Unsung Heroes: Reflecting on Selfless Volunteers

In the Year of Jubilee, Bishop José Luis Ponce de León reflects on the selfless work of volunteers in our communities, reminding us of their service of compassion and love, undertaken in the name of God.

In considering the “Jubilee of the World of Volunteering”, the first image I had took me back to the year 2000. I was serving as a Consolata Missionary priest in Madadeni, in the KwaZulu-Natal diocese of Dundee. We were in the midst of the HIV/Aids pandemic, a time when Aids was a “death sentence”. The antiretroviral treatment, if available, was only for the very few who could afford it.

Nardini Sister Immaculate Ndlovu came to preach at all Masses in our parish and asked people to make themselves available to provide home-based care to those infected with and affected by the virus.

We did not have any money. We could offer only training for this service. At that time there were no salaries, nor incentives, nor even “transport money”. We could count only on the generosity of the people’s hearts and the power of their faith. The response was overwhelming.

Endless list of volunteers

As I have kept thinking about it, I realised that the list of volunteers in our parishes and dioceses is endless:

– Members of diocesan and parish pastoral councils who come together a number of times during the year, maybe after a long day at work, to serve in leading our dioceses and parishes;

– Lay ministers, particularly those who take time to regularly visit the sick and the elderly at home, maybe offering up their own Sunday rest?

-What about our catechists, silently journeying with our children, youth and adults, every week for a number of years, helping them in their journey of faith?

– Our diocese of Manzini in Eswatini has developed “Parish Caritas”. They are the eyes and heart of the parish, becoming aware of who the poorest in the area are. By that I mean the poorest in the community, not just among Catholics. These volunteers visit the poor and find ways to address their needs, involving many others in the process.

– Eswatini has a “refugee centre”. Though Catholics are a minority, a team of people from the nearest parish visits the place weekly to support refugees spiritually and, once a year and with the whole diocese, we provide for other needs, such as toiletries, food, and clothes.

The service of volunteers is sometimes offered in the familiar context of a parish community, outstation or Small Christian Community. Other times it is offered to those who do not belong to these structures. The volunteers build bridges in the name of the parish. They are its eyes, hands and hearts.

Service in the name of God

It is true that I risk taking a narrow view, as not all volunteers do so in the name of a parish. There are those who do so as members of a certain movement or association. Yet, I would dare to say that their service is done in the name of their faith, even when they might not be aware of it. I believe it is God working in every person’s heart, triggering that wish to put their time and talents at the service of others.

Some years’ ago, I was invited by the Community of Sant’Egidio, a worldwide movement of lay people, to attend a gathering of bishops in Rome. As we arrived, we were offered the opportunity to rest or to join some lay people in the evening, taking hot food — it was winter — to those sleeping on the streets in Rome. What touched me most was the fact that these volunteers knew the homeless people by name, they knew their stories. They had become familiar with those whom I had seen before, when I lived in that area for three years, but had never come close to.

Dimension of suffering

While giving service in the Church or the community and caring for those in need might sound rewarding, there is always a dimension of suffering in the life of a volunteer.

At the time of the HIV/Aids crisis, we soon realised that dealing with matters of life and death had taken a heavy emotional toll on the carers. We had to develop ways of keeping our volunteers strong. They were giving the best of themselves to those infected by the virus, but they could not stop them from dying.

The service of volunteers is often done secretly, and rarely do they experience being praised or thanked for giving their time and energy to the service of others (not that they expect it!). It is probably more common to hear people complain when something does not go well or when expectations are not met.

It is in those particular moments — and in times when one gets tired — that the faith which moves them reveals itself as their strength. Difficult as it could be, it makes them more and more aware of the reason for their service, which is not self-serving but to be one with the One who has “come to serve and not to be served”.

‘Go and do likewise’

There are familiar biblical images that one can identify with the service of volunteers. Think of the parable of the Good Samaritan, who goes out of his way for the stranger lying by the road. It is a powerful parable, much more so when you notice the number of things this Samaritan does for a total stranger: he saw him, took pity on him, went to him, bandaged his wounds, poured on oil and wine, put the man on his own donkey (he therefore walked next to him), brought him to an inn, took care of him (all night), pulled out his own money to pay for the inn, and promised to be back and reimburse any extra expense.

In this case, volunteers remind us of our call to make ourselves neighbours to those lying by the road. While others see and pass by, they choose to stop. They listened to Jesus’ call: “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37).

Reflecting on this made me think that each diocese should have a look at the list of Jubilees organised by the Holy See and consider celebrating some of them locally. I believe it will be an opportunity to recognise the service of many in our communities and to ask God’s blessings upon them.

Bishop José Luis Ponce de León heads the diocese of Manzini in Eswatini.