By Crystal Catalan, Cabrini Mission Corps alum

I was assigned to serve at a foundation that served as a home to young girls who had been abused, trafficked, abandoned and/or neglected, many times by their own parents or close relatives. Here is where my life was forever changed – in listening to the stories of the girls, sharing meals with the girls, laughing with them, crying with them, and simply just, being with them. In that moment in time, nothing was expected of me, but to simply just be and to be in solidarity with my sisters in Christ.

To this day, eight years later, there are still a number of stories and experiences that still remain fresh in my mind from that mission, and it is those same experiences, which have greatly influenced where I am today. I will never forget one of the girls who had been a victim of sexual exploitation by her uncle. Listening to her openly speak with vivid details about the life she was forced to live, until help came her way, nearly broke my heart to pieces. But even more so, it made me angry. It was too, in that short missions trip, where I had first learned about the horrors of human trafficking.

After this experience, I decided to serve as a missioner with Cabrini Mission Corps in Baguio City, Philippines, where I worked with 150 indigent families through Save Our School Children Foundation, Inc. (SOSCFI), one of the missions of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (“Cabrini Sisters”).  Since my first trip to the Philippines in 2005, the Philippines had forever implanted itself in my heart, and so, my heart led me to serve alongside the Sisters at their mission here in Baguio City.

Aside from leading liturgies and bible studies in the communities and parishes, I specifically focused on working with the high school girls, who are vulnerable to influential societal pressures and vices. As a result, I was able to team up with an NGO in New York, LitWorld, to start a “Girls Club” here in Baguio City, with the focus on “women and girls’ empowerment through literacy learning.” 

I have since learned from my experiences in Manila, that education is key – both in and out of the classroom.  It is through creating these spaces for these young women, that I can then empower them to believe in themselves, to help them recognize the beauty they have within themselves, and for them to realize their dignity, strength, and courage that they have been gifted with. It is through spending time with these young women, being able to motivate them and share their joys and challenges with them, that I can too, remind them, to never give up on hope.

It was not enough for me to just cry, sing, question, and pray on the rooftop on those countless days during my mission in Manila – it was important that my heart went to the root of what injustice I felt so strongly about ending, and move myself towards the next step: into action.

Crystal wrote this article towards the end of her two-year mission in the Philippines, and is now working at a college preparatory high school for women in northern California, moderating their community involvement program and coordinating their immersion trips. Her additional mission experiences may be found on her blog at www.crystalcatalan.com.