sisters Erin McDonald walks with children at a Congolese refugee camp.
Danilo Gionese
Emptying myself for God by Erin McDonald
A volunteer in Africa found that in a time of great uncertainty, God’s call became crystal clear.
Erin McDonald is regional director for Catholic Charities W.V. and a candidate with the Congregation of St. Joseph.
V
acare Deo—“emptiness for God”—I said to myself as I stood in the center of a Congolese refugee camp with a world of pain and beauty swirling around me. I was stealing a quick moment to center myself before walking into the unknown. As I stepped forward, the sea of people surrounding me slowly began to part and a quiet set in like the morning fog that rises from the warm earth. Rows of eyes followed my movements as I walked through the narrow gate. In unison we all wondered the outcome of the impending meeting. The future of the Jesuit Refugee Services’ ministry hung in the balance as we faced off against unfriendly government authorities. On the other side of the gate I ran face first into clarity (no, not the name of someone that I hadn’t seen in a while but rather the dictionary definition: “the quality of being clear”). An understanding of my life washed over me as my eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lighting inside the large mud structure that was housing our meeting. My mind,
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