribbean, Central America and Africa. Volunteers often travel overseas to provide donated goods and support for various economic initiatives.
Father Taillon recently led a group of 26 parish missionaries on a Mustard Seed Communities trip to the Dominican Republic, with 15 local teenagers from Narragansett High School and Bishop Hendricken participating.
“It’s the biggest group that we’ve ever brought,” he said, noting that they interacted with villagers, as well as the 23 children who live at the orphanage. “I’m blessed to say that I’ve baptized them all. This year, we baptized four. All of their godparents are from our parish.”
Godparents include Narragansett High School juniors Ryan Tudino, 16, and Eily Sullivan, 16. They are proud to be godparents to Selena, a five-year-old girl.
“I’ll be praying every day for her and making donations to the Mustard Seed Orphanage,” said Tudino, adding that he hopes to visit Selena next year, while Sullivan plans to send her gifts whenever possible.
Taking part in the mission trip, they said, was a “beautiful experience.” It humbled them, as some villagers lived alongside a garbage dump, frequently diving in heaps of trash for food and materials to use as shelter.
“It was hard to see the poverty there, but it was also positive because you saw how loving and happy everyone was when they had so little,” Sullivan said. “It showed me that you really need to focus on what’s important in life and stay close to God by loving everyone around you.”
Tudino shared similar sentiments. He described the trip as “eye-opening” and “life-changing.”
“Those people were smiling when they had every reason not to smile,” he said. “I look at life a lot different now. Getting upset over little things isn’t really necessary. I know that God really called us to go down there and help them. Now that we’re home, I feel like it’s our job to spread the word about what’s going on there and to try to get more help for them.”
O’Connell agrees. She said the mission trip proved that God is always present, as she believes he made their journey to the Dominican Republic possible.
When they arrived at the airport on Feb. 17, they were told their flight was canceled because their plane was experiencing mechanical issues. Airport staffers informed them that there weren’t any other available flights to accommodate a group of their size. They prayed a “Hail Mary” before driving nearly four hours from Warwick to Newark, N.J. to catch another flight.
To their relief, there wasn’t any traffic, and they were able to reach their destination in time for another flight.
“God works in mysterious ways,” O’Connell said. “He wanted us to go on this mission.”
For the teens, this year marked the first time they went on the mission trip. But Father Taillon has taken part five years in a row. Through the years, at least 150 parishioners have participated.
“It’s extraordinary in so many ways,” Father Taillon said, pointing out that Dr. Richard Ohnmacht, M.D., a pediatrician with a practice in Cranston, has made the trek four times. This year, Dr. Ohnmacht, a member of the parish, along with Dr. Marybeth Hanley, offered medical exams to the villagers.
“We set up a medical clinic in the sanctuary at the Catholic parish in the village,” said Father Taillon.
Dr. Ohnmacht estimates they treated 175 villagers, plus every child at the orphanage. They provided medicine, vitamins, nebulizers, and more.
They also accommodated people living at the dump, who not only lack proper nourishment and housing, but also have no access to basic services like running water, toilet facilities, and doctors.
“We give them whatever we can,” said Dr. Ohnmacht. “The people are pretty grateful for the opportunity.”
Though the children living at the orphanage are disabled, Dr. Ohnmacht said their level of care has increased each year. With every visit, he notices more and more issues are being addressed.
“The first time I went there, the biggest problem with the orphans was that they were all malnourished,” he said. “I think they didn’t have the proper ways to feed them. They would give them solid food or breaded food, but now they have supplements. The second year I came back, I noticed that most the kids’ nutrition status was much better.”
The second year he went, he noted that while the children were well-cared for, they didn’t have access to physical therapists. But by the third year, they were receiving more services, including physical therapy.
By the fourth year, he said, the children were supplied wheelchairs.
“Everything has gotten better,” Ohnmacht said. “The kids have tremendous needs, but they are getting great care.”
The orphanage also has two new facilities, which occupants moved into about a month ago. The former building is being transformed into a mission house.
“We cleaned and painted the inside, as well as planted gardens outside,” said Father Taillon.
As gifts for the new facilities, St. Thomas More parishioners donated funds and supplied a refrigerator and washing machine, as well as a stove. They also provided a man with a prosthetic leg, and are working on obtaining an additional prosthetic for another man.
Their generosity didn’t end there. Parishioners gave villagers bags of rice and sugar, along with other basic necessities. Father Taillon also celebrated the sacrament of the sick, as well as anointed the orphans.
“It was very moving,” said Father Taillon.
Father Jamie Garcia, pastor of Providence’s St. Charles Borromeo Church, the largest Latino parish in Rhode Island with 1,400 families registered, accompanied the St. Thomas More group on the mission trip. He served as an interpreter, and was captivated by the community.
“We found love; the love of the community and the staff,” he said. “They are a family. It was very impressive and uplifting.”
Father Garcia’s parish also raised funds for the villagers, with a local Knights of Columbus helping out, as well.
O’Connell, Sullivan and Tudino said raising funds was a team effort, one led by Father Taillon. Without him, they said, the trip would not have been possible.
“I’m so happy Father Taillon and everyone in our parish was so supportive and made it happen,” Sullivan said. “You feel closer to the people in the parish because of it.”
For Father Taillon, seeing the teens grow in faith via the mission trip is a blessing. And seeing the villagers thrive on love is another.
“They are very happy and appreciative,” he said. “They are poor, but they are not lonely.”
