In preparation for the 525th anniversary (in 2019) of the first Eucharist celebrated in the New World, the Dominican Episcopal Conference declared 2018 as the Year of the Eucharist. In this context, celebrating the month of September as the month of the Bible, took place the Second Biblical Congress of the Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana. The congress was held on Saturday, September 1, at the Nuestra Señora de los Remedios parish, in Azua.
 
The event was organized by Fr. Juan Manuel Camacho, a member of the Community of Saint Paul, who is responsible for the Diocesan Biblical Commission, and the theme was "WORD AND EUCHARIST." The conference of the congress was delivered by Fr. Martí Colom, also of our community.
 
Martí shared with the attendees some reflections on various biblical passages related to the Eucharist, starting with the accounts of the Last Supper and then expanding the focus to "the other Eucharists", that is, other “eucharistic moments” related by the Gospels. We saw how these other moments can enrich our understanding of the Eucharist, as each one of them underlines an aspect of the Eucharist. For example, the joy that should be present in all our celebrations (as it is present at the Wedding in Cana), or the radically inclusive fraternity which we see in the meals of Jesus at the house of tax collectors, or the gift of full and responsible freedom that Jesus gives us –if we are willing to receive it– that underlies the Johannine text of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes.
 
His presentation was very well received by the more than 200 participants of the Congress, who came from different parishes of the region. They returned to their communities with the desire to continue deepening in the scriptures and in what they teach us about the Eucharist.

 

Antonio is 70 years old and has always lived in the mountains: he has spent his entire life cutting trees for the construction of houses and for selling firewood or coal. In the town of Barrera, next to the Sierra de Martín García, a beautiful protected national park in the southwest of the Dominican Republic, that was the basic livelihood of almost half of the inhabitants of this town of 2,500. Two years ago, the Ministry of Environment prohibited the commercialization of charcoal to protect the vegetation of the area, but no alternatives were given to the people. Since then, villagers insist on cultivating the land to get by, but water is scarce.
 
In several meetings held with the community, the idea of ​​channeling the water from a spring that is now rarely used arose. Water, which runs through a natural ditch, is lost in large part by evaporation, filtration and because at night nobody uses it. With the help of an engineer, last year a complete project was designed, with the plan to build a spring protection, a water tank and a pipeline to the cultivation areas and exploit alternative crops with drip irrigation systems.
 
At this moment, the first phase of the project is being initiated, with the construction of the spring protection, thanks to the visit and help of the "Project Water" group from Milwaukee, led by Mr. Patrick Harrington. Our friend Antonio told us a few days ago: "It is very hard to live on coal! If we could, we would definitely do something else!"
 
Our hope is that this new project may become a valid alternative to coal that may ensure the wellbeing of the inhabitants of the area.
 

 

Last year, the Archbishop of Milwaukee, Jerome Listecki, visited the Dominican Republic to celebrate thirty-five years of the partnership between the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and La Sagrada Familia Parish in Sabana Yegua (Azua). This beautiful thirty-five year relationship of faith and friendship has undoubtedly produced many fruits, both in Milwaukee and the Dominican Republic.
 
During these thirty-five years, for instance, vocations have flourished. Today we have three ordained priests, originally from La Sagrada Familia, who work in parishes in the Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana; there are also three seminarians in formation in the local diocesan seminary; and five members of the Community of St. Paul are also from La Sagrada Familia Parish. In addition to that, five priests from the Community of St. Paul lived in the parish during their formation, before entering the seminary. They now enrich Milwaukee with their experience as missionaries.
 
In order to continue to strengthen this relationship of Sister Churches, the Auxiliary Bishops of Milwaukee James Schuerman and Jeffrey Haines, as well as the Vicar Generals David Reith, Jerry Herda and Javier Bustos, visited Sabana Yegua during the first months of 2018. They were all able to celebrate the Eucharist with the local community and see various areas of the parish, where they were received with much love and affection. Bishop Schuerman, especially, had a moving meeting with parishioners from the parish, since he worked there as a missionary priest from 1992 to 1996; they were able to share many memories.
 
Thirty-five years of faith and shared friendship is a great accomplishment, surely a work of God!


