The FCJM Sisters community in Suriname works in the pastoral field, namely the pastoral care of the people and the pastoral care of the school. In the midst of their busy schedules, the sisters do not forget to take the time to do some gardening, cultivating the available land to plant various crops, such as bananas, cassava, and sweet potatoes.

Previously, the sisters had planted a variety of other crops in several places. However, the high rainfall caused the garden and the plants to be inundated with water. In another season, when the dry season came, the soil became dry and cracked, and the plants died of drought. Currently, the rainfall is not so high and the sun is not so hot. The sisters take this opportunity to cultivate the land belonging to the diocese, to re-plant anything that can later be distributed to the poor. In addition, another goal of the sisters is to protect the land belonging to the diocese from being annexed by irresponsible people, so it must be planted.

“We usually share the produce of the plants with the people we visit. We want to change their mindset, that the missionaries who are currently in their place, are not missionaries who bring a lot of funds from Indonesia to share. So we show our concern for them by sharing garden produce, such as bananas, melons, or pumpkins. It’s not big and it’s not very expensive, but the thoughtfulness behind the gift really touches their hearts, especially those in need. Not only that, we want to show them that Suriname’s soil is capable of growing whatever is planted on it. Not many people want to do gardening or farming in Suriname.”

That is the meaning of planting goodness mentioned in the title of this article. The sisters love the environment by planting vegetation, contributing a bit of coolness to the surroundings, as well as showing the people that the land of Suriname is fertile and worth planting. Another kindness is to care for God’s people through the spirit of sharing the harvest. The last important point is to protect the land belonging to the sufficiency from being annexed by irresponsible parties.

The Sisters plant not only for their own needs or to sell, but also to share with others, and not only Catholics. All means are used by the sisters to awaken the faith of the people in Suriname, which has really sunk. It is not an easy job, but the sisters see that there is still hope for the development of the church in this mission land. The sisters are the face of the Church, so they must truly be examples and “people of interest” to them in every aspect of their lives.

Written by Sr. M. Rafaela Damanik FCJM