Marie Claire Lanser, a friend of the CSP from Milwaukee, sends us this wonderful witness:
We call our Sewing Cooperative «Love + Faith Dominicana». This is a group of talented women entrepreneurs who collectively sew a variety of items to help feed their families and to purchase sewing machines to proudly start their own home businesses.
This all began during a Lenten Retreat to “La Sagrada Familia”, the sister parish of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in Sabana Yegua (Dominican Republic) that took place in March, 2018. To date, more than $12,000 has been earned and sent to the Sewing Cooperative.
The process starts with purchased and donated fabrics and supplies which are carried in suitcases from Milwaukee to Sabana Yegua. Then, much of the sewing happens at the “La Sagrada Familia Sewing Center”, where expert and beginner sewers of all ages gather to sew, talk, laugh, and consult about what each piece of fabric might become. Little girls watch and learn the power of women working together.
What happens next is that sewn goods are packed in a suitcase and sent back with visiting priests and pilgrims from many Archdiocesan groups. They are then sold wherever we can find venues. All of the money collected is sent to the sewing cooperative.
We thank «Calico Corners» of Brookfield, whose owner continues to generously donate designer fabric remnants and samples to make the bags distinctive.
As of Summer, 2023, we are also selling knitted and loomed items that are 100% alpaca from a similar group of dedicated women in Bolivia who raise their own alpacas. We have sent $1530 to these women in three months.
We thank Marie Claire for her support to our missions in the Dominican Republic and Bolivia.
Last March, the event “WOMEN IN MISSION: CELEBRATING THE MISSIONARY CALL OF WOMEN” was held in the US, sponsored by the World Mission Office of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. In this event, two women were recognized, and one of them was Idalia Nieves-Reyes. The “BRIDGE BUILDER” award is inspired by Sister Frances Cunningham, S.S.S.F., former director of the World Mission Office, and this year was given to Idalia for her work at John Paul II Parish in Milwaukee in the 2022 Lenten campaign. The project she managed, "Right to Dignified Housing", raised funds for the construction of three houses in La Sagrada Familia parish in Sabana Yegua (Dominican Republic).
Idalia wanted to allocate the monetary prize she received to the women of La Sagrada Familia. Thus, on Sunday May 28, on the occasion of Mother's Day, we decided to have a beautiful party. On this occasion we gave priority to young mothers. In the Dominican Republic, and especially in the southwestern region of the country, there are many vulnerable young mothers, single or with several children, faced with extremely difficult socioeconomic situations. We invited this population to express our appreciation to them, to pay tribute to them and remind them of their great value. The event had the participation of Dr. Gloria Adames, who shared advice on raising children with a relaxed and dynamic talk. At the end, we shared a snack and a gift to all those who participated. The day was both formative and joyful. We thank Idalia Nieves-Reyes from here for her dedication, generosity, and solidarity.
As they have been doing for many years, a group of ophthalmologists and volunteers from the US traveled recently to Sabana Yegua (Dominican Republic) to carry out a campaign to care for people with visual problems.
Sixteen years ago, a group of ophthalmologists from Kenosha (Wisconsin, USA) traveled for the first time to the parish of La Sagrada Familia in Sabana Yegua (Dominican Republic), which is run by the Community of Saint Paul, to carry out a medical campaign there. No one could have imagined, at that time, that this was the beginning of a relationship that has lasted until today.
From February 6 to 14, 2023 we had the sixteenth ophthalmological campaign. On this occasion, seventeen volunteers (including ophthalmologists, assistants, translators) traveled to Sabana Yegua. They were able to visit and offer treatment to 785 people. The patients were from Sabana Yegua as well as from the surrounding rural communities that make up the La Sagrada Familia parish. During the year, some fifty people who need surgery (cataracts, pterygium, etc.) will be monitored and will be operated on in the coming months.
From here we want to offer our heartfelt gratitude to our friends from Kenosha, who are a beacon of hope for all the people in our communities in the Dominican Republic in need of help in treating their eyesight.
This past October, the celebrations of the 40th Anniversary of “La Sagrada Familia” parish in Sabana Yegua (Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic) concluded. As the readers of this Blog already know, “La Sagrada Familia” (founded in 1981) is the sister parish of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Since 2003 (that is, practically half of the history of the parish) “La Sagrada Familia” has been taken care by members (priests and laity) of the Community of Saint Paul.
To culminate the 40th Anniversary celebrations, on October 16, a Mass was celebrated in Sabana Yegua with the presence of Msgr. Jerome Listecki, Archbishop of Milwaukee, Msgr. Tomás Alejo, current Bishop of San Juan de la Maguana, Msgr. José Grullón, retired bishop of San Juan, several priests and many people who came from all the rural communities surrounding Sabana Yegua, who are part of the parish. A group of 20 pilgrims from Milwaukee were also in attendance, led by Antoinette Mensah, director of the World Mission Office in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. It was a great feast: after the Eucharist there were dances, traditional music, and a meal for more than 600 people.
It was, in short, a beautiful occasion to celebrate four decades of solidarity between two sister churches. In the Community of Saint Paul we are happy and grateful for having been part of this history for almost twenty years now, and we look forward to the future of “La Sagrada Familia”, which has done so much good (and wants to continue doing so!) in this area of the southwest of the Dominican Republic.
Recently, a group of seminarians from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in the USA spent two months visiting La Sagrada Familia, Milwaukee’s sister parish in the Dominican Republic, run by members of the Community of Saint Paul. Upon returning to the USA, one of them wrote this reflection, that we now share.
