LA SAGRADA FAMILIA “Every mission trip im-

pacts all who partici-

pate.. In the midst of

poverty we have experi-

enced people who are

kind, loving, and hope-

ful. These loving rela-

tionships have wel-

comed many of us into

the lives of our host

families. “ -Wilson

The Holy Family La Sagrada Familia

The Community of St. Paul Mission Review

“The St. Mary/St. Anne mission group has traveled to our

sister parish, La Sagrada Familia, in the Dominican Republic,

each January since 2006. Some years the group was small,

while the last few years the group has increased. This past

January our largest group of 32 travelers included doctors,

nurses, interns, college students and other interested adults

from three Kenosha parishes, and friends and relatives from

across the United States. There were three ophthalmologists,

an anesthesiologist, two optometrists, four interns and six bi-

lingual travelers. Because of this mission, over 1200 people

had their eyes examined with glasses dispensed to most of

them, 1000 sunglasses were distributed, and 118 surgeries

were performed, We received a $30,000.00 grant from Lion’s

Club International foundation, and additional contributions

from mission group members [Continued on page 2.]

Mission Newsletter June 2014

In This Issue

Mission Review Pgs. 1-3

Current information Page 3

Recent contributions Pgs. 4-5

Reflections from the past Pgs. 6-7

Pictures from the past End

their colleagues, parishioners, family and friends. Certainly numbers are part of the story, but

how numbers impact lives is vital for all of us to know.

During these last nine years, we have run eye clinics, performed eye surgeries, and helped

build homes. This year we expanded the eye clinic to include two satellite clinics as an outreach

effort to include nearby Haitian communities. Our building project was a home for a widow and

her three physically challenged daughters,. This is the fifth home we have helped build as well

as a farm building one year and an addition to the parish medical center another year. Because

of our latest mission trip, a mother can better care for her three physically challenged daughters,

people are able to labor skillfully and safely, being able to see the world as God created it in all

its beauty and grandeur.

Every mission trip impacts all who participate. In the midst of poverty we have experienced

people who are kind, loving, and hopeful. These loving relationships have welcomed many of us

into the lives of our host families. Two members of our group have become godparents to their

host family’s infant children. We have all experienced the welcoming spirit of our Dominican

friends who remind us, “Mi casa es su casa,” “my home is your home,” and it truly is.

[continued on page 3] [Page 2]

Another Story Headline Place your stories in order of their

importance. For example, your

most important story should be at

the top of the page. Less important

stories, or stories that may appeal

to a smaller portion of your audi-

ence should be lower down on the

page.

Use paragraphs often. A wall of

white text makes it hard for the

reader to skim a story and find a

way to quickly drop in and out of

your content. White space gives

the user an opening into your infor-

mation. Don’t be afraid to leave

spaces open.

MISSION 9 - JANUARY 14, 2014

This on-going twinning relationship with the people of La Sagrada Familia strengthens our

understanding of solidarity which means that we better understand the theological view of

Church as the Body-of-Christ. Working with people of another culture in another part of the

world also stresses a relationship between equals where the presence of God is recognized

in the faces and lives of everyone. We have also come to realize that the financial compo-

nent of our missionary activity is about justice and not charity, which recognizes and accepts

the gifts that the mission church has to give, and the gifts the mission sending church re-

ceives. If we approach missionary activity as a mutual sharing within the Body-of-Christ, then

in our desire to evangelize, we receive the gift of being evangelized—-of having our faith re-

newed.

Ultimately we are all in mission as we reach out to our brothers and sisters across the

street or across the world, and in that exchange, we all give and receive and come face to

face with the living God...and we are forever changed.”

[This mission review was requested by Fr. Juan to be placed in a magazine that the Society of St.

Paul publishes. I hope you all agree that it covers our on-going missionary efforts as experienced by

our trips to our sister parish.]

CURRENT INFORMATION

We have received a large collection of hats and “T” shirts for our next mission

We have received a second laptop computer to help us evaluate eye clinic clients

Check out the mission bulletin board located on the north wall of the main

entrance to St. Mary Church

Mike Wolfe will make his mission appeal for our sister parish on the weekend of

September 13-14, 2014.

