Talking Mission - Josephine Cullen

Could you introduce yourself and your role at Catholic Mission?

My name is Josephine Cullen from Brisbane, and I am the Philanthropy Officer for Catholic Mission in the Brisbane Archdiocese and the Toowoomba diocese. Recently, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Mpika in Zambia.

You recently visited Zambia to see firsthand the work that Catholic Mission and the global Church have been doing. Following this unique experience, can you describe your trip?

Even though I was honoured to be asked, I had a certain amount of mixed feelings, from excitement to uncertainty, completely human feelings. After discussion with Conor, the Project Officer, and other members who had been to Africa, I felt reassured that all would be well. I knew I had to take this opportunity to see firsthand the projects and the great efforts of the work that Catholic Mission and the Church are doing around the world. I felt this would give me a clearer idea and direction of what the projects were about by being immersed in the culture and country.

People were saying to me it was a great opportunity and would be life-changing. Through the apprehension, packing and getting ahead of work commitments, I was off to Zambia.

What I witnessed gave me great joy but also an element of sadness. It is very difficult to explain the feelings when asked by people. Photos and videos do not depict enough the struggle that the rural parts of Zambia face, especially in Mpika.

When we arrived in Zambia, we were taken to Lusaka before we took off to Mpika the next day. We were welcomed by Bishop Edwin Mulandu. This Bishop has a grace that is so welcoming, humble, and patient, but you felt he was a true shepherd leader of the Church.

Everything was so well organised, with each day commencing with the Bishop for Mass at 6.30am. Our days were filled with wonder, excitement, long drives, arriving most nights at 9pm. Being able to join in the Masses and hear the rich singing of so many faith-filled people at the schools, parishes and families filled my heart with knowing that the love of Jesus was certainly with these people. No words can explain the music that filled the church, and the prayers were so sacred that you could only feel the Spirit in these people.

Reflecting on your experience, can you share one example of how this trip has impacted you and what inspired you?

One unforgettable moment was dancing in the street with local women as we stopped to visit an outpost. In that moment, I saw God. We were united, filled with joy and hope that, with the support of Catholic Mission, things would get better. We were one. I saw God in that moment. We were all happy and filled with hope that things will soon be better with Catholic Mission’s help.

The part of the trip that gave me great joy and pride was meeting the 1,000 ladies who were chosen for the maize mill training project. The joy and smiles on their faces as we met them, they were so happy that someone was coming to help them with the Bishop. Here God was again in this moment. These women, who will be trained by Sr Jane, will work in the mill, be paid with food, fertiliser and seeds to go and commence their own farm area. By harvesting their own farm, they then sell to the maize mill in return for payment. How wonderful, food sustainability in Mpika, a dream of Bishop Mulandu. Empowering women to enjoy the dignity, care and importance of supporting their children and family was inspiring to hear.

Feeling and seeing the emotion and dedication from these people will stay with me and made me want to come back and start working on the project. Watching and witnessing this environment gave me a greater awareness of how much I don’t do—how much energy and fight these men and women continue each day.

Each day I would dissect the sadness. I just wanted to give! I soon realised that these people, besides their love for family, have God in their hearts and hope.

How do you think witnessing the work we do in Zambia will help you in your day-to-day role?

We all know at Catholic Mission what the project in Mpika is about—the maize mill, mothers and babies clinic, and accommodation for the high school. Until you are involved and see the visible signs and the needs of the people in the rural areas of Mpika, you can never truly understand the importance our impact can make for Mpika community.

Spending time travelling with the Bishop, hearing the vision for this project, only inspired me to work towards learning more about the people and working out how these people need our support. My questions each day were WHY and HOW this can happen!

I kept sending photos to my colleagues across Australia to support and energise with awareness of the importance of this project and relay to them what I saw. Seeing and speaking to the families who support the pregnant women at the hospital wrenched at my heart. Many walked for days to get to a hospital, bringing with them food, disinfectant, baby clothes and sheets. I could not imagine myself even considering this! My “how” and “why” came again.

Even though the trip was long and the days were long, it exceeded my expectations and filled me with memories and moments that I will never forget. These people do not have a lot but live in hope and always do the best they can do daily. The struggle was real, and the need is real.

Spending time with the people of Zambia made me feel part of the community, which I now take back to Australia in the hope I can also make my supporters feel and experience what I did.

Can you name some simple actions we can all take to become agents of change?

I can see that we, as missionaries of Catholic Mission, have to remember these people are in the family of God. I encourage that every time we talk to supporters about this project, we put them in the scenario, expressing that we ourselves have sons, daughters and mothers who should never have to go through these extreme experiences.

We should all be building the Kingdom of God and be proud of Catholic Mission and the projects. Visiting the two health centres, the general hospital in Chilonga and the clinic we are building for the mothers and babies in Chalabesa, opened my eyes to the realisation of these projects and how they are connected. It is not just about building buildings; it is about building people’s dignity and care for these mothers to be safe and bring life into this world in a dignified and loving way.