 

On November 25, in the cathedral in San Juan de la Maguana, 18 couples from La Sagrada Familia Parish said, “I do”, in a great ceremony in which 174 couples were married. It was an important wedding ceremony for the whole diocese, in a cathedral packed with couples, witnesses, songs and much joy. And it wasn’t a gathering of young people: the average age of the engaged couples was well over 40.
 
In the Dominican Republic, marriage, even civil marriage, is not common. The fear of commitment, respect for the indissolubility of the sacrament, as well as many additional social, economic and psychological factors contribute to make matrimony quite infrequent.
 
In one of the talks that we gave to these 18 couples, someone told them that they all were brave. In the Dominican Republic a civil wedding is rare, and a wedding performed in the Church is almost counter-cultural.

We applaud the decision of the diocese of San Juan, to celebrate these collective weddings, that affirm the love of the couples, fortify the families already created, and fill the relatives and brides and grooms with pride. After the celebration, the 18 new couples walked through their communities smiling, happy and cognizant of the fact that although they had already lived together for many years, they now were initiating a new stage of life, full of blessings. To them we say, with joy, congratulations!

 

 

This time we’d like to share the witness of Steve and Kathy Hrpcek and their group of their experience with the Community of Saint Paul in La Sagrada Familia parish in the Dominican Republic.
 

- A child care center with over 40 very vocal 3 – 5-year-old children that were rehearsing the story of Mary & Joseph and the birth of Jesus,
- Training centers focused of developing skills of young women in the areas of sewing, crafts and beauticians,

Seeing the new chapel for the first time in Tabara Abajo, we were filled with emotion. The builders were provided with photos of the statues of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Mother from Sacred Heart Parish in Racine, and turned them into tiles that form pictures that are on the walls in the new chapel. It brought tears to our eyes and will be a constant reminder of the connection between our two parishes. We absolutely loved it! By the way, Father Juan, who is involved in many of the other projects and ministries, did most of the planning for the new chapel. The dedication ceremony and mass were led by Bishop José Grullón, and there were more people attending the service than could fit into the chapel. You can tell that the 75-year old bishop truly loves his job and is so passionate and energetic. The music, decorations and flowers were so beautiful. After the mass it seemed like everyone there wanted to give us a hug or a kiss and to say thank you. One of the local families provided dinner to celebrate the new building, which ended a very beautiful day.
 
During the trip we had plenty of time to build stronger friendships, both within the group traveling from Sacred Heart and with our hosts in Sabana Yegua. We did everything as a group. We ate all our meals together, where we talked about our experiences during the trip, as well as the interests and activities we are involved in. We traveled together in a group in their vehicles, which included riding in the back of the pick-up trucks down unpaved roads. We had trips to two very beautiful beaches where we could swim, look for shells and just spend time together. When we finished our visit in Sabana Yegua we spent time exploring Colonial Santo Domingo together. This included visiting the First Cathedral of the Americas, Basílica Catedral Santa María de la Encarnación, which is over 500 years old.
 
While there were many photos taken that showed what we saw and what we did, they do not do justice to the feeling and emotions that each of us experienced during the trip:
 

 
Reflecting on the trip, we learned that it was more than just participating in the dedication of a new chapel. Through our experiences, this trip provided each of us with a unique opportunity to learn more about ourselves. The challenge now is to apply what we learned to further grow as individuals and in our faith.

Follow the link to watch the video of the chapel:
https://www.facebook.com/sacredheartracine/videos/1742256652485878/
 

On World Health Day, which was celebrated November 19, the United Nations reminded us that today in the world there are 2,400 million people without access to sanitation, and almost a billion people who take care of their physiological needs in the outdoors.
 
Since the beginning of the presence of the Community of St. Paul in the Dominican Republic, 14 years ago, we have been involved, from La Sagrada Familia parish, in building latrines for the most disadvantaged families of the region. In spite of the remarkable progress that has taken place, today almost 1,000 families in the parish territory that we serve still have no toilets.
 
La Sagrada Familia parish and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee have had a partnership for the past 35 years. Last January, we celebrated this 35th anniversary with a visit from the Archbishop of Milwaukee and a group of catholic faithful, who made a pilgrimage to the Dominican Republic. Upon seeing the need for dignified toilets for families, the Archbishop dedicated his Lenten campaign to this cause. Friends and acquaintances generously responded to his call, raising enough money to build 200 latrines.
 
