St. Edward‘s Church embraces one Sister Parish community in Jinotega, Nicaragua and a sister parish in the inner city of Minneapolis - Sagrado Corazon (Sacred Heart). We also support a home for at-risk girls in the Dominican Republic.
Our Sister Parish Committee, which is open to guests and new members all the time, coordinates the ways in which our parish can support these communities - either through projects such as our Solar Oven Project, or trips to visit our sister communities to build relationships with the people & offer what help we can with regard to them realizing some of their dreams - to Jinotega, Nicaragua to help set up Solar Ovens or to the Dominican Republic‘s Girls‘ Home to run a Christian Camp for them, and the likes.
You don‘t have to be able to TRAVEL to be helpful on this committee.
Our next meeting is Thurs., Aug. 7th, in the conference room in the office area. YOU would be very welcomed to join us!
We would like to THANK all of our parishioners who have contributed to our efforts in the past, and encourage you to please continue to be generous with your time, money and prayers in supporting these communities. Perhaps consider joining us for a visit to one of our sister communities and make some friends in another part of the world.
Our Solar Ovens Project was a wonderful success! We distributed 305 Solar Ovens in the countryside surrounding Jinotega, Nicaragua donated by our parishioners! We had a team visit Jinotega in March to teach the people from the countryside how to use and put together the solar ovens - in Spanish! We also met the new pastor of our sister parish - Our Lady of the Angels - Padre Eliar! What a wonderful man! And many people participated behind the scenes, with the logistics of the Solar Oven project, who did NOT go to Niaragua, but still helped!
Dominican Republic Girls Home Two groups are going this July 12 - 26 to put on a day camp - like VBS - for the disadvantaged girls living at this home - Teresa Toda. What a great experience! And many people participated on the front end preparing for the trip who were not able to go to Dominican Republic, but still helped! Keep this in mind for next summer!
Watch for people from that trip who will tell their stories at masses the weekend of Aug. 24th!
St. Ed's Parishioners helped with DONATIONS requested for the girls!
The Teresa Toda Home is a home for very poor girls in the Dominican Republic run by Carmelite Nuns. Parishioners plan and deliver an annual two week camp which includes VBS activities as well as traditional camp activities. This camp is supported by the whole Parish through the Pancake Breakfast and Tithing.
From the first camp in 2001, our goals have been:
To spend time with the girls
To create and maintain a lasting friendship
To develop the girls’ self esteem
To teach the girls English
To gain spiritual insight from the Sisters and the girls
To take a break from our usual routines, both the girls’ routines and the travelers’.
We focus on these above camp goals. We also bring items that the Sisters have requested.
For other questions or suggestions, please contact Tiffany or Ann McGuire at annmcguire@comcast.net.
THANK YOU!!!
Jinotega, Nicaragua!
Did you see the story in the Catholic Spirit on July 17th about our sister parish relationship with Nicaragua???
Our last group traveled to our Sister Parish, Our Lady of the Angels, in Jinotega, Nicaragua February 7 – 17 to represent the face of St. Ed’s to them.
Many connections were made:
we met some of the recipients of the food we sent through Feed My Starving Children (feeding about 445 adults, and 350 children DAILY), & checked out a possible new recipient - a school for mentally & physocally challenged kids!
we helped to renovate a chapel in the outlying mountains that our sister parish serves;
we met the people of AVODEC – the organization that does so much for the people;
we saw firsthand the proposed efficient and healthy “Cookstove” being designed to compliment the Solar Ovens we sent down a few years ago … and more! (We met Elena, the "Tortilla Lady," who was one of the first recipients of one of these cookstoves. She LOVES it! Now she can make more tortillas, faster, using less wood & without breathing noxious fumes.)
We watched in awe as the ladies of the "Pastorales in their ministry of compassion to the poorest of the poor, reached out to the sick, the handicapped, the shut-ins on the fringes of our sister parish.
We also admired the good work of Padre Eliar as he tries with great success to be all & do all for the people of his flock - that stretches way out into the mountains over hirrible roads & through dangerous mud! he can give the most touching homily & be the visible presence of Christ to each of the people in his flock, rich & poor alike, & he can mix mortar & lay brick with the best of them!
The Parish Council of Our Lady of the Angels wants nothing more than good, on-going communication between our parishes. In this way both parishes can become more actively involved in the life of the other parish, through praying for special needs of the parish, its events or its parishioners. This is a tall order, difficult on both ends.
Do do this we need 1 person to be the Lead Contact with Jinotega, via e-mail.
We then need a number of people we can call on to translate any e-mails that come to us, from Spanish into English - on your own schedule, at your own home.
After that we need a few people to be part of an e-mail chain, to send these translated e-mails on to a list of 12 or so other interested people.
Finally, we need interested people to be part of this list to receive translated e-mails from our friends in Nicaragua. There is no obligation for these interested people to DO anything, just a desire to learn more about the people in our sister parish. They would also have the opportunity, if so desired, to ask questions, offer ideas, express concerns, etc, .
If any of these roles in this vital communication connection appeal to YOU, call Mary Pat Potts at 952-835-7101 x210 or mppotts@stedwardschurch.org
Our Sister Parish Committee, which is open to guests and new members all the time, coordinates the ways in which our parish can support these communities - either through projects such as our Solar Oven Project, or trips to visit our sister communities to build relationships with the people & offer what help we can with regard to them realizing some of their dreams - to Jinotega, Nicaragua to help set up Solar Ovens or to the Dominican Republic‘s Girls‘ Home to run a Christian Camp for them, and the likes.
