Elsie Hernandez, Director of Development for Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas, believes her ability to hope is deeply tied to her faith. Faith and hope have guided her work and purpose in life.
“If we have hope, it propels us into action. Without hope, I would not be where I am today,” shares Elsie. “To grow in hope, we must grow in faith. Hope is a gift from God. We must be open to it, or we cannot receive it.”
Nurturing faith
For Elsie, nurturing faith is essential to sustaining hope. She finds strength through the Mass, the sacraments, prayer and study. These practices, along with faithful friends and family, reinforce her belief that God leads us with love.
“Hope is a gift from God. We must be open to it, or we cannot receive it.”
Fear, she says, is hope’s greatest enemy. She recalls how fear led her away from her family.
An unplanned pregnancy during college filled Elsie with uncertainty. Although pressured by others, including her doctor, to have an abortion, she wanted her child but was unsure of her path forward.
Living in Dallas, Texas, she moved to a Birthright shelter, believing it was the best decision for her situation. Elsie stayed there a few months before returning to her family.
As a single parent, Elsie faced a challenging future. Yet, 20 years later, she realized God had been watching over her and guiding her back to him as well. God provided Elsie with secure employment, allowing her to meet her son’s needs and provide him with a Catholic education. God also guided her to a new job and life in Houston.
A life-changing connection
In 2001, a new client changed her life. Dr. Armando Zaldivar and his wife, Vicki, immigrants from Cuba, had endured immense hardships, including Dr. Zaldivar’s 16-year imprisonment under Fidel Castro’s regime and the death of their son from cancer. Despite their struggles, the Zaldivars grew in faith and found hope after meeting the Missionaries of Charity.
In expectation of a heart transplant for Dr. Zaldivar, the couple had moved from Miami, Florida, to Houston. Before the procedure, he invited Elsie to visit the Missionaries of Charity at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish.
This introduction transformed Elsie’s life, by reconnecting her with her Catholic faith. Unfortunately, shortly after his heart transplant, Dr. Zaldivar passed away.
“We must have faith to have hope.”
Vicki remained committed to the Sisters and her faith, despite her great sorrow and loss, and was a continuing inspiration to Elsie. In 2004, Elsie went to Dallas on a retreat, which included a visit with the Sisters. She was amazed to discover they had assumed care for the very shelter where she had stayed in 1982. God had brought her back to the place where she had felt so fearful, in order to show Elsie that he was there all along.
“Through a faithful servant, God brought me back,” Elsie explains. “Vicki told me, ‘God did not bring Manduco (as she called her husband) to Houston for a new heart for himself, but to give you a new heart and save your soul.’”
The Zaldivars’ faith and hope moved Elsie to change. “My change did not happen overnight. We must cooperate with grace,” she shares. “God has guided me in so many ways. I had a profound experience. I was not even looking for change. Even when we are not searching for God, he is reaching out to us. I struggled a lot, but God gave me a lot. Sometimes, you do not see it while you are going through it. But God sees everything. That gives me great hope for the future. The best is yet to come! I am grateful to recognize God’s work in my life.”
For Elsie, faith and confidence keep hope alive. “Hope comes from faith. It is a theological virtue. We must have faith to have hope,” she explains. “And we need confidence to trust in God. Without faith, confidence and trust, there is no hope.”