We are very grateful for this collaboration, and would like to take this opportunity to share a short video, in which the priests currently in charge of La Sagrada Familia explain the process of building one such latrine.
 

 

 

Recently, the Community of Saint Paul, working at La Sagrada Familia parish in Sabana Yegua (Azua, Dominican Republic) received the visit of a number of friends and volunteers from Milwaukee.
 
First, we welcomed a group of 16 young adults who came on a mission trip to experience the life of the parish and the diverse ministries that take place here. This is the second time that we have young adults from Milwaukee visiting us. Their visit is the result of a shared effort between the World Mission Office of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Catholic Financial Life and the Community of Saint Paul, to organize these trips and make available to young men and women from Milwaukee the opportunity to experience different realities of the Church and the world.
 
While in the DR, the young adults took on different projects, working along with youth from La Sagrada Familia. They played games with children, organized a show case for the people of Proyecto 4 (a community within the parish), built latrines with the local beneficiaries and celebrated faith with the different communities around the Eucharist. They were able to share their gifts with the people of the parish; at the same time they received the warmth and love from their brothers and sisters in the Dominican Republic.
 
Just after this visit, a group of seven friends from Wisconsin, from “Proyecto Agua” (a small initiative that arose from a previous trip to the DR) came to work building latrines and to offer speech therapy sessions, as well as to share with the community.

Both groups had an enriching visit, and returned to the U.S. with many cherished moments in their hearts. To all, we say, thanks for visiting!
 

 

 

“They used to say that the witches ate up the children, but what killed them was in fact diarrhea”. The Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana has built more than 18,000 toilets in 25 years. As part of this same effort, the Community of St. Paul, from La Sagrada Familia parish in Sabana Yegua, has built more than 2,000 toilets in the last 14 years.
 
A few days ago, the executive director of FUNDASEP (the foundation of the Diocese of San Juan for human development) told us, with great enthusiasm, of the great impact over the years of the uninterrupted construction of sanitary outhouses with dry wells and toilets. Msgr. José Grullón, Bishop of San Juan, insists that they no longer be called latrines, but rather “lavatories”, because with the toilets placed in them now, they gain more dignity. Also, he insists —despite people asking once in a while why the Church concerns itself with such material matters— that the work of the Church and of all Christians it is to be concerned with the whole person.
 
Indeed, what is more important than the life of a child? And so many children were dying from diarrhea as a result of gastrointestinal illnesses caused by parasites, bacteria and bad drainage. It is no secret that when people take care of their needs in open fields, diseases spread easily. No, it was not the witches or a bad spirit or a curse that ate the children. What “ate them up” and literally killed them were the recurring gastrointestinal infections.
 
In the last decades, the situation has drastically changed. We could say that our environmental health program has indeed “killed the witches”. We thank many people and institutions for the support we have received for the construction of toilets and promotion of hand washing. Although a great number of families already have their bathroom inside and thousands have toilets or improved outhouses, still 15% of the homes in the region where we work have no bathroom. We are decided to continue with this program until there remains no family without a toilet.
 

About six months ago, the “Galilea” Parish Youth Group of La Sagrada Familia in Sabana Yegua took on a project sponsored by the Community of St. Paul. The idea was simple: to start a culture of recycling in town.
 
First, the youth made a short video that explained a twofold problem: the environmental contamination that arises from discarded plastics and the proliferation of mosquitoes that the trash laying on the streets attracts, which contributes to the propagation of illnesses, such as Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika.
 
In order to tape the video, the youth visited the city dump and saw the great quantity of plastics there in the open air. They were told that it takes many decades for the plastics to disintegrate. Once the video was edited, it was shown to the parish, as a tool to explain to as many people as possible the importance of carrying out a town “clean up”, by reusing and recycling plastic. The parish youth distributed bags and cans to the homes of families who wanted to participate in the project.
 
Currently, because of this initiative, there are 30 collection sites in town, where people can go to drop off their used plastic so that it can be recycled. Neighbors bring their plastics to these sites and the municipal garbage trucks pick them up one day each week. The plastic materials are stored in the town hall and picked up by a recycling company later.
 
The parish youth have also begun presenting talks to schools and other groups in Sabana Yegua, so that the entire town can receive the environmental education and participate in the initiative. They are also thinking of promoting recycling through activities that are at the same time educational and fun.
 
