My Life at Magnificat

That day, they took us to a house, plantation style, that they called Gamaliel or Austin House because it is located on Austin Street. It has a porch with large columns at the entrance, and its construction dates, probably, from the 30"s.

The architecture of this house reminds me of the great Southern Mansions of large plantations.

 

Other houses with similar architecture were built in this area and some of them are still there.

This was a distinguished neighborhood of the 30"s and 40"s in Houston, no doubt.

 

We sat in what appeared to be the dining room, where they gave us some forms to fill out.

I wrote to answer about my occupation, Architect and Artist.

The lady that had made the appeal at the soup kitchen, approached me and told me, reading my data, "What beautiful hand writing you have"!

 

That night, I was assigned to a house that they have in the Montrose District, known in Houston for its restaurants, galleries and artists" studios but also by a large gay community living in that area.

 

This house is called Bethany or simply Fairview because it is located on that street.

It was inhabited by disabled persons with psychiatric problems and was managed by a couple with some mental disabilities (Down Syndrome).

 

Next day, Monday, the house remained empty, because; most of its residents were taken to the main house Gamaliel, where they were helping with small chores, and attending several activities conducted in that place, such as talks, bingo, art classes, mental relaxation and of course, the daily mass at the Chapel.

 

Taking advantage of being almost alone in the house, I cleaned the house room by room and I rearranged the furniture and beds, following a more functional way that my architect education allowed me to envision. I did all these during the whole week and at the end of it, I could hear the voice of the managers talking on the phone with a frightened voice saying "He does not belong to this house"!

 

Next day, I was moved to the mansion house, where I had filled my application.

 

The bedrooms were very large but the bathrooms were not designed to serve so many people.

 

In those days I was sent to Dr. Loo who was the official psychiatric doctor in the house.

 

He had a small office in another of their houses that is call Maranatha  and he attended residents, on a voluntary basis twice a week.

 

He reviewed my file and with a smile, he asked me the questions that probably he used to do to evaluate the people who were sent to him for the first time.

"What is your name"? "Do you know what day is today"? "Who is the President of the United States"? Then he asked me about some particular event occurred on those days.

When he realized that my problem was not psychiatric, he sent me back to the house.

 

That day, the lady who had spoken with me on the first day, called me up and she wondered which odd job I would like to do to collaborate with them, "I would like to help clean and serve in the dining room, where I heard of this organization the first time", I answered to her.

Thus began my work in Magnificat.

 

The soup kitchen is located in the East side of Houston downtown, two blocks from the modern home of the Houston Astros baseball team.

The official name of the Soup Kitchen is Loaves and Fishes and they feed in this place, about 200 to 300 persons daily.

 

Downtown area is the favorite choice for the homeless people to live. It"s near dormitories and shelters, soup kitchens and other places like empty lots and old buildings, where they gather to drink and do drugs, to bump and beg for money or just hang in public parks and bridges where they use to sleep on summer.

 

When I saw the long lines made by such people at the soup kitchen, I was shocked because I never thought that in a Country so rich and powerful like this, there would be this kind of problem.

 

They looked like human caricatures, shaggy and dirty, without predominance of age and on their faces, they showed dementia or reflected their addiction to drugs and their life without moral values. Most of them carried their belongings in bags or sacks. However, as I noted above, it was not material poverty or lack of food which overwhelmed them, but abuse of alcohol and drugs which had led them to that end.

 

Love seemed to be totally absent from their lives and seeing those lines, my mind began to work on themes for my paintings.

 

The time was moving fast for me, a week had passed and I was who was handed the cleanup group.

 

I had been doing some drawings with the ideas that I outbreak in those days when suddenly I realized that 30 days were finished!

 

I look for the food service manager, who is above the cook position and I sent the request for my bus fare with him to the Director.

 

Next day, the same lady that I met before, call me up and I knew, she was the Director and the Founder  of Magnificat, she knew that I was an artist and she told me that she would like for me to commit myself to stay for a year with them. I told her, that my plan was to go to New Orleans where I would look for a job and meet some other artists and learn from them.

I explained to her that the reason to stay in the houses for 30 days was to serve Jesus, who I had so long ignored.  Unfortunately I had spent, the money of my fare on those days, otherwise, I wouldn"t ask for the bus fare promised.

 

"Your ticket is not a problem", she replied, "but; what I really would like is that you will stay with us for at least one year".