Over the last two months, my name was neither Craig nor Jeffrey, my first and middle names. Instead, it was Gregorio, a much more common and easier to pronounce name for a native Spanish speaker. The name change is a funny and lighthearted memory of the two months spent at La Sagrada Familia in the Dominican Republic. It is also a reminder that God used the experience to change me for the better. Although I could write pages about how my time there has impacted me, there are three which I especially want to highlight: greater zeal to go out and preach the Gospel, a deeper realization of the joy of the priesthood, and greater trust in the Lord to bear fruit from my life
I often feel the need to have everything planned out, especially when it comes to matters of faith. Without all the answers, I worry that I will miss the opportunity to give a convincing testimony for the Gospel. This summer, God has reassured me that no matter where I go or how prepared I feel, He is present and is at work. One morning, for example, I walked over to watch a youth baseball practice in town. I sat there for nearly an hour, talked to the coach and some of the players for a bit, and then headed home. As I was walking down the street back home, one of the young players started walking alongside me. I asked him if he knew the Our Father and, for the next five minutes, we walked with our hands folded at our chests praying the Our Father as people on the street watched and listened to us walk by. Baseball practice turned into an opportunity to lead others in prayer, an opportunity which would not have come about had I stayed put until I felt totally prepared to communicate the Good News. God not only gave me the chance to spread the Gospel but the words and actions to do so.
While I have gotten to know priests and spent time at parishes, I had never spent as much time with priests outside of the seminary in a parish setting as this summer. Daily, we spent time with Fr. Javier, the pastor, and Fr. Bob, a priest of the Archdiocese assisting for three months, celebrating the sacraments, eating together, traveling, and sharing conversations. In addition to Fr. Javier and Fr. Bob, we spent time with priests and bishops from the local diocese, priests from Antigo, WI, Virginia, the rector of the minor seminary, Fr. Luke Strand who came to visit us from Milwaukee, a Cuban priest who serves at the cathedral of Santo Domingo, and seminarians from the local diocese. The priests I had the chance to meet and spend time with had different personalities, backgrounds, and years of priesthood, but the love and joy they shared with my classmates and I for the priesthood and the mission of the Church was undeniable. It was, in a word, convincing that my life as a priest will be full of joy and fraternity.
Lastly, I am more convinced that the Lord will bear fruit from the seeds which He asks me to sow in the lives of others (Matthew 13). In forty years, the parish has grown from a few chapels to more than fifteen, and some of the communities have grown to the point of becoming parishes themselves. The parish has established health and nutritional centers where people can receive basic healthcare and bring their young children for education and food respectively. I heard parishioners talk about the impact past priests have had in their lives and priests with us explain how they have seen parishioners there grow in their service to the Church. As we all are, I am called to sow seeds in the lives of others and trust that God will bring the growth (Mt 13). My time in the Dominican Republic, seeing the growth God has brought about over forty years, is a convincing witness that God will bring the growth He desires from the seeds He asks me to sow.
I am Craig, and I am Gregorio, and my life has been changed because of the two months I spent in the Dominican Republic. Praise be to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for the graces of confidence to go out and spread the Gospel, conviction that my vocational call is full of life and joy, and a renewed trust in the power of God to bring growth from the seeds He asks me to sow.
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!
At the beginning of this year, Saint Lucy Parish School, in Racine (Wisconsin) did a “penny competition” to raise funds for the children of La Sagrada Familia parish in the Dominican Republic. At the end of the fundraising $1,500.00 were collected for the Pennies for Pencils Program.
Every year, at the beginning of the school year in the Dominican Republic, many families have difficulties to pay for the school materials and uniforms of their children. It is so hard for them to obtain these goods that as a result many kids start the school a few weeks late, when finally their families have the opportunity to buy the materials for them. With the help from Saint Lucy, La Sagrada Familia Parish has been able to give notebooks, pencils and uniforms to some of our neediest children. From here we would like to thank the school children of Saint Lucy for helping children in the Dominican Republic to go to school!!
Two groups from Milwaukee visit La Sagrada Familia parish in Sabana Yegua
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!
A group of representatives of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, including its archbishop, visit the parish La Sagrada Familia of Sabana Yegua in the Dominican Republic
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.
The parish of Sabana Yegua ends the year with the traditional pastoral visit of Bishop Grullón from San Juan de la Maguana
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!
Social Work is part of our Scholarship Program in the Dominican Republic
The main objective of the scholarship program of the Community of St. Paul in the Dominican Republic is to improve the lives of many young men and women through their elementary, secondary and university studies. Improving their lives also improves the lives of their families as well as the society in which they live and will work.
But there is something more to this scholarship program. Funded through the generosity of donors and private foundations from the USA and in Spain, the scholarships carry with them the expectation that the youth will participate in community service activities. All of the scholarship recipients are asked to contribute in some way to the common good, giving back a little of what has been given to them. For instance, they are offered the opportunity to teach after school classes (or English) to children, or participate in clean-up activities in their area (such as a removing garbage from a beach), or help people with special needs.
The youth who have received scholarships do all this, and the results are significant: in addition to helping others, they feel committed to the task of finding solutions for the multiple challenges that confront their town, their neighbors and their friends. Thus, by returning a little of what is given to them, they become leaders in the community, young men and women prepared and united in service to others.
Renovations at the parish’s Health Center in Sabana Yegua
.JPG)
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.