We hope to reduce the size of the town dump and the amount of plastic in the streets. To that end, we hope that everyone in town may participate in this endeavor!
 

As we have mentioned before in this blog, the Community of Saint Paul runs a physical therapy center in La Sagrada Familia parish of Sabana Yegua. Last week, a group of friends from the USA came from Wisconsin to visit: Chad Novasic and Kim Jansen were dedicated to physical therapy, while Suzanne Nickolai and Susan Masiakowski had the opportunity to be present at the opening of a new Childcare center for Haitian immigrants in one of the parish’s villages. We’d like to thank them for their help, and share their witness with you:
 
«This morning Kim and Chad saw 29 patients in the clinic. Strokes. Motorcycle accidents. Childhood illnesses. Post-operative orthopedic surgeries. Birth defects. Traumatic brain injuries. People and families literally came from miles around and some waited hours to be evaluated. All grateful for whatever advice could be given to improve their quality of life. In the afternoon, Sue and I rode out with Indhira, the child education coordinator, and helped set up and open the first Haitian Childcare Center in the province of Azua. We made wall decorations and brought games, coloring books, and puzzles donated by the children at St. Mary's grade school and preschool. Words cannot begin to express the humbling feeling of a classroom full of 25 children on the first day of school with no running water, a caved in roof, a single box of toys, a single tub of supplies. No fancy backpacks or supply lists. No aide or substitute. It is a feeling of inadequacy to know that so simple an action this afternoon is potentially life altering for these children. There is no alternative or choice. As we cut flowers to decorate the blank concrete walls, the thought was that this flower better be the best flower that we can make because this is the only gift that I can give. We may be tiny pebbles thrown into a pond, but even tiny pebbles can create a broad ripple of waves that touch every edge of the pond.»


 

 

From the 17 to the 24 of January, Archbishop Jerome Listecki of Milwaukee visited Sabana Yegua with a group of pilgrims from Wisconsin to celebrate the 35 years of twinning between his archdiocese and the parish of La Sagrada Familia, located within the diocese of San Juan de la Maguana.
 
Since 1981, diocesan priests from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee have been staffing the parish La Sagrada Familia, and for the last thirteen years it has been diocesan priests of Milwaukee who are also members of the Community of St. Paul. This fruitful relationship has been guided throughout the years by the theme “Sharing Faith and Friendship”, and it has greatly enriched both sister churches. Today, thanks to this relationship of mutual support, both Milwaukee and San Juan de la Maguana know more about solidarity than they did 35 years ago.
 
The visit of Archbishop Listecki and his group included meetings with different pastoral groups of the parish, as well as visits to the various social projects we carry out in the region (children development centers, health clinic, the construction of latrines, the professional training center...).
 
On January 21, a Eucharist was celebrated in the community called Proyecto 4, coinciding with the feast day of Our Lady of Altagracia, protector of the Dominican Republic. This celebration was presided by Msgr. José Grullón, bishop of San Juan de la Maguana, and he reminded everyone that the chapel in Proyecto 4 —which has been recently remodeled— was the first site of the parish, back in the early eighties. On Sunday, the 22, another Eucharist was celebrated in Sabana Yegua, this time with Archbishop Listecki presiding, and the following day the group of pilgrims traveled to Higüey, to the Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia, to give thanks for the relationship between the two sister churches, Milwaukee and San Juan de la Maguana.
 
The celebration of the 35 years of collaboration left everyone involved with a feeling of deep gratitude to God for sustaining this beautiful twinning in faith and friendship, and the desire for the relationship to continue to grow for many more years to come.
 

 

 

 

Coinciding with the pastoral visit of Msgr. José Grullón, bishop of San Juan de la Maguana, who visits our parish of La Sagrada Familia every year in the last days of December, we were able to inaugurate and bless two important structural improvements. The first was the new chapel of the community called “KM. 15”. For years, in this community we had been celebrating the Mass, the other sacraments and all the meetings under a fragile shade made of logs and branches. Now, finally, we have been able to fulfill the dream of having a solid, brick, beautiful and dignified construction. The new chapel is dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy, patroness of the Dominican Republic. We are grateful to the Divine Mercy Missionaries of New Jersey for their help in carrying out this project.
 
