Through this Lenten program, together we get to be a living sign to our patients and partners that they are not alone in the wilderness. We can't avoid the harsh and rugged wilderness. We can't always prevent the people we love or those in our communities from experiencing it. This Lent, as we sit together in that wilderness, we are challenged to remain rooted in our conviction that God is here with us and we are never alone. May this place, indeed, be the promise of something new and life-giving for all of us.

Fred Rogers, TV’s beloved Mr. Rogers, used to say that when there is a crisis, look for the helpers. During our week in Vinto, Bolivia, as part of Solidarity Bridge’s Multi-Specialty Mission Team, we never had to look far to find helpers.

For 25 years, Solidarity Bridge has provided a way for individuals and entities of the Archdiocese of Chicago and beyond to live out their call to global mission. Our shared commitment—to respond to the gospel call to heal the sick in a spirit of solidarity—remains steadfast.

In addition to providing direct medical care in Bolivia and Paraguay, we at Solidarity Bridge remain committed to ensuring that our model of care is truly transformative—for individuals, communities and systems. This white paper codifies the learnings and insights gained from our decades of experience and offers a framework to make these encounters even more fruitful, respectful, and transformative.

In today’s gospel, Mary and Martha are confronted with their brothers’ serious illness. Their fear, worry and desperation are what many patients and their families feel when they receive the diagnosis of a surgically treatable condition, but are unable to access the needed operation.

Today, as Lent begins, you are invited to take time to read some of our stories – stories of patients in need of medical care they cannot access; stories of medical providers going to great lengths to change the health care realities in their communities; stories of hearts and lives transformed.  

On Monday, we began our work at the Hospital Materno Infantil San Juan de Dios. As we were welcomed by the hospital director and met our partners in the medical exchange we are embarking upon, the invitation to engage deeply was clear.

We are grateful to the Global Mission Office of the Archdiocese of Chicago for the opportunity to share more about our work at two parishes this summer.

Traveling to Bolivia, we’ve found a renewed sense of hope in the ability to be present with our colleagues during a time of global turmoil. The power of human connection and the joy of being physically present remains stronger than ever.

The coronavirus variant from Brazil, a more aggressive mutation of the virus, is causing COVID-19 surges in many areas of North and South America. In the face of this ongoing crisis, we remain committed to the common good.

In the face of the devastating toll of the pandemic, like Jesus on the cross, we may at times feel forsaken, abandoned. But we are not.

Personal experiences of healing draw us closer to the reality of those who suffer around the world. In the name of all those who must wait for healing care, our work to increase access to safe and timely surgery continues.