Mission Trip in Quito, Ecuador
St. Mary’s Parishioners Notes from the Field
A group of 10 parishioners (including Judy Kennedy, Roberta Robbins, Donna Doran, Jill Montanari, Carol DeCarvalho, and Barbara Harper) joined the Sisters of Charity (BVMs) and their associates for a mission trip from April 16-27 to help impoverished families at the Working Boys Center in Quito, Ecuador, which has been run for 40 years by the BVMs and a Jesuit priest. Here are some field notes:
Lou Anglin, BVM
“To actually see the Working Boys Center in action is awe-inspiring. What melts your heart immediately are the children who have a safe place to come to learn, be fed, and care for in all imaginable ways. The philosophy that in order to help the children the entire family has to be a part of the program makes great sense and takes much love. The fact is this organization feeds 2,000 people 3 meals a day six days a week, provides learning opportunities and technical training for the entire family, and has dental and medical attention available. These are just some of the services at the Centro. Yet it survives on donations and volunteers, which makes you realize that this could only happen with a whole lot of faith. And that is present in abundance.”
Roberta Robbins
"This is the second immersion experience from St. Mary's parish in Los Gatos who partners with the Working Boy's Center in Quito. St. Mary’s School and various church groups collected donations for us to bring to the Center. We were greeted at the airport by Madre Miguel, Padre Halligan, and Madre Cindy Sullivan who spoke to our parish last fall."
Jill Montanari
"We jumped on the bus and headed north to Otavalo. Along the drive we saw the mountain/volcano Cayambe. It is the only spot on earth where the equator crosses eternal snows. We were told that because we saw the tops of the volcanoes on such a beautiful day we would return to Ecuador again."
Donna Doran
"Another day overflowing with new experiences. We visited a hospital for those suffering from Hansen's disease (leprosy). The patients there were so welcoming and generous. The presented us all with beautiful handmade gifts and loving adorable faces. Since I'm unable to identify all the emotions felt during this trip I won't even try to express them. We were truly blessed today as we have been this entire trip."
Lenten Soup Supper Thank You!
Close to $3,000 Collected for the Santee Mission
Many hands went into making this year’s Lenten Soup Supper a parish gathering to remember. Thanks to the RCIA involvement with the Evening Prayer Service; the St. Mary’s Elementary School help with table set-up and placements; the Junior High Religious Ed students and individual parishioners who served the soup; the Italian Catholic Federation for provision of garlic bread and soup bowls; and the Choir for their provision of tablecloths and cutlery. A special thanks to Phil Micciche, the chef of the evening, and the twelve parishioners who helped him make the soup, as well as the Peace and Justice Council for hosting the evening’s program featuring Sr. Miriam Daniel-Fahey of the Santee Mission in East San Jose. Parishioners contributed close to $3,000 (a total of $2,931 to be exact) to support the Santee’s outreach to local Catholic families in this poorest neighborhood of San Jose. Thank you for your generosity in helping us to live out our mission as a parish to provide special care for the poor and vulnerable in keeping with Catholic social teaching! Our parish also supported the Santee Mission by donating another $1,800 at the pancake breakfast hosted by the WAV High School Youth group. See the WAV column in today’s bulletin for more details on their effort.
Human Trafficking presentation, Tuesday, May 19
Are you aware that Human Slavery still exists not only in far-away places but right here in the USA and in Santa Clara County? Join us for a presentation of this topic--Human Trafficking-Modern Day Slavery sponsored by St. Mary’s Peace and Justice Council, St. Mary’s RCIA and the Sisters of the Holy Names on Tuesday evening, May 19, 2009 in Hoffman Hall from 7:30 pm- 9:00 pm.
Human trafficking is modern-day slavery because it uses force, fraud, or coercion to make people do things they don’t want to do. Men, women, and children are all affected by this crime; they are enslaved throughout the world and many times right here in our own communities for commercial sex or labor without compensation or benefits.
Our own Sisters of the Holy Names in Los Gatos are among a number of Catholic congregations of religious women sponsoring the campaign to stop the demand for the purchase of women and children for sexual exploitation. We are encouraged to educate ourselves, our families, friends, and colleagues about this still-invisible crime.
If you are aware of a situation in which someone is being coerced against their will for the benefit of others, call the U.S. Department of Justice Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-428-7581 or report your concerns to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center’s 24/7 Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. For more information on this issue visit the Stop Enslavement newsletter. This is sponsored by a coalition of Catholic religious women working for justice at the international level in harmony with the charter of the United Nations for the economic and social advancement of all peoples.
St. Mary’s “Partners in Mission in Ecuador”
Ecuadorian Soup Supper
Thank You!
The Ecuadorian Soup Supper last Sunday evening and support for the Working Boy's Center through craft sales and donations were amazing successes. Thank you!!! St. Mary's response to our new partnership relationship was overwhelming. You showed incredible enthusiasm, care and concern for our Ecuadorian brothers and sisters at the Center. A total of $8300 was raised!!! All of that money will be used to directly support the mission of the Working Boy's Center to educate and care for families who are trying to work their way out of poverty. St. Mary's showed what it means to be part of a community - in our own parish and across continents. Thank you to all who worked so hard to make the kick-off to this new relationship with the WBC so successful and especially to those parishioners who were so flexible and supportive with our over capacity soup supper. The enthusiasm and spirit were stellar! As we move forward with this new partnership, please continue to pray for our friends in Ecuador. There will be other opportunities to participate in the future, including another immersion trip this spring. There was great interest expressed in the "Partners in Mission in Ecuador" ministry over the weekend. If anyone is interested in becoming more involved, please contact Carol Braham at 354-6121. Thank you, again!!!Partners in Mission in Ecuador
This past spring, seven members of St. Mary’s JustFaith and WAV were commissioned by the parish on Holy Thursday to travel to Quito, Ecuador, to participate in a service project/immersion experience at the Working Boy’s Center (WBC) – A Family of Families. The WBC was started 45 years ago by a Jesuit priest and joined soon after by several Sisters of Charity, BVM. It began by serving the poor shoeshine boy population of Quito and has grown into a family program that provides care through meals, medical and dental services, values building, micro-enterprise credit, community homebuilding opportunities and most of all, education and vocational training. The WBC ministers to all family members to help them break the cycle of poverty though self-sufficiency.
As an outgrowth of that experience and complementing St. Mary’s Mission and Vision statements of the Peace and Justice Council, St. Mary’s Parish is working to establish a long-term relationship with the WBC. This new ministry is called “Partners in Mission in Ecuador.” Its mission is to promote and enhance the relationship of St. Mary’s Parish Community and our sisters and brothers who participate in our ministry partner, the WBC. It is the goal of this new ministry to join the people of St. Mary’s Community and the WBC in prayer, solidarity, advocacy, mutuality and faith development. There will be various opportunities to develop this relationship throughout the year. Please join our parish in building these bonds with our partners in mission at the Working Boy’s Center in Quito, Ecuador. Anyone wanting to help with this ministry directly should contact Carol Braham at 354-6121.