Sharing the hope of Christ in rural Alabama
Sister Marta Tobon works to build futures of hope
Sister Marta Tobon works to build futures of hope
Since 1981, Guadalupana Sister Marta Tobon, a native of Colombia and current director of the diocesan Catholic Center of Concern in Eutaw, has been serving the Lord through her order, the Missionaries Guadalupanas of the Holy Spirit. She is well-known for heralding, “That Jesus be known and loved is the passion of my life.” For the souls who have had the good fortune of crossing Sister Marta’s path, they will be the first to attest to her passion being their reward.
One such individual is Jeanette Boyd, who lost her home and all her belongings to a fire last year, just 20 days before Christmas. On that fateful night, Boyd remembers being jolted from her sleep. “God just woke me up,” she insists. She grabbed her phone, then made her way to the living room. Once there, the heavy smoke was instantaneous cause for alarm. Pulling on her front door proved almost impossible, but after three attempts and “hollering on God,” asking Jesus for help, her front door flung open. The rush of oxygen fueled the fire and soon engulfed her entire house.
“It’s hard when you ain’t got help, when you ain’t got no insurance,” explains Boyd. “It’s taken a toll on me.”
Since 1981, Guadalupana Sister Marta Tobon, a native of Colombia and current director of the diocesan Catholic Center of Concern in Eutaw, has been serving the Lord through her order, the Missionaries Guadalupanas of the Holy Spirit. She is well-known for heralding, “That Jesus be known and loved is the passion of my life.” For the souls who have had the good fortune of crossing Sister Marta’s path, they will be the first to attest to her passion being their reward.
One such individual is Jeanette Boyd, who lost her home and all her belongings to a fire last year, just 20 days before Christmas. On that fateful night, Boyd remembers being jolted from her sleep. “God just woke me up,” she insists. She grabbed her phone, then made her way to the living room. Once there, the heavy smoke was instantaneous cause for alarm. Pulling on her front door proved almost impossible, but after three attempts and “hollering on God,” asking Jesus for help, her front door flung open. The rush of oxygen fueled the fire and soon engulfed her entire house.
“It’s hard when you ain’t got help, when you ain’t got no insurance,” explains Boyd. “It’s taken a toll on me.”
If losing her home wasn’t enough, over five months after the devastating event, Boyd was still reeling from the experience. While she had found a place to live, she had added worry concerning her former landlord. Her home, which she owned, sat on the property of a 95-year-old woman. With the city requiring the debris from the fire be removed, Boyd lived every day terrified that her friend would be fined. She attempted to haul away the debris and removed what she could, but heavy machinery and the expertise of a contractor were required. Knowing she needed help, Boyd remembered the Center of Concern and the “angels” who replaced her kitchen cabinets years ago.
Sister Marta went to the property to assess the situation and simply listened to Boyd. Hearing the despair in her voice, Sister Marta made a few phone calls and reassured Boyd: “It hurts, but God is going to be there for you. That is why we are here! We love you. God loves you.”
Without batting an eye, Boyd responded, “I was scared, but I feel God opening up doors ... I have hope and I am claiming it! He gonna make a way … He’s got something planned.”
Giving hope to those who need it most, Sister contends, is something she can’t do alone. “We are happy to live here,” she notes. “We give our lives for Jesus … but this center is nothing without volunteers … nothing without donors. Those that give time, talent, and treasure become the hope for the suffering.”
The hope to which Sister Marta refers shines crystal clear about a half hour south of Eutaw in a small town called Forkland. Off one of Forkland’s country roads, there lives 73-year-old Zollie Graves. For her entire life, she has lived on the same parcel of land, surviving and making ends meet. As the years passed, though, she lost her husband then her mother. Her home began to show its age, but lacking the means and the help, repairs had to go undone. Graves’ home had plumbing and roofing issues, causing a multitude of other problems from rotten floorboards to mold and mildew. “I was just so overwhelmed,” she confesses. As to be expected, facing the problems alone were just too much, so last year, she went in search of help.
Her woefulness led her to the local courthouse. An employee, who was familiar with the sisters and the work being done at the Center of Concern, took her lunch break to show Graves where the sisters were located. Sister Marta met with Graves, then traveled to her home to see firsthand what she was facing all alone. Before long, Sister Marta had a plan in place and work on the much-needed repairs was under way. “I was praying, and I really appreciate the help because I didn’t have the money,” says Graves. “When you have help like that, it helps you look forward to the future!”
The time, talent, and treasure of only a few transformed what seemed insurmountable to Graves into an ultimate source of hope for her. “I realized I wasn’t alone in this world,” she acknowledges, “because those men showed me the love of God.”
Graves’ newfound hope is proof of one of Sister Marta’s assertions: “God wants us to help each other.” She contends it is a sacred mission meant for everyone. The food, the clothing, the rent and utilities assistance, the cleaning supplies, the home repairs — all of it would be impossible without those willing to hear God’s call. “When people hear the needs of others and respond with love,” says Sister Marta, “all of them become one team with us. It is not the sisters who are doing it; rather, it is the faithful who open their eyes and open their ears to listen to the Lord saying, ‘Be a brother and sister to those who are around you.’”
Answering God’s call to help others and responding with love helps give people dignity and hope all the while creating a detour on society’s never-ending road back to self. “Suffering is heavy in so many ways,” Sister points out. To suffer is, most definitely, universal, for it doesn’t matter how much money one has or where one lives. Everyone carries a cross, but for some, those crosses can be just a little too much to handle and the darkness can seem eternal. It is in those instances when Sister Marta instructs the weary to “keep trusting, keep hoping.” “God is there,” she insists. “Even if we don't see Him right away, God will show Himself. God will be present, and He becomes present when one reaches out to a brother or sister in need.”
Eutaw’s Catholic Center of Concern, almost hidden in the vastness of Alabama’s rural landscape, has long been a beacon of hope for those in need of a helping hand. The Consolata Missionary Sisters laid the foundation of hope in the small town back in the 1970s, and when the Missionaries Guadalupanas of the Holy Spirit arrived at the center about a decade ago, following the Consolata’s departure, they built upon their predecessors’ good will and reputation to continue the good work.
For years, the center has benefitted from support for the annual Catholic Charities Appeal, also known as the Diocesan Annual Appeal for Ministries. This year, the appeal will take place the weekend of Sept. 20-21. For more information on how to help the Catholic Centers of Concern and other diocesan ministries build futures of hope for those that need it most, please visit catholiccharitiesbhm.org.