 

Something crossed my mind and I said, "The only way I would stay would be to live like an artist and to do so, I would need a studio and materials to work."

 

"No problem", she replied, "would you like to make a trip to the houses and look for a place to install your studio"? "I am going to give you a stipend every month so you can buy things that we cannot provide to you".

 

"I already looked in several places", I answered, "and I liked the small room that is in the attic". "It is an small room, with a good light coming from the north, through a big window, and also, it has a complete bathroom, I think, that place was designed for that purpose". "At this time, it is packed with books and other things it also needs some paint on the walls".

 

"Do you smoke"?  She asked me. "No, the cigarettes I had received, I exchanged for other things like soft drinks, sweets, etc".

"Ok", she replied, "from now until then, with the money I will give to you, you can buy what you like". "The reason I asked if you smoke, it is because the attic is not in condition to be inhabited".

 

And so, I began my life at Magnificat with the title of Resident Artist, Not immediately, I renounced my work in the dining room, so, my first days like a Resident Artist were working to set up my studio, after I finish my daily job at the soup kitchen.

 

The task was not easy. Those who were assigned to open the attic for me and to provide me my tools and materials to paint it, they worked hard to make my job more difficult and to be honest, this attitude has not changed with those who play those roles now.

 

The projects are carried out with an astonishing slowness caused by the many changes of priorities and people who leave and come to the House constantly and they do not have the continuity that they should have.

 

I finished setting up my studio, and finally, I started to work on the drawings that I had devised to do the murals and achieved some moments of privacy difficult to have, in a community life, that was, still new for me.

 

I submitted my drawings  to the director and she agreed warmly, and requested for a list of materials to be bought and used.

 

After a fairly reasonable time, I was supplied with the most essentials materials.

I asked her to allow me to quit my job in the dining room, to devote my time entirely to this new project. In Magnificat, to devote all your time to a single project is almost impossible, because; there is always some other things to do.

 

I do not remember how long it took me to realize this project, but; it was several months, most of this, because; the inconveniences that I had to face, like transportation, supplies of materials and other activities that I had to perform as part of my community life in this organization, that I must add, they benefited me a lot. Some of these activities consisted of daily masses, art classes, community meetings and gatherings, talks, meals and many other projects.

 

The first beautiful spiritual experience that I had in Magnificat, it happened on a Sunday, when working in the dining room, we were told that the priest who officiates mass, would not be able to come

 

I did not want to miss mass, so, I went to see the lady at the front desk in Fatima House where we served our meals at that time and she gave me the schedule of Sunday masses at Guadalupe Church, near the place we were.

I asked permission to attend the mass at noon and they warned me that when I returned, I would not find anything to eat and possibly I would have to return to the house on my own, if, the van that carried the group came before me and I wouldn"t find food at the house, if, I arrived late for supper.

 

I considered all these risks and decided to go to mass, aware that I had no money in my pockets for any of these expenses.

 

After Mass, these worked my way back to the Soup Kitchen, it had a detour, to avoid an under pass that the vehicles use to evade the train but; didn"t have access to pedestrians.

When I reached the corner, in which I had to divert, a small car, a so-called station wagon came from the tunnel in the opposite direction of which I was walking.

When the driver saw me, he stopped at the edge of the curve where I was, and from the vehicle   came out a little girl of 12 or 13 years old and showed me a bag in her hands and said to me, "we just have been in McDonald"s, my little sister didn"t want her meal, this bag contained a  hamburger, some fries and a soda, Would you like to accept it"?

 

I was hungry and the only way I could answer was, "certainly"! And thanked her.

I noticed that she put her hands in prayer while I turned my sight to the vehicle to thank her parents with my hand. I also saw, the smiling face of her little sister looking through the window.

When I arrived to the soup kitchen I found the group still waiting for the ride to go back.

 

Another  beautiful experiences I had, were that every time I needed some clothes or something else, I always found them on my way to my studio when I use to pass through the attic that was at that time, the dressing room of the houses and also where they keep some donations that they had not been reviewed yet. What surprised me more was that the clothes I found on my way, not only were my measure, but; also the color and the style that I wish.

These little miracles seem to be a daily happening in my life as, somebody was providing me in my needs.

 

Even though I had not found Jesus in my life yet, he already started manifesting himself to me through his angels, whom I never even recognized, until many years later, while I was writing my book  I, Michael!