(Inspiring stories of community development workers featured by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. For feedback and suggestions, e-mail Nancy.Cudis@rafi.org.ph)
Maria Fatima Ibarra always finds time to hold weekly catechism classes to spread God’s words. (Contributed Photo)
63-year-old mom from Camotes teaches residents to put God at the center of their lives
Maria Fatima Ibarra has been a volunteer catechist in barangay Esperanza, San Francisco, Camotes Island for the past four decades.
Now at 63, retiri ng is the farthest thing from her mind as she considers her service as answering God’s call.
Nang Mary, as she is fondly known, is currently the north district parish pastoral council’s president and the catechism program coordinator. Her parish covers four barangays in their town.
She took her first catechism lessons from her grandmother at the age of eight. Her grandmother has served as her inspiration in her chosen vocation.
Nang Mary has five children with her husband, who used to be a fisherman before age and infirmity caught up with him.
She sold ready-to-wear clothes and opened a sari-sari store with a starting capital of P1,000 to help augment their income.
“Life was hard. During difficult times, our faith in God was our only source of strength,” she recalled.
Nang Mary said she would kneel before the altar and ask for God’s guidance.
PERSEVERANCE
Her perseverance, hard work and prayers paid off when three of her children graduated from college.
Asked for her advice to mothers who struggle in providing for the needs of their children, she said a small business would greatly help. Her sari-sari store has helped her send her children to school.
“I started selling only a kilo of salt and sugar and other condiments. Now my business is already stable,” she said.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE
“In this community work, I do not receive a salary. I give my time and service without compensation. This work needs a dedicated heart,” Ibarra said.
Some neighbors have praised her for her devotion. Her detractors, on the other hand, have disparaged her community work saying that she has nothing of importance to attend to or that she is currying popularity.
These same detractors have made their work their priority, oftentimes neglecting to attend Sunday mass or join religious activities.
Choosing to ignore criticisms on her avocation, she has led by example: Nang Mary closes her sari-sari store every Sunday and spends the entire day in the church doing community service.
Sometimes, she gently chides her neighbors by telling them, “Life should not be spent wholly on working. It is important to spend time with God in prayer because He is the only one who can help us.”
HELPING HAND
Ibarra has often found it difficult to turn a deaf ear to a cry for help. Her neighbors, mostly troubled wives, know that they will never be turned away should they seek her out for help and comfort.
Before she became actively involved in catechism work, Nang Mary was a barangay health worker (BHW) for five years, helping immunize newborn babies. She also taught mothers how to properly care their children.
FAMILY, TOO
Despite her busy schedule, Nang Mary still manages to spend quality time with her children and grandchildren.
“I have a busy schedule, especially on Sundays. But my family is my top priority. Love for others always starts in the family,” she smilingly said.
CLEANUP DRIVE
As their purok’s health chairman, Nang Mary regularly gathers mothers in their community to engage in various activities, including cleanup drives and tree planting. She also holds training-workshops for farmers.
Nang Mary has been a member of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Incorporated’s micro-finance and entrepreneurship program for the past several years.
Through the program, she was able to buy four computer units for her Internet café.
Nang Mary is proof that with faith and hard work, one is bound to succeed. And that truism she likes to impart to others by being its living confirmation.