St. Mary’s “Partners in Mission in Ecuador”
Mission Statement
The mission of the St. Mary’s Partners in Mission in Ecuador Ministry 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 Working Boys’ Center (WBC) in Quito, Ecuador and Damien House in Guayaquil.. Through our growth in relationships between St. Mary’s community and the WBC/Damien House participants, everyone involved will gain a deeper understanding of justice, peace, integrity of creation, dignity of the human person, diversity of cultural values and challenges of developing relationships across continents.
St. Mary’s Parish Community is dedicated to exploring, understanding and responding to the call and tenets of Catholic Social Teaching. Our parish has a long history of reaching out to our local community; it is the desire of the Partners in Mission in Ecuador to broaden our understanding of “Who is our Neighbor” out of country. We will be able to do so by walking in solidarity with the participants of WBC/Damien House. It is the goal of this new ministry to join the people of St. Mary’s community and the WBC/Damien House in prayer, solidarity, advocacy, mutuality and the faith development.
A GROWING MINISTRY OF LOVE & HOPE
This year, our St. Mary’s community celebrates its 13th year in partnership with the Working Boys’ Center (WBC) and Damien House in Ecuador. Last year we were honored to have a parishioner and former St. Mary’s student and immersion trip participant, Bronwyn Stone, in Ecuador on a year long volunteering journey.
The Working Boys’ Center has been serving poor families in Quito for over 54 years. Its mission is to help families work their way out of poverty through access to health care, education, and basic services. Every year, the WBC provides hundreds of families with daily meals, medical and dental care, education and vocational training, and more. The Center has served over 7,500 families and its programs have helped over 30,000 people leave poverty behind forever.
Damien Houseis a residential hospital located in Guayaquil. They exist to provide care to those affected by Hansen's Disease (Leprosy). They provide round the clock care for over 30 in-house residents and free medical care for over 700 outpatients. Those who live at Damien House are unable to live independently due to complications from the disease or because the stigma prevents them from returning home.
To support the Working Boys’ Center and Damien House, St. Mary’s:
•hosts a November Ecuadorian Soup Supper to raise funds and share impact stories
•facilitates yearly immersion trips to Ecuador
•invites our community to join in prayer and live in solidarity with our friends in Ecuador
Our connection to the Jesuit and BVM missions in Ecuador grows each year as more parishioners participate in the 10-day immersion trips. To date, over 140 St. Mary’s parishioners and their friends have traveled to Ecuador to learn, serve, play, and share in daily life with the hard-working and faith-filled people of the WBC and Damien House. Please consider participating in this life-giving ministry by going on an immersion trip, joining us in prayer, fellowship, or financial support.
If you are interested in helping with the annual Ecuadorian Soup or participating in future Immersion trips, please contact:
Brenda Lis ([email protected]) or
Tammy Szilagyi ([email protected]) or (510-589-8331)
History
Spring 2008, seven members of St. Mary’s JustFaith and WAV youth programs 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 of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM). The center 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 established a long-term relationship with the WBC. This grew into the Partners in Mission in Ecuador. Together, we are building connections and faith rooted in service. 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 Boys’ Center in Quito, and Damien House in Guayaquil.
Partners in Mission in Ecuador direct contacts are parishioners Tammy Szilagyi at 510-589-8331 or Anne Maloney at 408-355-4687
Staff contact is Jane Najour, Director of St. Mary’s Pastoral Care, Community Ministry and Social Justice at (408)354-3726 x121.
Current Connections and Volunteer Opportunities
Immersion Trips to Quito in 2020 & 2021
All trips cancelled due to COVID-19
St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception (Los Gatos) offers a wonderful opportunity to participate in 10-day immersion trip to the Working Boys Center (WBC) and Damien House in Ecuador. We will fly into Guayaquil and spend a day with Sr. Annie Credidio at the Damien House a Hanson’s Disease clinic, then fly into Quito and spend the remainder of the trip at the WBC. The trip offers a unique opportunity to participate and learn more about the Ecuadorian culture by living onsite and volunteering at the Center among the families.
Working Boys Center - www.c4wf.org
The Damien House - www.thedamienhouse.org
Gift Amount Annual Use
$6,000 Sponsor a family
$3,000 Educate a family
$1,500 Feed a family
$750 Provide medical and dental for a family
$500 Provide development programs for a family
$250 Supplement our daily expenses
Prayer and Solidarity are always welcome
A little bit about the Working Boys’ Center in Quito, Ecuador
“To contribute to the prosperity of the working boys and their families is to contribute to the present and future welfare of the community.”
The Working Boys’ Center: A Family of Families
“The Working Boys' Center: A Family of Families” serves the working boys and their entire families. This characteristic makes the WBC a unique agent for social change. They are a Catholic institution, with the objective of creating, developing and strengthening moral values by means of changes in attitudes and behavior, helped by programs of formation and social assistance. This process of change stresses ten important areas of life: loyalty, personal formation, family, religion, education, economy, work, recreation, health and housing.
The goal is that the families of the working boys will be united in their Christian commitment be financially independent, have access to education, health and quality basic services; become agents of change, oriented to the construction of a just society that promotes equal participation and respect for fundamental rights.
The strength of a society depends on the welfare of the whole family. All members of the families of the working boys receive the benefits provided by the WBC and learn a technical profession. In this way they contribute to the elimination of unemployment, one of the determining factors of poverty.
More information available at www.c4wf.org