Translated from: La Prensa, Managua, Nicaragua, February 17, 2008, Religión y Fé  (http://www-usa.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2008/febrero/17/noticias/religionyfe/)

SUSAN: A TESTIMONY OF LOVE FOR YOUR FELLOW MAN

Picture: Susan Kellett , her husband Michael Kellett, Father Eliar Pineda Úbeda and Vilma Rivera, with samples of food sent by Saint Edward’s Church, Minnesota, USA

Some call her Mother Teresa because of her goodness and love of fellow man. Others call her Angel. But, in the end, there are no words to describe the praiseworthy and humanitarian social programs carried out for the past 21 years in Jinotega by the American Susan Kellett, her husband Michael Kellett and an American lay group from Saint Edward’s Church (USA), members of the parish group that sponsor social programs which benefit thousands of that city’s citizens.

“Everything I do is because of my love to God and fellow men; I help others because I see God’s face in every poor person who is in need”, says Susan to the “La Prensa” section of Religion and Faith, while they were visiting the peasant community of Sarawaska, in Jinotega, where they have also built a communal well with support of AVODEC which will benefits more than 600 families with potable water.

Susan Kellett directs a lay group at the St. Edward’s Church in Minnesota (USA), and over 21 years they have been strengthening the relationship with Jinotega’s Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles Parrish.

The work through the fellowship is both social and spiritual, according to Father Eliar Pineda Úbeda, the pastor of Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles Church.  It has been a parish relationship of “invaluable work that has brought great benefits and the most important thing is that this help is reaching those it is supposed to reach; the needy”, said the priest.

He also added that “this relationship has definitely been vital, able to provide relief to the needy, to the sick and to the students. We are infinitely appreciative to Susan and Saint Edward’s Church because of their great social and humanitarian effort”, said Father Eliar Pineda.

TONS OF FOOD

Suzan delivered a container of highly nutritional food to Father Eliar Pineda, shipped from the United States for the sick, and families and students of José Dolores Rivera school.

“This food is important because we distributed it to the sick, families and students. It is excellent, highly nutritious food”, said the priest.

Also, last 14th of February, Susan Kellett, her husband and the visiting American lay group visited a Head Start Center and donated toys and education material for the children there.

The donation was given to María Auxiliadora Herrera, director of the center, who thanked them for their assistance.

“We appreciate this assistance because the educational material is greatly important because the children to learn by playing. It is indispensable for child education”, stated Herrera.

A GREAT WOMAN

For her part, Vilma Rivera, who does social work for the Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles Parish, values the commitment of Susan Kellett, as very positive and humanitarian for the needy.

“Susan is a great woman, with a great human sensibility; she serves her fellow man with love and devotion. We Jinotegans love her and thank her for the 21 years of work from St. Edward’s Parish”, said Rivera, a lay woman very active in social and pastoral work in Jinotega.

PROJECTS

The social works performed by Susan Kellett and which benefit thousands of Jinotegans are performed in an altruistic and Christian spirit by the parishioners of St. Edward’s Church, located in Minnesota in the United States.

The work includes providing food, digging wells, building and repairing parish churches, and spiritual. A current project in conjunction with AVODEC is the design of a new wood stove which has these principal criteria: a healthy environment, the protection of the cooking area and the reduction of economic costs.

Also recently, St Edward’s Parish repaired the roof and painted the interior of Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles which had visibly deteriorated.

At another location, they have installed a dental clinic  with specialty equipment which will be available for the most needy.

“We are going to continue our work in Jinotega. There is much need but together with hope and unity in God, everything is possible,” Susan Kellett said.