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SFO International Council - Quarterly
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A library in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, a community service example.
Juan Carlos Gastón Torres OFS SFO National Vice-minister Puerto Rico
From the staircase of the Cathedral “Our Lady La Candelaria”, in my home town, Mayagüez, in the island of Puerto Rico, a sign in one of the buildings surrounding the Central Square of the town reads Youth Library of Mayagüez.
This library was founded in 1992 as the first communitarian library that leads all their efforts in promoting love for reading among kids and young people from families with limited economical resources. It operates entirely on donations made by the community and with the sponsorship from private companies. The most curious feature is that it does not have employees; it runs fully with the volunteer work of the people from the community. Among the services that it offers, I can mention: a lounge with reference material (encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.), so that kids and teenagers who do not have access to books can do their homework; a computer center having 15 workstations with access to internet; more than 35,000 books properly labeled and organized so that kids can easily use them; reading and writing tutorials delivered by volunteer university students; a room for kids at preschool age; Story Tail Time; guided visits for student groups from public schools that do not have libraries; trainings, work sections and educational talks for parents, teachers and people from the community; etc.
I started to do volunteer work at this library in 1998 and certainly God has blessed me during all these years since I have seen how little by little it has been transformed in the same way a grain of sand is transformed into a highly valuable pearl, admired by its beauty, but that no one imagines the very long process that preceded the transformation. Since 2000, God has placed me on front of this library as its Executive Director and, as a Secular Franciscan, I have been able to set the coronation of the Franciscan ideal: make out of this world one with more social justice and equality of opportunities. One in which all children, no matter their social status, can grow with the certainty of reaching their dreams, which ever those are, by exercising the right of receiving a dignified education and having access to books and technology.
What started as a dream in the mind of the library’s founder, thanks to God, is nowadays a reality. So much so that in the year 2004, as Executive Director of the library, I had the opportunity of visiting the White House, in the capital of USA, Whasington D.C., and receiving from the hands of the First Lady of the USA, Laura Bush, the 2004 National Library Service Award. This price is the highest award granted by the government of the USA and the Institute of Museums and Library Service to museums and libraries for outstanding communal service trajectory. Imagine, only three libraries were awarded in the whole of the USA, and our small library was one of them. With an annual budget of US$ 35,000.00, it was able to compete against very large libraries having annual budgets of more than US$ 2,000,000.00!
We, Secular Franciscans, have the commitment of taken a more active roll in our communities. We cannot live our lives as mere spectators of human sufferings or social injustices. We are called to transform our communities and provide them with the tools that allow our people to aspire to a more dignified life. We have to re-take our option for the poor and deprived! How can we be called Franciscans if we keep on quieting and turning our heads away when we witness the injustices of our times? Is it perhaps that we have forgotten we live in this world… that we are SECULARS?
We shall not confuse our promise of humility with inertia. There is no bigger act of humility, and at the same time, of greatness, than to serve our fellow brothers and sisters, considering that it is to the same Christ himself to whom we serve.
Peace and good!
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