Maryknoll Lay Missioners

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Carolyn Bosse

Year Joined MKLM: 1985
Country: Chile
City: Chol Chol
Focus: Healthcare
Project(s): Mapuche Apostolate
People Served: 3000 people
Project Goal(s): Support efforts to strengthen the identity and health of the Mapuche people

Personal Data
Although Carolyn and Ron are originally from Toledo, Ohio, they have both lived extensive parts of their lives in Latin America—particularly Peru and Chile. Ron joined MKLM in 1974 and did pastoral care with indigenous communities in Peru. Carolyn is a nurse. She and Ron joined MKLM as a married couple in 1985 and served together in Peru. Carolyn’s work focused on health care. They have worked together in Chile since 1997. Their work has been with Mapuche indigenous people: Ron prioritizing pastoral care with Carolyn’s focus being health care. Carolyn graduated from Mercy School of Nursing and Ron graduated from the University of Baltimore in Maryland.

Current Ministry
Currently Ron and Carolyn live and work in Chol Chol. This is a rural area of southern Chile, 9 hours south of the capital Santiago in the heart of the Mapuche indigenous peoples’ community. Families subsist on small farms; young people migrate at times to supplement their income. Some try to forget their roots because of racial discrimination. Others however are reconnecting with their Mapuche heritage. There is presently a strong movement to strengthen their heritage, reclaim lands illegally taken from them, regain pride in their culture, and stand up against abuses and racial prejudice. Carolyn and Ron’s primary ministries help to strengthen that movement.

Carolyn and Ron work with a pastoral team that supports efforts to regain pride in the Mapuche people and culture in order to strengthen their identity. Carolyn supports holistic health within the framework of the rich wisdom of the Mapuche heritage. She does house visits as well as participates in women's groups where there are opportunities for informal health education and counseling. She exchanges natural medicine recipes and gives classes in herbal medicine. She gives information as to the effect of herbicides and pesticides on health as well as the dangers of burning plastics in the open fire in the home.

Ron helps to coordinate leadership training and follow-up for 25 community leaders. This is in the area of faith formation as well as community concerns such as water issues, deforestation and underemployment. Both he and Carolyn devote special attention to the needs of the elderly, people with disabilities, poor, single mothers, and those with mental illnesses.