Making a difference: St Teresa’s Home and Our Lady of Lujan Home

In the late 1980s Fr Liam Hayes, a Divine Word Missionary priest, came to work in Oberá and witnessed the suffering of some of its citizens. With the support of the Church authorities, he established a residential home (Hogar Santa Teresita) and began training young people in basic healthcare skills. Local support was important but the necessary funding came from Ireland and Britain.

As a result there are now two homes for abandoned people in Oberá – St Teresa’s Home (Hogar Santa Teresita), which cares primarily for children and adults with disability, and Our Lady of Lujan (Hogar de Ancianos ‘Virgen de Lujan’) which cares for abandoned elderly people.

At present there are 32 residents in St Teresa’s Home and 21 more in Our Lady of Lujan in nearby Guaraní village. Together, the homes cost around €140,000 per year to run and almost all of this funding comes from donors in Ireland and Britain.

“Our homes are mainly a refuge for people with learning and physical difficulties and senior citizens,” says Fr Hayes. “They act as half-way houses for people who have no other place to recuperate from illness. They are a hospice where some people spend their last days in an environment of care and comfort. And for some abandoned children, they are a temporary home until we can organize suitable adoptive parents.”

The care needed is complex and varied. Patients have a wide range of disabilities: blindness, deafness, psychiatric illness, paralysis, muscular degeneration or spastic conditions due to injuries or genetic problems. Many have multiple disabilities. Some cannot speak to ask for assistance.

Suitably trained and dedicated people are needed to care for the residents. The staff of the homes consists of one full-time medical doctor, a physiotherapist and 21 assistants, three of whom are qualified nursing assistants. Other doctors and health professionals provide voluntary help to the homes.

Because of the high standard of health care in Ireland, Irish health professionals who would like to volunteer for work in Oberá are always very welcome.

Centres of care and centres of prayer
Central to the homes’ philosophy is that they are places of prayer as well as healing. The Rosary is part of the daily timetable and Mass is celebrated a number of times each week. Plans are also underway to plant a Bible Garden which will provide enjoyable activity for residents while helping the whole community to grow in faith.

“A spirit of mutual love is fostered in the homes, with the more able residents assisting more vulnerable members, and frequent remembrance of ill or deceased residents in prayer,” says Fr Hayes. “We try to follow the example of Christ, who taught us to love and serve each other.”

External recognition
The Homes of Our Lady of Lujan and St Teresa are affiliated to the charitable organisation Cheshire International, which from time to time assists with projects such as the purchase of transport. Fr Hayes is an advisor to Cheshire International in South America.
In 2003, Fr Hayes was presented with a Diploma of Merit by the Acting Mayor of Oberá, Mr Eduardo Lezica, in recognition of his work in the area. During her state visit to South America in March 2004, President Mary McAleese, accompanied by the Minister of State for Trade, Mr Michael Ahern, travelled to Oberá to visit the homes. In March 2005, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr Michael McDowell, visited the Homes.