Sister Cecelia brings more than supplies as Chileans rebuild.

Rebecca Salas’ home in Coelemu sank into the ground during the earthquake that ruined much of Chile this year. Rebecca’s kitchen is about to collapse, and the tremors broke everything in her house. Now, Chileans are struggling through a brutal cold snap that’s bringing more suffering.

With July’s winter storms in Chile, Rebecca didn’t have much time to rebuild after the quake struck in late February. Winter was only months away. July is the dead of winter in Chile.

“Rebecca has Parkinson’s disease and lives alone, so I knew she needed help,” Sister Cecelia said. Read her post to our mission blog.

The urgency to rebuild Rebecca's house made Sister Cecelia Santos even more determined to help.  Sister Cecelia, who also serves at a home for Coelemu’s senior citizens, sent pleas for help to her niece, nephew and grandnephew. They joined others who responded through channels set up for quake relief by the Maryknoll Sisters.

Coelemu is only a few miles from the earthquake’s epicenter. Most of the adobe homes here were destroyed. Many homes made of wood were heavily damaged. That’s making it tough for people who are facing bitterly cold temperatures during Chile’s July winter. 

Rebecca's pleas were heard. Her house is slowly getting rebuilt as Sr. Cecelia (far l.) inspects.

"The weather is very cold--even icy,” reports Sister Jeanne Rancourt. She helps run the local senior citizens home, which was also damaged in the quake. “We have no central heating, so we bundle up with sweaters and light a wood stove in the evening to warm up the house a bit.”

Rebecca, who lives in town, will spend the winter in what remains of her old house plus a mediagua, a one-room house given to her by the government after the earthquake. Because her friends came through with gifts, Sister Cecelia went out and bought building materials like lumber and cement for Rebecca’s place. Carpenters had to lift an entire side of the house that had fallen during the earthquake.  

But more still needs to be done. Rebecca’s house isn’t like it was before. She had to weather the start of the cold season with cardboard instead of glass for her damaged windows.

Glass is hard to come by in Chile, as most factories were damaged in the earthquake. And so it goes with Rebecca’s kitchen. While it could collapse on her at any time, the love inside it is carrying the day.

Every time Sister Cecelia visits, Rebecca has tea, homemade bread and jelly waiting for her.

Said Sister Cecelia: “I am receiving more than I’ve given.”