“La impotencia nos embarga.”
[Impotence overwhelms us.]
By Maria Teresa Gaston
Artist Statement
The Synod on Synodality’s invitation to listen to the marginalized nudged me to pay attention to the lament and longing of my soul-brother Osvaldo Caliste in remote El Caney, Cuba. Osvaldo and I were introduced after his chance encounter with my son Felipe at a meeting of the Economy of Francesco in Assisi in October, 2022. Felipe was gripped by the story of an abundant mango harvest with no way to get it to market. A gift in the name of my late sister and lover-of-Cuba, Maria Luisa Gaston, led to regular visits and chef-prepared food delivery by volunteers in El Caney to abandoned elderly and disabled members of their community in this far eastern end of the island. The team named the effort “Tocando Corazones,” [Touching Hearts]. For me it has meant an almost-daily texting conversation and photo-sharing allowing me to touch into the suffering of my homeland.
When Osvaldo couldn’t find chicken to buy for the meal service this summer, he wrote, “La impotencia nos embarga,” [Impotence overwhelms us]. I sat with this for some time. It grips me even today. Expressions of frustration and grief continue. Since the outreach began early in 2023, six of the beloved anciaños have died. (The woman pictured in the wheel-chair is one of them.) Sitting by the ocean one day, Osvaldo wrote that he sought guidance and fortitude in prayer to confront the daily obstacles and not let his deep discouragement infect the other members of the team. “Hay que afrontarlo.” “En todo, amar y servir.” “Como hermanos, Caridad nos une.” [We have to confront it. In all, we have to keep loving and serving. As kin, the Virgin of Charity unites us.]
About the Artist
Maria Teresa Gaston is a Catholic organizational psychologist in Durham, North Carolina. Born in Havana, Cuba, her art-making tunes her into the Mother of the oceans and the poor who knits together the disparate parts of her. She holds a BA in theology from Marquette University, an MA in Latino Theology and Ministry from Barry University in Miami and an MA/ PhD in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Nebraska Omaha. In addition to her consulting as a facilitator and watercoloring, she loves gardening, cooking, forest-bathing, family reunions at the beach and hanging out with husband John and the nietos.