 
Secondly, the main church of the parish, in Sabana Yegua, had very old, uncomfortable and obsolete metal benches. With great effort on the part of many parishioners and local entrepreneurs, and with the collaboration of the parishes of Saint Mary and Saint Anne in Kenosha and of Holy Apostles in New Berlin (Wisconsin, USA), we have been able to replace the old pews for new ones, made of wood. The parish community is very blessed by these improvements.
 
During the days of his pastoral visit, Bishop Grullón was able to share with the parishioners, motivate them on their way of faith with his characteristic enthusiasm and joy, and confirm 105 people. There is no doubt that it has been a good end of the year in La Sagrada Familia!

 

 

The Health Center run by La Sagrada Familia parish opened its doors more than 30 years ago. Since then, it has offered health services to thousands of sick people from Sabana Yegua and the entire parish area.

With the passing of the years the center, which originally was just a pharmacy, has gradually expanded its services. Currently there is a general physician, a dentist, a gynecologist, a pediatrician and a nutritionist, in addition to the laboratory and the pharmacy.

This year, thanks to a generous donation from the people of Saint Patrick’s parish in Racine, Wisconsin, the facilities of the Health Center have been completely renovated and extended. The “new” center meets the demands of the people and the need for a high quality service in this town of more than 10,000 inhabitants. Patients do not have to go to Azua (10 miles away) for a blood work or other lab tests; why should they? Next door they have a modern, well equipped laboratory!

After 30 years, La Sagrada Familia Parish, run by members of the Community of St. Paul since 2003, continues to support health awareness and health care in this vulnerable area, in the Southwest of the Dominican Republic.

 

La Sagrada Familia Parish in the Dominican Republic receives visitors from Milwaukee

This year Catholics in Southeastern Wisconsin commemorate the 35^th anniversary of the twinning relationship between the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and La Sagrada Familia parish in Sabana Yegua, Azua, in the Dominican Republic. During all of these years, priests from Milwaukee have run the parish, sharing their faith and love with the people of Sabana Yegua and its surrounding rural communities. Since 2003, members of the Community of Saint Paul, lay and ordained, have been in charge of the parish on behalf of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

In order to commemorate these 35 years of partnership, different activities have been organized, so that people can participate and experience this partnership of faith. In late June and early July we have had two groups of pilgrims from Milwaukee visiting the parish.

The first was a group of 25 young adults, plus 7 seminarians from the archdiocese, who spent a week in the parish and were immersed in different activities with children, youth and the community at large. It was a great experience for the young adults coming from Milwaukee and the youth from the parish who came together to interact and share their talents and faith. The group was a coordinated effort put in place by the World Mission Office of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Catholic Financial Life Insurance company and, also, the archdiocesan office for Young Adult ministries. These three organizations came together and worked hard to make a wonderful pilgrimage of faith for the young adults participating on the trip. The seven seminarians held reflections and activities while sharing with the 25 young adults, who expressed that they were going back home transformed by this pilgrimage.

The second was a group of six men, five of whom are in training to be ordained permanent deacons in the archdiocese of Milwaukee. They visited La Sagrada Familia parish as part of their formation plan. They stayed with families in their Sabana Yegua homes, got to know the different ministries and then in the evenings reflected theologically about what they were seeing. It was a wonderful combination of theological reflection, prayer and sharing faith and love with the local community.
 

 

On April 29 we celebrated the inauguration of two new infrastructures in our parish in the Dominican Republic: a water pipeline for the rural community called Km. 8 and a basketball court in the neighboring village Km. 7.

With the completion of these two infrastructures a project that lasted for three years reached its final goals. It has been an integral project for the development of five rural communities, carried out by the Community of Saint Paul, FUNDASEP (the development agency of the Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana, DR), Manos Unidas and Nuevos Caminos (these two organizations are from Spain).

The project benefits over 2,000 people and it touches on education, health, income generating initiatives and, specially,infrastructures—such as the basketball court and two community water pipelines, one in Cañada de Piedra/Altagracia, that was already completed last year, and this one we just finished in Km. 8.

For these rural communities the endemic lack of water is over, as is the harsh task of having to carry water in five gallon cans, weighing over 40 pounds, for long distances under the scorching hotsun. Now the water reaches each and every home thanks to many people’s efforts, particularly that of the beneficiaries of this project.