One of our mission members has contributed a substantial sum of money to assist

Fr. Juan in establishing a series of small business loans that will help families to

become self-sufficient. These loans will be paid back over time and reassigned to

other families.

Three new people this past week want to participate in Mission 10. Remember

the date — Monday, January 5—13, 2015 — Mission 10! For more information con-

tact Deacon Wilson Shierk: cell: 262-914-0757; home: 262-697-0227.

[Page 3]

RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS

(1) Mary Towers is a personal friend who has spent many months in the Americas and is familiar first-hand with the challenges experienced by so many in that area of the world. She now teaches at Mahone Middle School in Kenosha, and after my presentation of our Mission 9 DVD, challenged her students to help out. ...And they did. Their MP3 Program (Mustangs Practice Peach Project) collected 332 hats, glasses and sun-glasses for the people in our sister parish. Many thanks to Mary for her leadership and to her students who demonstrated their concern for others. Here is a part of her message to students and colleagues: The Guided Learning Sixth Graders have embarked on a new initiative called Mahone MP3 (Mustangs Practice Peace Projects)--a series of local, national and international service learn-ing projects. Research has shown that service learning has an enduring positive impact on stu-dents' academic achievement, civic engagement, and personal and social development. This Wednesday kicks off Recycle for Eyesight, a joint effort with La Sagrada Familia, Kenosha Area Lions Club, Lions International Foundation and Club de Leones de Sabana Yegua, Do-minican Republic. Our goal is to help collect items for a team of Kenosha optometrists, oph-thalmologists, translators and builders who will transport our donations to the poor village of Sabana Yegua, Dominican Republic, which also includes immigrants from Haiti. We are collecting prescription eye glasses, baseball caps and sunglasses. Please allow stu-dents to bring these items to Advisory on Wednesdays. Collections will take place every Wednesday during Advisory through June 4th. Kathy Peterson will escort the Sixth Graders to your classrooms [ continued on page 5] [Page 4] ]

with a collection box. Please keep us in mind when cleaning out cabinets at home. The Dominican Republic is a very poor country and much closer to the equator than Wiscon-sin, where poverty prevents one from having protective eye gear against the harmful sun's rays. THANK YOU to the people who have already donated! And, thank you for welcoming the Sixth Graders into your classrooms to be able to work on their project. Please feel free to contact me! In gratitude, Mary Towers

(2) Thanks to efforts made by Deacon Jay Wittak (mission 8 member) two western

Racine County parishes adopted our sister parish as part of their Lenten almsgiving pro-gram. We received two checks from St. Robert Parish in Union Grove and St. Mary par-ish in Dover totaling $827.38. They have requested that this money be used to build la-trines for the people in LSF Parish. They also request that we send them pictures of the completed latrines upon our return next year. We extend our thanks to Jay and the parishioners of St. Robert and St. Mary parishes and we will follow up with pictures when the project is finished.

(3) LIBBY’S ANNUAL SUMMER RUMMAGE SALE

Libby Slana’s address:

11706 45th Ave, Pleasant Prairie, WI

Her cell: 262-705-5043

Rummage Sale Date:

Saturday, August 2 ....8am to 6 pm.

100% of proceeds go to Anna Beltrae, a medical student from the Dominican Repub-lic who is studying to be a pediatrician. She cannot afford to continue with school without our support. Libby is picking up any donations if you call her cell phone, or they can be dropped off at our house any time and left by the garage. Anyone who wants to come to the sale or donate is welcome!

[Page 5]

REFLECTIONS FROM THE PAST

CONNECTIONS OF THE HEART

Connections of the heart are a mystery and a blessing. For the past four years, I have had the honor and the privilege of being part of a mission trip to LaSagrada Familia Par-roquia in the Dominican Republic. I’ve stayed with the same host family in Sabana Yegua each time. Wanda and Blas have graciously said, “Mi casa es su casa.”

