About the photo above: Hermana (Sister) María Luisa Ñaupari Gutiérrez, OP, who co-authored a powerful poem about the experience of ministry in Peru.
How It All Started
For sixty years the lives of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield have been bound to the lives of the people of Peru. Construction of the new convent and community center in Jarpa is one more milestone in the journey that brings us together. But how did it all start? Here we share that spirit-led journey through excerpts from Flavors of Hope, a history of our mission in Peru, by Sister Judith Hilbing.
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This excerpt from Sister Judith Hilbing's Flavors of Hope is annotated and edited for clarity, context, and brevity.
“Constructors of a new future”: A vision for mission takes shape
Sister María Luisa Ñaupari Gutiérrez, now missioned in Jarpa, made her profession 1997. She and her classmates wrote this poem, “Dreaming Wakes Up Freedom,” published that year in an English language mission magazine. These excerpts may awaken the sense of what our sisters in Jarpa hope to accomplish with their ministry in the Huancayo archdiocese.
Can you help us “wake freedom” for the people of Jarpa today?
Your gift to our Spring Appeal will breathe new life into Sister Maria’s dream of dignity and purpose for the people of Jarpa. Your support will help fulfill the dream she dreamed so long ago as a young sister, in which she “saw a world where all would take hands the rich with the poor, the youth with the old, the white with the black...” Please donate today to Sister Maria’s dream!
Sister Judi served for 25 years in Peru. She was principal of San Francisco Borja School in the Lima suburb of San Borja 1978-1984, then moved to the mission center of La Oroya, in Peru’s agricultural region, before returning to San Borja to oversee the religious education program for another year. In 1986 she became the founding principal of San Juan Pablo II, part of the Jesuit network of Fe y Alegria schools—Faith and Hope. The school was built in a squatters' colony on the outskirts of Lima, called an "invasion" or "pueblos jovenes"—a young city. Four years later she was elected to the council for the congregation and returned to the United States.
Click here to make a donation to our sisters in Peru in honor of Sister Judi.
Ready to learn more?
Visit Our Mission Peru landing page to learn more about the construction projects and how you can help.