 

 

 

 

In the far off town of Barrera (Azua, Dominican Republic), where men subsist by fishing, burning coal and farming, many women try, often in vain, to help with household expenses.

A few years ago we began to provide scholarships, especially for young mothers who wanted to improve their lives and those of their children. Up to this point, ten women from Barrera have pursued and completed a college degree; some are teachers, others nurses and others accountants.

Recently, Yudamaris and Yomaira Méndez, two sisters who are already licensed nurses, were able to earn a degree in teaching at the Catholic University in Santo Domingo. They finished a few months ago, and then Yomaira obtained a position as an educator in the high school in her town. In Barrera, due to the efforts of the government to extend the school day, they built a new school that has classes for seven hours daily (as opposed to four hours in the past) and the old primary school is now a secondary school. Before, young people had to travel to other communities for secondary studies. Because the government needs many teachers for the new extended education program, the two sisters, both nurse graduates, decided to earn a degree in teaching and transfer to the education sector to find work. As we mentioned, Yomaira has already found a job, and we hope that Yudamaris can do the same soon.

We encountered Yomaira a few days ago at a meeting to initiate microloans for women in Barrera. She continues to take care (as a volunteer) of the small first aid pharmacy that the parish runs in her town, and as you can see in the attached photo, she looked very happy and grateful as she showed us her newly obtained teaching degree. Congratulations, Yomaira!
 

 

 

At the end of January, the Dominican authorities confirmed the first ten cases of zika virus in the country. As it has been reported in the media, the disease, transmitted by the mosquito Aedes Aegypti, which also transmits dengue and chikungunya, is spreading in Latin America and the Caribbean.

There has been a lot of alarm about the disease, which provokes fever, rash, joint pain and symptoms which are similar to those caused by chikungunya. The most serious threat is the reported microcephaly in children in Brazil.

The Health Ministry has started an awareness and preventive campaign through talks, cleaning garbage, and advising pregnant women about the risks of this virus.

In the province of Azua, where our parish is located, there have been no cases reported so far. However, we are starting talks about zika. For us it is a good opportunity to insist on sanitation in the villages and houses, thus creating a culture of cleanliness. It will serve not only the zika prevention but also to avert future cases of dengue, chinkungunya, and so many gastrointestinal and skin diseases that normally affect the population.

It will also serve to educate young women about the risks of unwanted pregnancies. Azua is one of the provinces in the country with a higher number of pregnancies among teenagers. Awareness about the zika virus can help an always necessary awareness about pregnancy at a young age.

To sum up, we want to turn the zika threat and its extensive impact on the media, into an opportunity to keep talking and working for a better health of those we serve in Azua.

 

 

 

 

Every year in January, Saint Mary’s parish coordinates a group mostly of people from the Kenosha area, with some others, for a week in the parish of La Sagrada Familia, run by the Community of Saint Paul, in Sabana Yegua, Azua. This year 29 people came for a threefold mission trip: eye surgeries, eye exams and a building project. They performed 122 surgeries, saw more than 900 people during the four day clinic and built a house for a family that has some members with disabilities. 
 

 

 

 
 

Thank you very much to all those who participated in Mission 11, and in missions past!
 

 

Carmen and Ramona are from Galindo Adentro, a small village in the province of Azua, in the Dominican Republic. Recently, they each received a piglet from the pig farming program of La Sagrada Familia Parish. One day, while we were talking about the care and maintenance of the animal, they mentioned to us that there is a typical saying in the Dominican culture that refers to pigs as “the moneybox of the poor”.
 

The family receives the basic investment, which are the pigs, raises them to later sell them, thus generating a little income for the family. Thus, it fulfills the Dominican saying, and the pigs become the money box of the poor. If they don’t have an emergency that requires them to sell ahead of time, and everything goes well, the funds produce a benefit that the family knows well how to use!

 

 

 

The children in this program of preschool childcare come from families of scarce means who live in marginal towns and settlements within the parish. The poverty and need in which these families find themselves seems at times to strip away their dignity. To conduct a well-organized, formal graduation was a way to restore a bit this dignity, at times lost due to their adversities. The parents came to the graduation dressed elegantly and participated with pride in the different activities, while the children were showing off proudly all of their advances. We hope that these children grow with confidence and the dignity necessary to be good men and women in our society.