A five-hour drive west of the bustling city of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, sits the small, poor town of Bánica. Surrounded by mountains, this humble town of about 2,000 people often goes overlooked and unseen, but not for the Arlington diocese.
Since 1991, the diocese has nurtured its mission parishes in Bánica and Pedro Santana by providing priests and volunteers who serve the town and its surrounding communities known as campos, totaling more than 13,000 people. Over time, the diocese built a mission center on the northeast side of town that includes a retreat house, chapel, outdoor pavilion and kitchen. The mission center serves as a spiritual oasis for the town faithful and missionaries, a gathering place religious events and volunteers.
In the first week of March, Marvin Molina, social media specialist in the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry, and I traveled to Bánica to film and photograph mission life there.
During the first part of the week, we ventured deep into the mountains to get footage of a school, Centro Educativo Vocacional San José, where Father Stephen McGraw, pastor of San José in Pedro Santana, ministers. He and Father Scott Sina, pastor of San Francisco de Asis, are the two diocesan priests currently serving there.
The school is nestled at the base of a valley surrounded by mountains. Students come from all over the area to attend the school, about a three-hour, rough dirt-road drive from Bánica. They stay and sleep at school during the week and return home on foot for the weekend to help on their families’ farms. The typical mode of transportation in the mountains is donkey, motorcycle or walking. These students walk an average of four hours to and from home. During our visit, students on spring break from Christendom College in Front Royal volunteered at the mission.
In the latter half of the week, we stayed in town close to the mission center. Elvin Jiménez, who works as a driver for the mission, took us around and showed us the San Francisco de Asis Catholic school and church where both Father Sina and McGraw minister. There we met Johanna Sánchez, whose earlier education was sponsored by the diocese and who now teaches at the school. She spoke of the mission fondly and with gratitude.
In all, the trip was a success and a privilege to undertake. We hope the video we will produce this year about the mission will inspire people to support its work and consider serving there.
Camerota is a multimedia producer in the diocesan Office of Communications.