I have grown to love that little family and I know they love me. This year I was asked to be the godmother for their baby, Keyler. Deacon Wilson Shierk and Mike Wolfe of the Community of St. Paul organized a wonderful bilingual baptismal service for us.

The really strange thing is that Wanda and I have never had an actual conversation together. She speaks no English. I speak very limited( and very poor!!) Spanish. Yet our friendship has turned to love through smiles, hugs, gestures and halting attempts at find-ing the correct word for something with the aid of an English/Spanish dictionary.

Despite the verbal limitations, I feel a definite connection to them. They are my “Dominican family!” A picture of us all at Keyler’s baptism has been added to my kitchen refrigerator next to all the photos of my daughters and grandchildren.

Connections of the heart are DEFINITELY a mystery and a blessing!!

Submitted by Kathy Norris — St. Mark Parish

JONATHAN

The people of La Sagrada Familia are mentioned and prayed for frequently amongst parishes in Kenosha, Wis-consin. But when we discuss this third world parish, many people do not know what it is truly like. To some, La Sa-grada Familia is just a sum of Spanish words, but to me it was a life changing experience. Through the St. Mary Mis-sion Trip to Sabana Yegua, Dominican Republic, I was able to learn about the reality of poverty in our world.

Deacon Wilson Shierk asked me to write a short reflection about my experienc-es. Instantly, I knew I would write about Jonathan, a ten-year-old Dominican child. While working at the eye clinic for three days, I noticed this child out the window. Every day he would have on the same black shirt, ripped jeans, and no shoes. [continued on page 7]

[Page 6]

Whenever I would go outside he would follow me around and we became friends. One night I invited him to mass and asked him where his shoes were. He responded with “no tengo zapatos” or “I do not have shoes.” After mass, Jonathan followed me back home. My house father recognized this boy and told me that his parents, who had psychological problems, neglect him and his sister. He also mentioned that the two children are fre-quently found in the street sleeping. The next day, I found Jonathan in the same spot as usual. I asked him when was the last time he ate, and he did not remember. At dinner, I took extra food to him and after that I did not see him again.

Overall, this mission trip to Sabana Yegua has made me praise and thank God for the wonderful life I have. Unlike Jonathan, I was blessed with wonderful parents, food, and shoes. Some nights, I wonder why God decided to give me such a wonderful life and not Jonathan. What did I do and what didn’t Jonathan do to deserve this. Even though Jonathan was poor and at times hungry, he always had the biggest smile on his face. Through this trip, I realized that my bad days are nothing compared to what some Domini-cans and Haitians have to face in their daily lives. I would like to ask that whenever you eat or say your prayers, thank our Lord for what he has blessed you with and ask God to help those in need in the Dominican Republic and others in the third world. If you do de-cide to go on the next mission trip to our sister parish, you will have many lifelong memo-ries and a new outlook on life. ----Kaitlin Leary, St. Mary

TRUE BLESSING

“It was a true blessing to be a part of the mission trip that went to the Dominican Republic, a few weeks ago, to serve the people there in the eye clinic, which we set up. We worked long hours for three intense days, serving about 570 people. The native people welcomed us with open arms! They patiently waited their turn at the eye clin-ic. They were very appreciative of all that we did for them. Some of them and some of us had tears in our eyes! Some of them could really see without any blurs, for the first time! They came from both near and far. Their smiles, handshakes, and hugs brought us together as a faith filled Christian community!

Seeing the children in the nutrition center, in the schools, in the homes, playing in the streets...they reflected God's love in their bright smiles, hugs, taking our hand and walking with us or letting us help feed them. It was as if Jesus were telling us, "Let the little children come to me." We saw Jesus in each of them and in each other. Lan-guage may have been a barrier, but it was overcome with sincere acceptance of one an-other. The peace, joy, calmness, strength, courage, and love was freely given and freely received by everyone! Thank you and praise you Lord!” ——Judy Gregory, St. Mary

[Page 7]

PICTURES FROM THE PAST